As our kids get older, I've found myself wanting to take a step back and document our homeschooling journey—why we chose this path, what the experience has looked like over the years, and how incredibly much it has blessed our family. I want to share not only our story, but also create a resource that others can use, filled with field trip ideas, hands-on learning opportunities, and adventures that we've personally experienced along the way.
Over the years, we've been blessed with so many wonderful opportunities to learn, explore, and discover the world together. I hope sharing some of those experiences will inspire other families, whether they're just beginning their homeschool journey or simply looking for creative ways to make learning more meaningful and bring education to life.
I've also included links at the end of this post to some of the blog posts I wrote during our early homeschooling years. It's fun to look back on those memories and see just how far we've come!
I grew up attending public school and, like most students, went on a field trip once or twice each school year. I always enjoyed learning, loved a good challenge, and was determined to do my very best at whatever I attempted. By most traditional measures, I was a successful student. I earned all A's, graduated at the top of my class, and genuinely enjoyed school. I gravitated toward the most challenging honors and AP classes and loved pushing myself to earn the highest scores possible.
Looking back, though, I realize that much of my education was centered around learning information to pass a test, earn a good grade, and move on to the next thing. Being naturally competitive, I wanted a perfect score on every assignment. If I didn't know something, I was determined to figure it out, by-golly!
After high school, I went on to earn both an undergraduate and a graduate degree. I loved taking what I had learned and applying it in my career. Even after entering the workforce, I was constantly looking for ways to learn more, improve processes, develop people, and make things better within my job, my company, and the leadership role I oversaw. I truly loved my work and the opportunities it gave me to continue growing.
Then Drew and I got married and started our family. Suddenly, I found myself facing a dilemma. I had a career I absolutely loved, felt I was good at, and looked forward to continually improving. But at home, I had been given what I knew was an even more important responsibility: raising the children the Lord had entrusted to us and helping them grow into the adults He created them to be.
After much thought, I made the difficult decision to leave the job I loved and stay home with our children. At the time, I couldn't fully understand why the Lord was leading me down that path. Looking back now, however, I can see His hand in it so clearly. There were so many unexpected provisions and miraculous circumstances that unfolded during that season, and I hope to share that story another time.
As our oldest approached preschool and kindergarten age, Drew and I began discussing what we wanted our children's education to look like. I knew I wanted something different from what I had experienced growing up. Around that time, the Lord continually placed homeschooling families in my path. Through different people, conversations, Bible reading and circumstances, I began to feel Him gently leading me in that direction. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 says, “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. And Deuteronomy 11: 18-21 says, “You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 19 You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 20 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, 21 that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens are above the earth." I had the gift of lots of time with our precious children and the opportunity to train them up as we went about our daily living.
I believe every family has to prayerfully decide what is best for their own children. Public school, charter school, private school, homeschooling, unschooling—there are so many wonderful options available today, many of which weren't even on the radar when I was growing up. We had to figure out what the Lord was calling our family to do, and it became increasingly clear to me that He was leading us to homeschool.
I'll be honest: it was intimidating! Homeschooling was something I had never really considered for myself, and suddenly I was contemplating taking on the responsibility of educating our children. I knew there would be a tremendous amount of research involved, but fortunately, I have always loved researching, learning new things, and figuring out how things work. I also learned firsthand what 2 Corinthians 12:9 meant when it states, "God's grace proves sufficient, making His power perfect even in human weakness." He knew I often lacked patience, yet he would help me in my weakness.
It also seemed a little crazy to choose something so unconventional when we had access to a wonderful school district and excellent free educational options. Even though I felt confident about the direction the Lord was leading us, I still had plenty of nerves and questions.
So, I decided to start small. I started our oldest, Luke, in a homeschool kindergarten curriculum when he was just four years old. My thinking was that if I completely messed things up, he could always start public kindergarten at the traditional age of five, and we wouldn't have lost anything. We would simply take things one year at a time, pray about it, and continue following where the Lord led. And here we are with a 17-year-old and almost 15-year-old, still homeschooling with the Lord's help--through cancer and all. God guarantees He will faithfully and completely carry out the good work He started. I just had to trust Him in the process--I definitely could not do it alone.
That first year was such a wonderful learning experience—not just for Luke, but for me! I quickly began discovering which teaching methods worked best for me and, more importantly, how differently each of my children learned. (And trust me, what worked for one didn't necessarily work for the other!) Abbey was only 2 years old but was learning and absorbing so much just by being around us.
I also discovered that I didn't want our children's education to look like mine had: sitting through lectures, completing homework, taking tests, and moving on to the next chapter. I wanted something more. I wanted them to learn how to learn and truly enjoy learning new things. I wanted them to have the freedom to explore their interests, pursue their passions, use their imaginations, exercise their creativity and truly understand what they were learning rather than simply memorizing information long enough to pass a test.
When they were young, that meant reading A TON of books, doing hands-on activities related to what we were studying, and taking field trips that brought those lessons to life. We weren't just reading about something in a book; we were going out and experiencing it! I had so much fun learning right alongside them, and I probably learned just as much as they did along the way.
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| At the Texas General Land Office with Texas Land Commissioner (at the time) George P. Bush |
One misconception I hear quite often is that you have to be an expert in every subject or have a teaching degree to homeschool your children. That simply isn't true. What you do need is a desire to see your children love to learn and the motivation to help them get there. You stay a step ahead, figure things out as you go, and discover new things together. Some of the best learning experiences come from getting out into the world and having hands-on experiences that help concepts stick and create connections that a textbook alone simply cannot provide.
One of my biggest educational philosophies has always been that we don't move on from a concept until we've truly mastered it. We teach “Mastery” of concepts and subjects. We don't just take a test, get a grade, and move on because the calendar says it's time. One of the greatest benefits of homeschooling is the flexibility to learn at your own pace, continue learning year-round, and spend as much time as needed on a subject until it really clicks.
