Field Trips in May
One of the things I like best about homeschooling is the ability to get out and learn first hand about subject matters. It is the best kind of learning in my opinion. Emma and I have done a lot of field trips this year and to close out the year, there were some on our list which we wanted to accomplish.
We were so blessed to see the new lion cubs. We just happened to walk up when a zoo keeper was beginning a play interaction. They were our favorite part of our visit to the zoo.
The Rankin House is a National Historic Landmark and Underground Railroad Station. The Rankin House, located on Liberty Hill which overlooks the Ohio River and Ripley, is one of the better known sites which assisted in the Underground Railroad efforts.
They offer a guided tour of the home which was very interesting and the town has a cute little soda shop we ate lunch in and several antique stores. The scenery is beautiful along the river. Definitely a great day trip from Cincinnati.
This walking tour begins inside an old casino to explain the historic significance of Newport, and discover how this little town gave birth to the modern-day gaming industry.
We went with our home school group on this tour. I had no idea about the history of gambling and gangsters in Newport, so it was really interesting. They did leave out a few parts of the tour (brothels, ladies of the night) due to the nature of it and the age of our group.
This festival is an annual celebration of our Appalachian heritage. It is held every May for a weekend at Coney Island in Cincinnati.
I went as a chaperone with my daughter, Olivia's school. The festival has opportunities for hands on learning from tradesman. There is also music, storytellers and lots of handmade gifts.
5. Smale Riverfront Park and Carol Ann's Carousel
Smale park runs along the Ohio river in downtown Cincinnati. It is a beautiful place to watch the barges on the river and explore downtown Cincinnati. Recently they opened a carousel which local artist, Jonathan Queen, painted all of the paintings on the top of the carousel which represent Cincinnati locations.
Unfortunately, the day we went, it was threatening rain and then we discovered the carousel is closed on Mondays. We will definitely need to go back.
In the fall, we were blessed to get a personal tour of Jonathan's art studio and got to see a sneak peek of the paintings for the carousel.
Meeting him and seeing his paintings was probably one of the highlights of our school year. Here is more information on the artist Jonathan Queen.
It has been a super busy month with so many fun outings, all which I would recommend!
Any suggestions for future field trips?
