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Hiking
With Homeschoolers
Dateline: 3/17/06
By Sheri McGregor
As the weather turns, the soft, warm breezes of spring call
for us to revel in the bright green of newly sprouted grass,
and the promise of budding blooms that hold sweet scented rainbows
inside. With the snow melted and the blue sky brightening their
worlds, how do you keep your home schooled children on task?
Take the task outdoors, of course. Hiking into nature provides
the perfect environment for some whole learning that can cross
the subject borders: physical education, science, history, social
studies, literature, and art.
Before You Go
Get a local guidebook and research which
trails will fit your child's age and ability, as well as your
other needs. Do you want long stretches of easy, flat trail on
which to run? Can you bring along the dog? Are you seeking wildflowers
for a lesson on native plants, their pollination or cycle of
life? Determine your specific needs then find a trail that fits.
(See below for hiking preparation and safety
tips.)
Decide what you'll study. Hiking lends itself well
to several subject areas. Whether you get cooperative same-grade
groups together, or bring your own or others' homeschooled children
of various ages, on-the-trail activities work. Below are a few
possibilities.
Ideas
These are just a few of the easy ways you can incorporate
hiking into your lesson plans, for fun learning that promotes
healthy physical activity. Plan ahead, so that as the weather
warms and winter-weary students are anxious for the great outdoors,
you can all take a pleasant hike.
1. Have middle grade students research local native plants,
then look for and identify them in the field. Have them note
what they found and draw pictures in their take-along journals.
Back at home or in a cooperative home school group, children
can share interesting facts about the plants they researched
(verbally or written), or write a poem. You could enrich the
study by reading nature essays and literature. Call a local nature
photographer or writer to come in and speak to a group of home-schoolers
you've gathered.
(Subjects: science, art, language
arts.)
2.Choose and study a historical journey or event that
fits your students' grade level, then host a re-enactment on
the trail. Fifth-graders can learn about Lewis & Clark, for
instance then take little red wagons on a wide, flat hike, making
notes of what they see just as the historical figures did.
(Subjects: History,
Social Studies).
3. Study different types of rocks and how they form,
then choose a trail that features some about which the children
learned. Have them point out metamorphic or igneous rocks. Small,
handheld rock samples are only the beginning. Out on hiking trails,
children can get up close to towering boulders, and observe the
earth's work in more magnificent form. Have them use rich language
to name the boulders based on shape or surface texture; i.e.
"seal," "hamburger," "gritty" rock.
Have them look at the trail's soil. Is it made up of smaller,
broken pieces of the big rocks they see? Younger children can
pour water into the dirt. Is it porous? Dry? Soft? Back at home
or in your group, share information about locations around the
world where there are interesting, carved or sacred stones such
as Easter Island, or islands with volcanic rock.
(Subjects: science, physical education,
literature, geography).
4. Grab up easels and paints, or drawing pads and pencils,
and take children to a hike with a view. Teach them about
perspective and let them experiment with it in their own nature
art.
(Subject: art)
Preparation and
Safety Tips
a. Preview the trail, or use a detailed guidebook like
one from the 60 Hikes series (right) in order to match the landscape to your
lesson plan and children's abilities.
b. Whether bringing your own children or home-schooled children
in a bigger group, outline guidelines and rules such as
staying on the trail to avoid snakes or someone getting lost.
Have a "trail boss" and someone also bringing up the
rear to keep anyone from straggling. Groups may want to invest
in two-way radios so everyone can keep in touch.
c. Bring plenty of water. Better to err on the side
of too much than too little. Even in mild weather, the body needs
hydration. Many public hiking trails do not have drinking water
available. Snacks or a picnic lunch are also good ideas.
d. Wear appropriate shoes and clothing. Is poison oak
or ivy present? Long sleeves and pants are a plus. Sneakers with
good tread are often okay. Actual hiking boots may be a better
bet for slippery, rocky, or steep trails.
e. Bring a camera.
f. Most of all - - have fun!
Author's Biography
Sheri McGregor is the author of 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: San Diego,
a guide from the 60
Hikes within 60 Miles series published by Menasha Ridge Press.
For more information about Sheri, visit the home of Sheri
McGregor's book on Hiking in San Diego.
Recommendations by Other Hiking Homeschool Families
When is the last time you tried to homeschool in the woods?
A few hours of outdoor education is a great way to exercise their bodies while learning an amazing amount of things about the world we live in. By Michelle Caskey, Homeschool Your Boys.
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Order 60 Hikes within 60 Miles
series Books from Amazon - Alphabetical by nearest major
city name:
60 Hikes within 60 Miles:
- Atlanta
: including Marietta, Lawrenceville, and Peachtree
City
by Randy Golden, Pam Golden
-
- Baltimore : Including Anne Arundel,
Carroll, Harford, and Howard Counties
by Evan Balkan
-
- Birmingham
by Russell Helms
-
- Chicago : Including Aurora, Elgin,
and Joliet
by Ted Villaire
-
- Cleveland
by Diane Stresing
-
- Denver : Including Fort Collins,
Boulder, and Colorado Springs
by Kim Lipker
-
- Los Angeles : Including San Bernardino,
Pasadena, and Oxnard
by Laura Randall
-
- Nashville
- by Johnny Molloy
-
- New York City: with northern New Jersey,
southwestern Connecticut, and western Long Island
by Catherine Brooks, Christopher Brooks
-
- Phoenix, Including Tempe, Scottsdale,
and Glendale
by Charles Liu
-
- Pittsburgh and Surrounding Counties
by Donna Ruff
-
- Portland
- 2nd Edition
by Paul Gerald
-
- Raleigh
by Lynn Setzer
-
- Richmond : Including Petersburg,
Williamsburg, and Fredericksburg
by Nathan Lott
-
- San Antonio and Austin
by Tom Taylor, Johnny Molloy
-
- San Diego
by Sheri McGregor
-
- San Francisco
by Jane Huber
-
- Seattle : Including Bellevue, Everett,
and Tacoma
by Bryce Stevens, Andrew Weber
-
- St. Louis
by Steve Henry
-
- Tampa
by Carolee Anita Boyles
-
- Twin Cities
by Tom Watson
-
- Washington DC
by Paul Elliott
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