GETRUNTAH

The word vacation conjures up memories of rolling waves, hot sand on my feet, and the smell of sunscreen lotion.  As a child, I can remember building sandcastles, boat rides to spot dolphins at sunset, and visiting theme parks.  These were wonderful summer memories and I hope to recreate them all with my own children one day ... just not this summer.

No, this summer the budget is a tad bit tighter.  Even the idea of a staycation sounds a little expensive to me.  After all, where do people usually go on a staycation?  Local amusement parks, water parks, theaters...all super family fun, but still pricey.

So is there an inexpensive alternative that still includes summer family fun and keeps the car mileage low?  I think so!  Instead of thinking like youre planning a vacation, think like youre planning a field trip!

Field trip opportunities are plentiful any where that you live and the best part is that many education centers are free or extremely cheap!  Check out Homeschool Buyers Co-op for field trip ideas in your state.  If you have young ones who arent yet buying the "Learning is fun" idea (theyre totally wrong by the way), just dont call it a "field trip".  Theyll have fun and learn without even realizing it.  Just say something like this...

"Today for our staycation, were going to the planetarium!"

"Today for our family fun day, were going to the art museum!"

"Today for our awesome summer adventure, were going to the library!"  ...okay, you might not fool them with that one.

 Last Friday, we joined up with two other homeschooling families to enjoy our first field trip of the school year.  We explored the fossil beds at the Falls of the Ohio.

  

E5 was most excited about the fossils, intensely searching to find each fossil listed on our brochure...

Besides fossils, our girls also found seashells...

And L2 also spotted a very long train crossing the Ohio River.

He watched...

and watched...

and watched...

The day was slightly grey and overcast, which was actually a wonderful relief from the humid weather we have been having.  It was really the perfect day to explore the beds.

Even J1 enjoyed the trip...

As we were planning for our field trip, we also realized that it would be Cow Appreciation Day at Chick Fil A!  That was super awesome because we knew we would need lunch after our trip.  So a little bit of construction paper and quite a few white trash bags later...

Free food for all!  Talk about an inexpensive staycation...the entire day only cost us $2 (parking at the Falls).

Check out other Staycation ideas at the TOS Crew blog.