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Maggie Whitley

joy in motherhood, homemaking, faith & simple living

You are here: Home / adventures / 10 “field trips” ideas for your homeschoolers (Detroit & beyond)

10 “field trips” ideas for your homeschoolers (Detroit & beyond)

September 2, 2020 · 5 Comments
Filed Under: adventures, Detroit, homeschool

We are gearing up for another year of homeschool, and I am just so giddy to settle in to a new rhythm with my kiddos. This year I moved our learning area to our basement where we’ll have more room to create and play, and I’m wrapping up loose ends with wooden puzzles & other pre-K toys, interesting books for three different grades, and inspiring wall decor / plants.

The curriculum we use is from My Father’s World which works off a 4-day schedule. This has worked great for us as. Prior to the pandemic, we often had a morning social event one day a week. I leaned into the flexibility to be involved in larger social gatherings and still complete all of our learning. Now, we are thinking about things a bit differently. We are playing outside a whole lot more (awesome) and we are even more aware of the amount of screen time we allow (also, awesome).

Below are 10 “field trips” you can enjoy throughout the school year. Even if you don’t have students at home, any of these ideas would be refreshing for a solo trip. I’ve also included a few questions for your kids to ask for some of the field trip ideas. I love encouraging good conversations!

If you are near the Detroit area, I’ve included the city, otherwise a quick Google search will help you find something in your hometown. If distance to your destination seems a little far, plan to make it a day trip and pack a lunch / snacks / water, download an audiobook for the drive, and buckle up!

Pandemic or not, let the adventures (safely) continue on! :)

  • POST OFFICE:

Schedule a tour of the facility and learn how the mail is sorted, loaded, and delivered to your door. Ask about the different delivery vehicles, why are some mailboxes on the house and others at the curb, and how exactly does the mail travel via airplane?

  • BANK:

Some questions to ask: who reloads the ATM machines? Why does a person need a bank account? What kind of unusual coins or bills do you have at this branch? How quickly can your counting machine count money? What happens to worn-out coins or torn dollar bills?

  • LIBRARY:

Questions to consider asking: do you enjoy working in such a quiet space? How are books organized? How many books do you have at this branch? What is your favorite category to read, and why? How is your children’s department special? How does the library help the community? Which book category is borrowed from the most?

  • NATURE TRAILS:

Douglas Evans Nature Preserve, Beverly Hills

Red Oaks Nature Center, Madison Heights

Cranbrook House & Gardens, Bloomfield Hills

Quickstad Park, Royal Oak

Robinwood Park, Troy

Carpenter Lake Nature Preserve, Southfield

Rouge Gateway Trailhead, Dearborn

Belle Isle, Detroit

Blue Heron Lagoon Trail, Detroit

  • ART MUSEUM:

Detroit Institute of Arts

  • BOTANICAL GARDEN:

Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory, Detroit

  • FARM:

Grandpa’s Tiny Farm, Frankenmuth

Heritage Park Petting Farm, Taylor

Hess-Hathaway Farm Park, Waterford

  • AQUARIUM:

SEA LIFE Michigan Aquarium, Auburn Hills

Royal Tropical Fish and Bird Haven, Royal Oak

Lou’s Pet Shop, Grosse Pointe Woods

  • SCIENCE CENTER:

Michigan Science Center, Wayne State University, Detroit

  • MUSEUM:

Charles H. Wright, Detroit

Henry Ford, Dearborn

Edsel and Eleanor Ford House, Grosse Pointe Shores

PS. In case you’re wondering, here’s an updated preview of our homeschool space. I added vertical strips of 1/2″ black masking tape to the wall, this is called “dashing”. I bought the bookshelf on the right from Marketplace, along with four vintage wooden school chairs, and I smooshed two adjustable-height tables together to make a large workspace for my kiddos. Not shown, but will soon, are two large vintage posters and a new wall calendar for the year.

