Field Trip ideas for Exploration to 1850

[Marie]

Field Trip ideas for Exploration to 1850.

[Julie in MN]

Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2007 11:08 am

For those of us in Minnesota, I didn't know there was a statue of Leif -- or Leiv -- on the state capitol grounds...

[cbollin]

Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 7:31 pm

+ For some history themed trips, we ended up in Vincennes, Indiana at the George Rogers Clark Memorial and the park 2 miles up the road where Fort Sackville was. Ouabache Trails park? (that's pronounced Wabash)

+ and we won't talk about my canceled Jamestown, VA field trip. 6 years in the planning.... canceled. Isn't there a verse or two in the book of James about that? LOL.

+ Never did the Levi Coffin house in Richmond, IN (underground railroad). or Prophetsown.

+ Oh yeah ---- the museum at the ST. Louis Arch --- great for Lewis and Clark and whole westward expansion.

+ St. Louis has lots of good field trip destinations.....

--crystal

[Julie in MN]

Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 9:04 pm

We love MANY of the field trips on state history, US history, history of various people groups, state industries, etc. And don't forget that much info on these can be found online, even if you can't visit the actual site.

* Fort Snelling has homeschool days in the fall (1827=frontier & fur trade, 1860s=Civil War theme days), as well as group tours and weekend family events. Located between Mpls. & St. Paul.

* Sibley House in Mendota - fur trade days, Sibley was 1st governor of the State of MN. Mendota was first permanent European settlement here. Open in good weather - no lights or heat (1836). Homeschool days & house tours, also site on River History Walk, City of Mendota Walking Tour, & Wakan Island Walking Tour. Located just across the river from Fort Snelling, in a nice spot for picnics & skimming rocks on the river.

* Stillwater Warden's House Museum. Site of original state prison (trivia: "Stillwater Prison" is no longer located in Stillwater!). Guide shares much exacting & enthusiastic MN history. (1853)

* Stillwater Trolley ride, request emphasis on logging industry (1830s-1870s)

* The Landing (formerly Murphy's Landing), reenacts the changes over the 1840s-1890s. They transplanted many original MN homes from different eras. Located in Shakopee.

* Oliver Kelley Farm (1850), kids can really steer a plow, plant a garden, etc., located in Elk River

* John H Stevens House - next to Minnehaha Falls in South Mpls., site of historical events in city and Territory (1850)

* Wells Fargo Museum (1849 Gold Rush info to 1866 Stagecoaches), free and surprisingly hands-on, located at the Wells Fargo Bank in Downtown Mpls.; the light rail stops a block away (another good field trip), and a lunch area is on the 2nd floor of the building in between the rail stop and the bank

* MN State Academy for the Blind (1866), could visit when studying Louis Braille (1809-1852), located in Faribault where you can also visit the deaf school, woolen mill, cute little Rice County museum, and River Bend nature center where you can eat lunch in a teepee.

* Zoos and aquariums and nature centers for the study of animals (MN Zoo in Apple Valley includes aquariums,
the biggest aquarium is at Mall of American in Bloomington, and good nature centers are Woodlake in Richfield and River Bend in Faribault, among many others)

* The MN Landscape Arboretum (in Chaska) and conservatory (in Como Zoo, St. Paul) for the study of plants, or possibly a florist such as Bachman's

[705emily]

Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 6:12 pm

The Cincinnati Zoo is one of the top 5 zoos in the country. It's also very close to the Creation museum. We hope to check it out when we visit the museum!

Hope you find lots to fill your trip with exciting memories!
Irmi Gaut

[Archiver2]

I am using Ex -1850 (we are on week 8) with my 5th grader and 3rd grader with three little ones in tow.

Here is my problem, we are planning a trip to Williamsburg, VA, the week of Thanksgiving. We have been to Williamsburg several time before and this will probably be our last trip for awhile. I feel like I should try to skip some of the world history and get to the American History so that my dc will get more out of our trip. They have a program called Revolutionary City where actors are re-enacting events leading up to, during and after the War. I feel like the we have just scratched the surface by not studying more prior to our visits.

So, what should I do? Should I skip and then try to fill in the World History later to get back on track? Has anyone done anything like this before? Should we just do some reading on the War and jump back into our schedule when we get back and cover the Rev War more in depth later?

