A Week Of Over Extending Ourselves

This past week we tried to home school...tried being the key word here.

We were a busy bunch this week, with 3 field trips scheduled. On Monday, we visited this apple orchard again, but this time we were treated to a behind-the-scenes tour, where we learned all about the cider press and the machines that sort the apples that go to the store. It was very cool.

On Thursday, we visited this bakery for a group tour. Mark, the baker, showed the kids all the neat things about his bakery...the milling stone was especially interesting, as he could show the kids how flour is actually milled from the wheat berries.

The neatest field trip by far though occurred on Wednesday, when we drove up to the Mall of America for a trip to Underwater Adventures Aquarium. The kids really learned a ton of information in the shells class, where they were able to handle lots of different kinds of shells and learn cool facts about shells (did you know that shells are made out of calcium and that the sea creatures grown them like bones?) and create cute lobsters out of paper plates.

Following the class, we took a tour of the aquarium, which the kids LOVED.

We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring LegoLand, trying out a couple of rides in the amusement park, and dining out at Rainforest Cafe. As we leisurely strolled back to the van to head back home, I realized what it was I liked about taking these trips with my kids this week. I truly enjoyed myself. And I enjoyed seeing my kids enjoy everything that day brought. We never had to rush, we never had to follow anyone's schedule, and I got to be a part of every aspect of those learning experiences. And that is one of the many reasons I feel so good about educating my children at home.

And although we didn't have a ton of seat time this week, I think all of us learned a lot, beyond cider presses, wheat berries, and crustaceans.

Especially me.