Summer Field Trippin’

Summer definitely looks different than the school year.

We sleep a lot later.

Our meals are routinely consumed at less-than-normal intervals.

We find ourselves in or near water with a higher degree of frequency.

But all school isn’t completely shut down for us.

(We’re actually continuing math for the summer and we never stop all that good reading.)

Plus.

We get to go on some fun field trips too.

Last Friday we joined a handful of fellow homeschoolers for a drive into the North Carolina mountains to visit the Cradle of Forestry.

I love any excuse to drive into the Pisgah National Forest, to enjoy the always-slightly-cooler temperatures, to be surrounded by mountains that make me feel hemmed in in the best possible way and to catch glimpses of waterfalls and pristine mountain streams.

It was a rainyrainy day but we tossed on the rain jackets and explored anyway.

As we were touring the hundred year old original school house built on George Vanderbilt’s 7,000 acre forest, I laughed to myself.  I was standing there, being all impressed with the woodwork and I whispered to London, “Hey, our house is just as old as this!”  It’s like we’re living in a piece of history every day here.

The kids practiced using a tool to create strong rope.

We meandered on a long trail through the woods with our well-trained guide, Devon.

The thing I love about taking the kids on guided nature walks is the immediacy of that style of education.  With a sassafras leaf in their own hands, they learn what the tree has been used for, how the roots can be boiled for tea and root beer.  While they listen they are also touching the leaf, smelling the root, eating the branch.  And all that sensory experiencing just leads to vivid recollecting later.  That’s what makes these little expeditions so worth the time, the drive and the wet weather.

We trekked through the rain (apparently every one in our family owns a rain jacket except me.  And I only ever remember that situation on rainy days.  Funny.) and learned about Vanderbilt’s extensive efforts to redeem the Appalachian mountains and instruct the natives on how to care for and preserve the forest.  I just thought the guy had built an excessive mansion (Biltmore) to glorify himself, so it was good to see another aspect of his life.

The kids loved reaching the railroad tracks and climbing aboard the train, ringing the bell and pretending to take a ride.

We also toured the exhibits inside and they were really well-done, informative and interesting to the kids.  There was a great age-appropriate scavenger hunt and at the end the prize was a small round circle of wood with an animal stamped on it – which the kids declared a great treasure.

Oh – and we all got to touch a space tree.

Apparently, a forester who lived in the area was also an astronaut.  On his trip in the space shuttle he carried with him a bag of maple tree seeds.  Upon his return back to the NC mountains, he planted all of his trees in various locations.

One, he planted right at the Cradle of Forestry.

Where it grew right beside the trail.

And we all touched it – thus touching a tree that had once been in outer space.