"FUN" DAMENTALS

Last week, we decided to take a day off from school and take a field trip to Nashville. We weren't going to see anything spectacular or educational, but just to hang out as a family. We love to go to Opry Mills and just browse all the different stores. This week I would like to share with you how you can take an outing like this and turn it into a fun filled educational field trip.

First off, let me start by saying that as homeschoolers, it is OKAY to take a day off every now and then to wind down from all the things going on in our lives. That is one of the beautys of homeschooling is being able to stop when the stress levels are high, or the kids are not understanding what is being taught. This can be a time to reflect and rejuvenate yourself so that you can better handle the situation at a later date.

Here is my rundown of an educational Mall field trip from each subject that we study. You may use mine if you like, but I challenge you to come up with your own.

BIBLE: My son HATES going by the Victoria Secrets store. It makes him feel really uncomfortable. My husband and I use this experience to talk to him and our daughter about the importance of modesty and what God's word has to say about being modest. We also talk about the style of clothing today and how little respect people have for themselves and their self worth in Christ and how that relates to modesty.

SCIENCE: In Science, as we walk through the mall, we talk about all the different animals and classifications that we see, as well as the plants and the chemistry of matter, molecules and atoms that we can describe. We talk about the temperature in each store, the differences between each person and anything else that pertains to science.

SPELLING: Look at the store names. Ask your children if they can tell you which vowel sound they hear. Is it long or short. How many consonants are there? How many syllables do you hear. And last but not least, can you spell that store name?

READING: As you are walking through the mall, pick out words that are challenging for your kids and have them read them to you.

ENGLISH: As you are picking out words to read, ask your child is that a noun, verb, adverb, adjective, or can you pick out the prepositional phrase in this sentence?

MATH: Talk about sales tax, how much will these two items cost together, how much change will you get back if the items is $10.32 and you give the cashier a $20.00 bill. You can also talk about estimating the distance from one end of the mall to the other. You can ask your child, how much time does it take to walk up and down each aisle in a certain store.

HISTORY: You can visit the sections in a store that have furniture and talk about the history in the pieces. You can talk about the art pieces that are in the middle of the mall, or just the history of the building itself.

You would be surprised at all the things you can learn just from taking a trip to the mall. I hope you enjoy!

Take Care!