What kind of adventures will you take your homeschoolers on this year? What are some of your favorite places to visit as a family? Do you have any suggestions that are not on my list? 

xx, Maggie

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5 Comments
Filed Under: adventures, Detroit, homeschool

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Comments

  1. Hubbs says

    September 2, 2020 at 12:28 pm

    Love this so much. So will the kids. What an incredible childhood to have.

    Reply
    • Maggie Whitley says

      September 2, 2020 at 3:27 pm

      I’m even looking forward to it!

      Reply
    • Mom W says

      September 3, 2020 at 10:21 pm

      Yes, yes, yes, Love this creative love filled Momma. Xoxooxothank you Jesus!! Bless our Babies always.

      Reply
  2. Sierra says

    September 2, 2020 at 3:24 pm

    I love these ideas! And your school space is so whimsical. Inspiring me as I begin homeschooling with my daughter soon.

    Reply
    • Maggie Whitley says

      September 2, 2020 at 3:28 pm

      Aww, thank you so much Sierra! I hope you have a really fun, exciting year! xx

      Reply

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ABOUT MAGGIE WHITLEY DESIGNS:
Maggie Whitley weaves her writings around joy in motherhood, homemaking, faith, and simple living. She homeschools her children, enjoys a quiet room while reading, and roars with laughter over the challenges & delights of motherhood. Maggie and her husband, along with their four young children, live in metro-Detroit. She has been writing online since 2008.
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I fought every internal comment I could think of a I fought every internal comment I could think of and took my kiddos for a looooong walk today before dinner. ❄️✨ There’s just so much work required to raise children! I’m feeling like a tired lady. But sunshine & fresh air are good companions to keep around. 

We came home and I made “the best dinner ever”. Max specifically announced, “it’s so great you’re launching new meals to the world”. LOL— kids! 🤣👏🏻💓
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So, hello! As you can gather, my name is Maggie ;) 

I started writing online (almost 13 years ago) to share the handmade products I was sewing. My shop was called Gussy Sews. ✂️👛I love the community that has grown from sewing & sharing online.

Let’s FFW to today: Zack and I live in Michigan and have four young children (2 boys & 2 girls). I slowly left the handmade industry and walked right into homemaking, homeschooling, and encouraging women through writing. 💕📝

Motherhood has been very hard on me. (And not just because of how close in age our four children are.) It’s been hard for me because I fought for years to accept that *it’s supposed to be hard*. 

I mean, how do you effectively teach another person to know and love the Lord? Bc that’s how I think of motherhood: a calling to nurture others by studying the One who nurtures me. So I gotta make the first move: study the Bible and seek Him first. As my friend Autumn reminded me, vulnerability births transformation. 

(I’ve had to be really vulnerable!)

So, yes motherhood has fully transformed me. But even more so, Christ has fully transformed me. My list of “all that He’s done for me” is off to a beautifully long start.

Something else I want you to know about me: I stalled for years before acknowledging I have anxiety and depression. It’s hard to talk about this because of course this isn’t forever “my hardship”, but rather because acknowledging this means to heal I have to work through some really difficult things. ✨

But my friend Jesus walks alongside me. He’s already done a mighty work in my heart, including helping me process my anger in healthier ways. I’ve also adopted a heart for sisterhood, mothering, and Titus 2 mentorship.

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It was the perfect opportunity to rearrange the fu It was the perfect opportunity to rearrange the furniture as we took the tree down Tuesday midday. Def one of my fav things to do.🎄👋🏻 We made it through our first week back to school since mid-December! It was rough to begin but ended with high fives. ⭐️✏️This morning I zoomed with a mama friend and I’m impressed with the many topics we covered. Sisterhood is sooooo necessary! ☕️👩🏽‍🤝‍👩🏼

Just a few cheery memories from my week! How about you?
Book reading! One of my best “Maggie” activiti Book reading! One of my best “Maggie” activities. I finished my last book moments before 2020 ended, which brought my started list to a close. Small joys add up to big joys ;)

What are you reading this year? Currently?

How many books are you planning to read? What’s your goal?

I’ll share what’s on my list for 2021 soon as I received some nice titles at Christmas. 📖✨🤍
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