Posted: Sat Nov 04, 2006 10:27 pm
Author: kellybell

Oh, what a fun trip that will be.

I think most of us have run into situations where we are going somewhere and want to prepare our kiddos for it.

Last year, we set aside our usual homeschooling history and read John Wesley Powell's journal of his trip down the Colorado RIver. Then, we went to the Grand Canyon. The summer before, we read some books and visited some websites on Mount Rushmore before visiting that. We also laid aside ECC to study the Wright Brothers (and flight in general) right before the 100th anniversary of their Kitty Hawk flight. When the anniversary date arrived, my mom flew to visit us. The kids thought it was awesome that Grandma flew on the 100th anniversary date! I was surprised that neither pilot she had that day mentioned it.

I would say just to lay aside EX-1850 for a week or two and hit the websites and get the brochures. Give a general background of the war and then concentrate on Williamsburg. Teach them where it is on the map, watch some videos and learn why it is important. Then, enjoy your trip. Take pictures, make scrapbooks, etc.

When you get to that point in the curriculum, it will be fun to say, "Hey, I remember that!" Cover it deeper when it's time to. Right now, learn the background of the war and then talk about what you'll see on your trip.

Sometimes it's better to cover things twice like you'll probably be doing. Hit it once quickly and not so deeply, and then when you hit it again, it will be so easy and more understanding will naturally sink in.

Sounds like a great trip.

Posted: Sun Nov 05, 2006 2:50 am
Author: cbollin

From the "we almost took our Williamsburg trip" files... My idea is to add in a few book basket books on Williamsburg, and Yorktown. And spend some time to review Jamestown. The 3 cities are really close. You've got to get over to Jamestown too, right? And that will be review. You did a lot of Jamestown already in EX1850. Any material now on Williamsburg and/or Yorktown will be "preview", then hands on (field trip) and then in depth study whenever it is in EX1850. Keep it simple that way.

You probably have seen the websites for Jamestown and Colonial Williamsburg... there are various teacher lesson plans and stuff like that on there to help get other ideas. Sounds like a fun thing to add in next Friday on light and independent Friday. OH wow! I just glanced at the week 9 grid. That's the Friday where you play colonial games on Friday.

Sounds like it's going to work just great.
--crystal

Posted: Mon Nov 06, 2006 2:35 pm
Author: Heidi

What fun!

I use to live in Fredericksburg where I was a tour guide for nearly 5 years for the home of George Washington's sister - Betty Lewis (Kenmore Plantation). Naturally, I learned tons about the colonial time period and we were taken all around for free to many of the Colonial places as part of our job. It was a great job! I learned to love this time period.

Last year we did Adventures - American history overview. We were very fortunate that on the History Channel a whole series came on about the Revolutionary War. It was great to learn about it, read about it with the book basket books and then see it! It was an in-depth series too. Then guess what - I found the series while looking for something else - in the library!

If it were us, we would set aside "regular school" and re-read as many book basket titles from Colonial times as possible concentration on biographies (George Washington, Patrick Henry, George Mason, Thomas Jefferson, Lee, Randolph, and especially the ones who lived in VA) - somehow history is always more interesting when learning about actual people - makes it seem more real, do colonial crafts and cook a couple colonial recipes. And of course, I would go to the library and check out the history channels series on the revolutionary war and watch it again - it will take several days to watch - even as much as a week.

Before I got there, I would look up to see what "events" will be offered and get signed up - since you have been there - you know what I mean. If you can afford it - rent a costume, eat at one of the restaurants, ride in a buggy, etc.

[Julie in MN]

There are lots of virtual tours online these days. Some are more fun than others, but almost all will have good photos and lots of info. Here are a couple of good ones:

Mount Vernon (George Washington's home): http://www.mountvernon.org/virtual/index.cfm/ss/29/

Monticello (Thomas Jefferson's home). For the videos, click "launch the flash tour" and then "launch Monticello explorer" and then one of the links in the "tour" column:
http://www.monticello.org/house/index.html


P.S. If my links get broken, or if you want to find another virtual tour, you can just google "virtual tour" for the site you want to "visit"