Field Trip by the Sea

Photograph by Mrs. White: "The Gingerbread House" in Plymouth, Mass.

In the early 1990's, we decided to take a little journey to Plymouth Harbor in Massachusetts. We lived a short distance away, less than an hour, and it would be exciting.  My Mother and sister came along with us. I had 2 little girls, and 1 little boy at the time.  They were ages 2 to 6.  This was going to be a wonderful day for all of us.

We packed picnic lunches. The girls each had their own lunch box and backpack. We visited Plymouth harbor where we saw ships, boats, and the beautiful ocean. We also brought a little bit of pocket money for treats and the gift shop.

First we went to Ocean Spray's Cranberry museum.  It was full of interesting equipment, historic descriptions, and many pictures.  We had already seen real cranberry bogs many times in our travels near home. It was interesting to learn how they harvested cranberries and turned them into juice.  At the end of the guided tour, we were delighted to be given sample cups of assorted flavored cranberry juice. We were also given delicious pieces of cranberry bread.

A little further down the road, there were many tourist shops, including "The Gingerbread House."  We stopped here for candy and delightful refreshments.  The porch and staircase were so pretty. It was a nice place to rest.

After looking at the ships, we found a picnic table where we stopped for a leisurely lunch.  The fresh air and the scenery were wonderful.  It had been a great day for our vacation.

This was a simple day trip. We were home in plenty of time to get ready for dinner and have our evening routine.

I never really thought about field trips when we were homeschooling. We might make a joke to say it was a "field trip," but it was really just a vacation day. The children always learned something and enjoyed being tourists. We never did a lesson plan. The children didn't have to write about what they learned.  We just took in the sights and absorbed everything around us. We were always learning. It was incredible to have the freedom to just be together, whether we were at home, or off on an adventure. ~

 

- Mrs. White

 

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