The Beach

How are you doing on your Summer Bucket List? We are loving it! It has to be one of the best projects we have ever done! Hop aboard the bus for our next adventure.....

Can you guess where we have been this week? One thing is for sure, it's not in Wisconsin!

THE BEACH

When I first told you about our Summer Bucket List for Homeschoolers, I had no idea how much fun this was going to be. I had planned to just do a few field trips around town. However, during this process we discovered that we don't have very much fun anymore. We do lots of school, but don't get out and see things like we used to. For example, we haven't been to the beach for years and years.

In fact, we haven't had a real vacation in a VERY long time. School, time and money are the most popular reasons we don't go anywhere. Not any more!

The last time our boys were at the beach, we were building sand castles and chasing sand crabs. I think our oldest was about 5 years old.

We learned to identify sea shells....

and we studied and identified the local flora and fauna.

We studied the weather, including hurricanes and wind patterns. We learned why the bridges, piers and other buildings are built the way they are to withstand the seasonal storms. We made hurricanes in 2 liter soda bottles and sloshed them around for hours, and we built bridges from Knex to learn about architectural structure. We read about sea creatures in Apologia Science's Swimming Creatures of the Fifth Day. We got A's in Beach Science.

Now, they are almost grown, we recall what we have learned and laugh about those good times. We spend our time playing Ultimate Frisbee in the waves, and waiting for the next meal to be served, which isn't often enough for our crew.

We covet those with beach umbrellas who are not foolish Yankees and are not getting sunburned like we are.

We ate at the best place in town. It's the best because it's on the water. I promised the boys we could watch the dolphins while we ate at the marina.

Except we didn't see any dolphins. Not even one. "Mom, there are no dolphins here!"

"Of course there are, " I answered. 

 "Where do you think they get the Fish Tacos from?"

He didn't even flinch. Didn't even blink.

"Mom, everyone knows dolphins are mammals!"

I knew that. I really did. I just forgot. That's my story and I am sticking to it.

Then after lunch we shamefully fought over this fabulous piece of Key Lime Pie.

And while we ate, we made plans to come back to the beach again, later this year. We plan to come again and stay much, much longer. It's all in the name of school you know. Field trips must be included in our home school expenses from now on. Even if they are a bit out of the way.

Even the Principal agrees that's a good idea!

Linking up today over at Living and Learning at Home!

Designer Mom

p.s. If you are traveling to the beach this summer, check out a few of our favorite books to read on the beach:

Robinson Crusoe by Robert Louis Stevenson

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Shipwreck, Survival, and Escape (The Island Series) by Gordon Korman

The Keeper of the Bees by Gene Stratton Porter

Bill and Pete Go Down the Nile by Tomie dePaola

p.s.s. Have you noticed we are a couple crew members short on this trip? You'll have to wait until next week to find out where they have been! They are off an another Bucket List adventure, tune in next week for the scoop!