Field trip, anyone?

I haven't participated in the Blog Cruise for a few weeks, partly because I've been very busy.  However, I thought this week's topic is one that I've put some thought to recently.

What are some field trips that your family has enjoyed? 

We used to schedule field trips into our activities on a regular basis when the kids were younger. Below is a list of some of the trips we've taken over the years.  For my local readers, I've included links if I have them handy.

Detroit Main Library/Rare Books Collection (original Laura Ingalls Wilder transcript here)
Detroit Opera House
Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Jiffy Mix tour
Lionel Trains tour
Fossil Park (Sylvania, OH)
WJR Tour (Detroit radio station)
PBS tour
Westwind Milling Co tour, http://westwindmilling.alittleingenuity.com/
Ford Rouge Factory Tour
Frankenmuth Historical Museum programs
Morley Candy Makers
Second Baptist Church of Detroit (part of the Underground Railroad)
Turtlebee Farms (beekeeping class), http://www.turtlebeefarms.com/
Parade Company Tour (behind the scenes of the Detroit Thanksgiving Parade)
Native prairie seed collecting with the DNR
Observer Newspapers tour
The Scrap Box, http://www.scrapbox.org/
Pewabic Pottery, http://www.pewabic.com/
MRF Recycling Center, http://tinyurl.com/2l97ae
various local Metropark programs
Preuss Animal House tour (very large pet store!) ,http://www.preusspets.com/

Don't forget programs with local museums and theaters.  Also, when the kids were early elementary, they loved doing tours of our local bakery, fire station, police station, and post office.

As you can see, we are very fortunate to live in an area with lots available to us.  And while we haven't done many field trips lately, we did recently take advantage of a great museum that visitors to our state should be sure to visit, The Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village.  We visited last month with some friends, a great way to kick off the school year.

It is almost impossible to view both the Museum and the Village in one day, so we opted to enjoy the beautiful weather and tour the Village.  Our first stop was the Printing Office, where we watched a demonstration on how things were printed long ago - one at a time...

Then, the we headed over to the tinsmith to watch a tin punching.

The glass shop is my absolute favorite.  In the summers, they run camps for kids ages 14 and up to learn a bit about the trade and give it a try.  I always thought that would be a ton of fun.  Watching the process from raw materials to finished pieces, which are sold to the public in the gift shops, fascinates me.

The kids were ready to let loose a little, so we headed over to the Village Green where some old fashioned toys were set out for use.  The stilts were the first thing the younger ones of the group (ages 10 and 11) wanted to try.

The teens of the group hung back for awhile before they finally caved and decided to give it a try too.

A few more games...

And then we were ready to sit down for lunch and watch one of the many shows around the Village. My daughter was delighted to discover that one of the actresses she performed with at a local theater not only worked at Greenfield Village, but was performing in the show we happened to sit down to watch.

After lunch, we had just a little bit longer to explore the Village some more. One of my favorite buildings to visit is Thomas Edison's labs.

Then we visited the home of Noah Webster.  This kids had fun reading some of the old stories used to reach children to read.

The teens got a kick out of some of the language.  My daughter thought "civilly accosted" was particularly funny!

As we waited for some of our party to return from another part of the Village, the other kids were able to just hang out and enjoy the company of one another.

We then enjoyed a huge serving of ice cream as a great finish to a hot and enjoyable day.  It melted fast and ended up all over the place, though some managed to get consumed. I have no pictures, but I wish I did! It was a funny sight. As we exited, I snapped this shot - satisfied faces after a day of learning.

Recapping this day makes me want to schedule more field trips.  I haven't been as good about doing that over the last few years. Field trips certainly aren't just for for elementary ages!