There's a Heat Wave Burning in my...Town and Probably Yours

I can't speak for where you live but here, in my neck of the woods, it's hot. Unbearably, record setting, miserably hot. Just walking from the house to the car results in extreme sweating. We are not enjoying it.

Normally, we spend our summer in the water. We hit our community pool, play with water guns, hitting the splash pads at the zoo or botanical gardens, Water Country USA, and occasionally the beach. Unfortunately, with this extreme heat, these activities are not providing much relief. Paddling around in a warm pool is not as refreshing as one would hope. Or at all.






So it looks like we will have to look toward some indoor activities and hit some of our favorite museums to beat the heat. This will be a little painful for us because we generally avoid places like this during the summer. Summer means traditional schools are out. That means our favorite haunts are jam packed and, as homeschoolers, we have been spoiled by being able to enjoy these places when they are basically empty. But when the temperatures are 100+...sometimes you've got to do what you've got to do.

So good bye warm water and hello air conditioning. As long as this heat wave continues you will most likely find us indoors at the Children's Museum, Art Museum, or the Living Museum enjoying their A/C.






How are you and your family beating the extreme heat this summer? I could use some more suggestions. =o)


Check out how my Crew Mates are beating this heat by clicking on the Blog Cruise Button. The link will go live on Tuesday July 11.

Field Trips, Get Wet Edition

For us, one of the many perks of homeschooling is field trips. The ability to go on more than one field trip a year is such a blessing. In our homeschool, we go on a lot of field trips, at least one a month. Some of them add to our learning. Some of them give us a break from our learning. All of them are enjoyed.

We're pretty consistent about continuing our outings through out the summer. The main difference between summer trips and school year trips is that a great deal of our outings involve water. Lots and lots of water. Living in the South is hot and we like to keep cool.  It doesn't hurt that we live near two water parks, are only a few miles from the Atlantic, and there's a pool at the end of street.


So where do go for get wet fun around here???

Well seeing as we live in a beach town on the Atlantic, the beach is the most obvious choice. But in all honesty, the beach is my least favorite place to go in the summer. Dirty sand, loads of people, burning sand, crowds, sand all over my car for weeks, too many people, sand in the girls hair for days no matter how many times I wash it. =o) We do try to take the girls a couple times a year but it's not a favorite haunt. When we go we tend to stick to the beach on the military bases or bays in state parks. While my body and my hatred of cleaning sand do not enjoy the beach much, the camera loves the scenery.

You might not think that a zoo is great place to go for some water fun but here in VA the zoo, while not much in the animal department, is a cheap place to go in the summer if you want to get wet. Spend an hour observing the animals, it really only takes an hour, then cool off in the splash area. Be careful around the exhibits though, you might find yourself getting wet in an unexpected manner if you don't pay careful attention.

At the Botanical Gardens you can enjoy flowers, learn about butterflies, eagles, and tons of other creatures in nature, participate in learning programs, attend concerts, and splash around in their awesome splash area. Since you pay by the car load, fill up your van with friends and enjoy the day.

Our favorite summer place to road trip in the summer is Water Country USA. Just a mere 45 minutes away from home, we enjoy spending our summer splashing away with our friends. In fact, we just kicked off our summer fun there this past week.

So what special trips to you take in the summer? Leave me a comment and share your favorite summer outings.  And be sure to visit The Schoolhouse Review Crew blog to find out what my crew mates are planning for their summer field trips. The link won't be live until Tuesday, June 19 so be sure to check back so you don't miss the fun.

Also linked to: Back to School Monday,  Preschool Corner