Field trips are not just for children in traditional school settings, especially when the outing has so much educational value.
The Pascagoula River Audubon Center offers educational opportunities for children and adults and educational trips for school groups, but the fourth Friday of each month the focus is on children who are homeschooled.
Research says that teaching children at home has long been controversial, with critics saying the instruction is uneven in subject and quality and makes kids asocial. But in recent years, technology and changing attitudes have made homeschooling easier and more effective, helping boost its popularity.
To meet the needs of this population, a special program for homeschooled children is held the fourth Friday of each month from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Educators at the center have worked to develop a theme for each session that follows along with the regular school curriculum.
The first homeschool program is today, Sept. 27, and the theme is Birds and Conservation. The final homeschool program will be Friday, May 22, and the final theme is Water and Water Science.
“Our themes revolve around our center, what we have here, and what we want the children to learn about taking care of the Earth and its inhabitants,” said Suzie Trott, one of the Audubon educators who has 45 years of educational experience. “Homeschool educators could take advantage of our 10-acre site to do outdoor experiments to enhance their lesson.”
Other themes for the year include Estuaries and Ecosystems, Earth and Sky, and Weather and Climate Change. A full list of this year’s themes can be found here.
Educators and children are encouraged to dress to be outdoors, bring a lunch, snack, and water bottle. Parents/educators are welcome to stay and participate or drop off and pick up. The cost is $10 per child per month, and the activities are geared for children in grades kindergarten through 6th.
For registration or for more information, please contact us at 228.475.0825 or prac@audubon.org.