Field trips
Field trips are a wonderful way to reinforce more formal teaching, to break up the monotony of the normal routine, or to provide an incentive to students. The Charlotte area has a tremendous variety of opportunities, and there are even more if you are willing to travel a little.
If you have an area of interest someone else may share it, so field trips can provide an opportunity to get to know other homeschoolers better. If you would like to organize a field trip, here are some guidelines to help you plan.
Contact the organization and request information about their group policies such as any minimum and maximum group size, any restrictions on or recommendation of ages of children, the length of the tour or demonstration and what will be covered, as well as any fees involved. Ask about any study guides available to aid in preparation. Don’t forget to take note of contact person’s name.
Confirm a date and time with the organization.
Post an announcement of the field trip, including a brief description of the event and any of the above parameters dictated by the organization, including any fees. Don’t forget to include the address and general directions, as well as the website address, if available.
Have a sign-up system (mail or email) with a clear deadline for response. It is simplest to collect fees in advance.
Follow up with a written “thank you.”
Please remember that we not only represent our local support group but homeschooling in general. Proper behavior should be emphasized before the trip and children should be closely supervised. It is best that each child have a parent present.
Explore and Discover Group
Explore and Discover Yahoo!Group members seek to explore and discover culture and community through self-directed activities with friends. These are not structured outings, except where noted. The activities include area parks, state parks, bike days, hiking, museum outings, picnicking, and perhaps some weekend family events. Outing details will be posted each month on the calendar, with reminders sent to the group. There is no age restriction for participation; all family members are welcome. We are focused on fun and connecting with others in the Charlotte region. In order that members feel comfortable about posting personal data such as children's names, the YahooGroup is not searchable or viewable by the public. All members are welcome to post outings and to discuss FUN activities of interest related to family events. Be sure to check the Calendar and Database for outings and clubs, and connecting with new friends!
We will have an RSVP for each individual outing. If there are fewer than 15 people participating on an event, that specific group outing will be canceled. Databases will be created closer to the dates of the events for RSVPs, so if you are interested please join the Yahoo!Group.We will continue the monthly First Tuesdays Park Day at Frances Beatty Park [map], at noon.
For more information contact Pat Robinson by email.
2009 Activities:
July 28- Wing Haven
Aug. 25- Charlotte Aviation Museum
Sept. 22- Reed Gold Mine
Oct. 27- Lazy 5 Ranch
Nov. 17- Columbia Zoo
Nov. 24- Charlotte Nature Museum
Dec. 8- Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens
Dec. 22- Mint Museum
Seasonal events
North Carolina Renaissance Faire (Raleigh in March/April)
Loch Norman Games (Mecklenburg County in April)
North Carolina Shakespeare Festival (High Point in September/October)
Yiasou Greek Festival (Charlotte in September)
The Amazing Maize Maze (Mecklenburg County September-November)
South Carolina State Fair (Columbia in October)
North Carolina State Fair (Raleigh in October)
North Carolina Reneaissance Festival (Huntersville in October/November)
Rural Hill Sheep Dog Trials (Mecklenburg County in November)
Historic places
Museum of the Waxhaws and Andrew Jackson Memorial (Waxhaw)
James K. Polk Memorial (Pineville)
Historic Brattonsville (McConnells, SC)
Rosedale Plantation (Charlotte)
Latta Plantation (Huntersville)
Reed Gold Mine (Midland)
Town Creek Indian Mound (Mt. Gilead)
Camp Flintlock (Four Oaks, NC)
Bost Grist Mill (Cabarrus County)
Allison Woods Living History (Statesville)
Oconaluftee Indian Village (Cherokee)
Biltmore House (Asheville)
North Carolina State Capitol (Raleigh)
Museums
Mint Museum (Charlotte)
Levine Museum of the New South (Charlotte)
Children's World Museum (Matthews)
Charlotte Museum of History / Hezekiah Alexander House
Mint Hill Country Doctor's Museum
North Carolina Transportation Museum (Spencer)
Schiele Museum (Gastonia)
Gaston County Museum (Dallas)
Iredell Museums (Statesville)
Museum of York County (York, SC)
Museum of the Cherokee Indian (Cherokee)
Folk Art Center (Asheville)
The Health Adventure (Asheville)
North Carolina Aviation Museum (Asheboro)
Reynolda House Museum of American Art (Winston-Salem)
Airborne and Special Operations Museum (Fayetteville)
Museum of Life and Science (Durham)
North Carolina Museum of Art (Raleigh)
North Carolina Museum of History (Raleigh)
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences (Raleigh)
South Carolina State Museum (Columbia)
Science centers and zoos
Discovery Place and Nature Museum (Charlotte)
Duke Energy Explorium (Huntersville)
Lazy 5 Ranch (Mooresville)
Two-by-Two Petting Zoo at Why Not an American Ark (Monroe)
Carolina Raptor Center (Charlotte)
Wing Haven Gardens and Bird Sanctuary (Charlotte)
A Walk in the Woods (Concord)
Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden (Belmont)
McDowell Nature Center and Preserve (SW Mecklenburg County)
Reedy Creek Nature Center and Preserve (NE Mecklenburg County)
Natural Science Center (Greensboro)
North Carolina Arboretum (Asheville)
KidSenses Interactive Museum (Rutherfordton)
North Carolina Zoo (Asheboro)
Riverbanks Zoo (Columbia, SC)
Hollywild Zoo (Wellford, SC northwest of Spartanburg)
National Science Center (Augusta, GA)
Burton 4-H Center on Tybee Island (GA) Check website for special educational opportunities for homeschoolers
Theaters
Blumenthal Performing Arts Center
Children's Theater of Charlotte
Queens University Friends of Music Concerts
Unto These Hills (Cherokee)
Parks
Cane Creek Park (Waxhaw)
Lake Norman State Park (Troutman, NC)
Morrow Mountain State Park (Albemarle, NC)
Uwharrie National Forest (Troy, NC)
Crowders Mountain State Park (Kings Mountain, NC)
Anne Springs Close Greenway (Fort Mill, SC)
Andrew Jackson State Park (Lancaster, SC)
Kings Mountain State Park (Blacksburg, SC)
FENCE (Foothils Equestrian Nature Center)
Virginia Creeper Trail (Damascus, Virginia)
New River Trail State Park (Galax, Virginia)
Farms
Carrigan Farms (Mooresville)
Aw Shucks Farm (Monroe)
Windy Hill Apple Orchard and Cider Mill (York, SC)
Rural Hill Farm (Huntersville)
Riverbend Farm (Midland)
Cotton Hills Farm (Lowrys, SC)
Patterson Farm (China Grove, NC)
Miscellaneous
International House (Charlotte)
JAARS: Jungle Aviation and Radio Service (Waxhaw)
Jesse Helms Center (Wingate)
More sources of field trip ideas
Charlotte's Historic South End
Mecklenburg County Parks and Recreation
North Carolina Festivals and Events
NC ECHO: Exploring Cultural Heritage Online
National Forests in North Carolina
North Carolina Official Tourism Site
South Carolina Official Tourism Site
A Sightseer's Guide to Engineering