Rock Climbing

Another great field trip was rock climbing at the Bellingham YMCA.  The staff there did an amazing job handling our large group!  It was amazing to see some of the kids conquer their fears and make it to the top!

The Purpose

It's always a good idea to have a purpose for a blog.  Well this blog is an idea that I have been kicking around for some time now.  I am a homeschooling mom and love to give my kids hands-on experiences.  We are part of a homeschooling group that we love dearly and with that group we have been able to take many field trips.  Since our group loves to have close encounters and as many hands-on experiences that we can get, we have had to limit the amount of families that we can invite to come with us.  As much as I would love to invite everyone to come explore the world with us its just not possible.  So I would like to use this blog to encourage homeschooling families to get together and get out there...fill your kids with experiences and memories!  I'm going to share some of our field trips that we have taken and hopefully you can visit those places too.  There are so many amazing opportunities for homeschooling families in the Pacific Northwest. 

Also, I would love any ideas from my readers!  And if you are looking for families to join you, let me know.  Maybe we can get you connected!

Rocket Donuts!!!

Rocket Donuts was an amazing hands-on field trip!  The staff was so warm and welcoming.  You can tell they all LOVE their jobs and are so willing to share their love with you.  On our field trip we were shown how they roll out their dough and cut it into rounds, make cinnamon twists, frost them and add sprinkles!  And then we got to sample some amazing little blueberry donut holes!

Movie Theater Tour

As we drove by the new theater that is coming to Bellingham, my kids were talking about how fun it would be to take a tour.  We'll have to add it to your Spring Field Trip List!

Updated (May 6, 2014)
Last week we did take a field trip to the Regal Cinemas at Barkley Village.  One of the managers took us on a short tour of the IMAX and RPX theaters.  What great chairs and stadium seating!  We also got to go up into the production booth and see the big "computers" that now show the movies.  No more big reels for them!  It was a short fun field trip!

King Tut Exhibit at the Pacific Science Center

Our group decided to only take one field trip this fall and we wanted it to be a good one. So, it was decided to go check out the King Tut Exhibit at the Pacific Science Center.

 Homeschool  families can go in on the school rate as long as there are 10 students and there always needs to be more students than parents.  If you booked your trip before August 31, it was only $8.50 per person.  Now the price is up to $10.50 per person.  BUT WHAT A GREAT DEAL!  Considering an adult ticket is about $32.  Your group would all need to enter the exhibit at the same time but then you are free to go throughout the Science Center at your own pace. 

The exhibit took about 75 minutes for our family to go through.  To be honest, my 5 year old was bored but my 9 and 11 year olds were fascinated!  They were always asking if the artifacts were real, because it is really hard to grasp that they were made by Egyptians about 3,000 years ago.  We had studied some of their beliefs beforehand and it saddened us to see how much time and effort they placed in their false gods and the afterlife.  We saw amazing jewelry and items made from gold.  The exhibit does not only contain artifacts from King Tut’s burial tomb but also takes you throughout the history of the Pharaohs. 

 

Ride the Plover

So something I've always wanted to do during the summer but forget is to ride the Plover.   I'm hoping if I write it down here, that I'll remember. We went!  The kids each got a turn to drive and received a certificate.  It was a great little excursion.  We left from the Semiahmoo Spit.  Look for the water tower, the Plover comes into the old dock by the old cannery.  There is a nice little sandy beach for playing while you wait or to come back to.   We were in a group of 13 and were able to do a roundtrip without getting off the boat.  Fortunately, we could do this because nobody else was in line, otherwise we would have had to wait a hour.  Good times!!

Speaking of boats: The Hawaiian Chieftain is suppose to be back in Blaine in August.

From the Blaine Chamber Website:
http://www.blainechamber.com/plover/index.html

"Come ride the historic MV Plover, the oldest passenger foot-ferry in Washington State. Built in 1944 in Seattle, the MV Plover was used to shuttle cannery workers to the Alaskan Packers Salmon Cannery on Semiahmoo Spit, now home to Semiahmoo Resort & Spa. MV Plover provides passenger
foot-ferry service during the summer season, shuttling up to 17 passengers along with bicycles and strollers to summer activities happening on both sides on Drayton Harbor. Should you have questions regarding the MV Plover, please call the Blaine Visitor Information Center at (360) 332-4544."
 
"About the ride. The Plover is certified by the U.S. Coast Guard to carry 20 passengers (bikes are also allowed) between Blaine Harbor and Semiahmoo Resort. Running time from Blaine Harbor to Semiahmoo Resort takes approximately 11 minutes with views of Blaine's working harbor, Semiahmoo Bay and the Canadian Coastal Mountain range. On the return run from the dock at Semiahmoo to Blaine harbor is approximately 23 minutes. Here the Plover takes an extended route to view Drayton Harbor with Mt. Baker looming in the background. Passengers can view resident harbor seals, a sunken tugboat (tide permitting), blue herons, caspian terns, cormorants, nesting gulls, majestic bald eagles, osprey eagles, and a variety of other waterfowl. Also, passengers can become honorary Captain's for the day by steering the Plover and receive a "Honorary Captain" certificate"

Fares By Donation (round trip):
Adults: $5  Children: $1  Children under 12: Free

Fairhaven Marine Park

 

Today we thought we would take advantage of the low tides and head out to the Marine Park in Fairhaven.  To get there, just take Harris St, past the ferry terminal and there will be a big banner sign that marks the road into this little park.  There is a picnic shelter with bathrooms there, but no play equipment.  There is also a tiny bit of sand for the kids to play in.  I remember visiting this beach during a field trip back in 3rd grade.

We saw lots of great sea creatures...starfish, anemones, crabs, sand dollars, etc. And the kids found a ton of shells!  The next low tides are in the morning in a couple weeks. You should check it out!