Mingo National Wildlife Refuge Field Trip

 This week we went with a few other homeschooling families to the Mingo National Wildlife Refuge in Puxico, Missouri. With more than 21,000 acres, this refuge is the largest remnant of bottomland hardwoods in S.E. Missouri. In the fall, there is a waterfowl migration that brings a variety of geese, ducks, and other water birds to the marshes of the refuge.

We really enjoyed getting together with other homeschoolers to explore this area. I think Avlyn's favorite thing was the colors and textures of the shelf mushrooms growing on the trees. She also enjoyed kicking up all of the leaves that had gathered on the boardwalk trail

Making new friends was also nice, as she was able to explore with kids she knew and those she'd just met. She got along particularly well with one little boy. Her dad says it's always the boys....:)

 Wel also spotted quite a few animal tracks on our quest. We saw coyote, racoon, and deer tracks. Here she is looking at what we think are deer tracks in a muddy area next to the marsh.

Squashing the prickly berry may have been a high point for her, but wasn't exactly a high point for me. Being that she's 5, baby wipes just aren't something I keep on hand anymore. Thankfully, her outfit and her hands were kind of the same color. We are looking forward to another trip out there with the whole family next spring. I think seeing the refuge in full bloom will be beautiful. If you'd like to explore a refuge in your state, check out the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website for a listing of wildlife refuges all over the country. Happy homeschooling!

Need a Free Field Trip -Try the Pet Store

If you need a quick field trip idea, visit a pet store. Many pet stores will work with a large group and provide a field trip, but a small family can also benefit from a self-guided field trip to a pet store. We have two pet stores in our town. One is a family run store and one is a chain store. Both of these stores provide ample opportunities to learn about animals.

Avlyn and I recently read a book about coral reefs. Today we visited the chain pet store while wasting time until it was time to pick up her brother from a birthday party. This pet store has one large saltwater tank full of coral and sea anemones. It also has a rock fish, clown fish, hermit crabs, and snails that live in the coral tank. In smaller displays they sell saltwater fish, shrimp, and sharks. They even had one stingray they were holding for someone.

Even though we don't live near the ocean, Avlyn was able to see all the things she read about in the book first hand. Well, we didn't see a sea cucumber or a lobster. But we catch crawdads in the summer, so she's well aware of the general makings of a lobster.

While fish and sea animals are one thing you can see at a pet store, you can also visit when learning about snakes, mice, birds, and other small animals. We spent 30 minutes exploring the store and talking about the animals. She didn't even realize she was learning when she was asking me a bunch of questions. Do you have any ideas for a fun, free field trip? Let me know. Happy homeschooling!