In a traditional classroom, the curriculum generally moves forward according to a set schedule. Students who have already mastered a concept may need to wait for the rest of the class, while students who need additional time may find themselves moving on before they've fully grasped the material. Homeschooling gave us the freedom to approach education differently and tailor the experience to each child.
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| At the Cameron Park Zoo observing animals we learned about in Zoology. |
Another big difference between my own education and our children's has been the freedom to read books that genuinely interest them. Growing up, we were often assigned a specific book by a teacher and then expected to write a paper or take a test about it. Let's just say I was sometimes assigned books that held absolutely no interest for me. I occasionally resorted to buying the CliffNotes so I could still ace the test or write my paper without actually reading the whole book!
Our kids, on the other hand, have become voracious readers. They have had the time to read, explore different genres, and choose books that capture their imaginations. We have maxed out the number of books we could check out at one time from our local public library more times than I can count! Weekly library trips became a regular part of our routine and something we all looked forward to. Again, the goal was never just to get through a reading assignment. It was to cultivate a genuine love of learning and reading.
Another thing I knew from the beginning was that I did not want to homeschool in isolation. I wanted our children to have opportunities to learn, grow, and build friendships alongside other families. I started searching for homeschool communities and found several wonderful groups when the kids were younger. Over time, though, I discovered that creating our own communities and activities with friends was an even better fit for our family.
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I organized and participated in all sorts of homeschool groups and co-ops, including hiking groups, book clubs, science groups, field trip groups, LEGO club, history groups, and more. It was such a fun way to homeschool alongside our friends and build a community of moms and kids who could learn, explore, and do life together.
I know one of the biggest concerns people often raise about homeschooling is socialization. Honestly, I found that our kids had far more opportunities to spend time with friends and interact with people of different ages than I ever did growing up. Instead of spending most of their day sitting quietly in a classroom listening to lectures, followed by a short recess and lunch period, they were exploring museums, hiking trails for hours, building LEGO creations and presenting them to one another, and going on overnight adventures with friends. Our kids have also had plenty of opportunities to participate in extracurricular activities and build friendships along the way. Both have been involved in homeschool sports teams, and Abbey has been participating in homeschool theater since she was very young, including performing in some pretty large productions. They've also had the opportunity to attend homeschool formal dances and other social events. I share this because I often hear concerns about homeschooled children missing out on these experiences, but that certainly hasn't been our reality! There are so many wonderful opportunities within the homeschool community for kids to get involved, develop friendships, try new things, and make memories together. They are certainly not missing out!
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| Group field trip to learn all about the Mexican Free-tailed bats with lots of homeschool friends (I believe we had three full boats). |
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Another thing I loved was watching our children have the freedom to pursue their individual interests and passions. I remember entering high school myself and realizing that I no longer had much time for piano or some of the activities I had previously enjoyed because of the hours of homework waiting for me after school.
Our kids have had a different experience. Throughout the week, they have built in opportunities to take breaks, explore their interests, and develop skills outside of traditional academics. They create music, play piano, sing, learned and play guitar and ukulele, head outside to practice basketball or volleyball, code apps, build things, and pursue all sorts of other interests. Learning doesn't stop when the schoolwork is finished, and some of the most meaningful growth and creativity happens during those unstructured moments when they have the freedom to explore something they love.
I share all of this to encourage anyone who might be considering homeschooling. I certainly don't believe it's the best choice for every family, and there are wonderful public, private, and charter school options available, especially in our area. I simply want others to realize that homeschooling is another option worth considering. It has been an incredible blessing for our family, and I hope sharing our experience helps others better understand what homeschooling can look like.
Where We Are Today
Fast-forward to today, and our little homeschoolers aren't so little anymore! Luke is now a junior in high school, and Abbey is a freshman. Both are taking advantage of free dual-credit courses through our local community college while also participating in homeschool co-op classes and completing other subjects at home.
Dual-credit classes have been an absolutely amazing resource for our family. Luke is already close to completing his core college curriculum. In Texas, completing 42 core college credit hours allows those credits to transfer automatically as core curriculum credits to Texas public universities. It's such a wonderful opportunity because these courses count toward both high school graduation requirements and future college credits.
Abbey is just getting started and is taking two dual-credit college courses this semester. It's exciting to see both of them taking ownership of their education and gaining experience in college-level coursework while still having the flexibility and opportunities that homeschooling provides.
Ultimately, one of my biggest goals as their homeschool teacher has always been to teach them how to learn. I want them to be curious, resourceful, independent thinkers who know how to find answers, ask questions, solve problems, and continue learning long after their formal education is complete. If they leave our homeschool years with a genuine love of learning and the confidence to teach themselves new things, I will consider that a huge success.
Field Trips, Adventures & Hands-On Learning Opportunities
I wanted to finish this post by sharing some of the incredible field trips and educational experiences available to homeschooling families in our area. Even if you live outside of Central Texas, I hope some of these ideas inspire you to find similar opportunities in your own community.
A couple of weeks ago at co-op, I overheard two homeschooling moms talking about field trip ideas. I started telling them about some of the many fun places and experiences our kids and I have enjoyed over the years. They both mentioned how helpful it would be to have a list of those ideas and all the accompanying information, and that conversation stuck with me.
Honestly, I don't think I even realized just how MANY adventures and learning experiences we had accumulated over the years until I started putting them all together! From museums and historical sites to outdoor adventures, behind-the-scenes tours, creative workshops, and so much more, we have been incredibly blessed with opportunities to explore and learn together.
What a gift homeschooling has been for our family! I hope this list encourages other homeschooling families, gives you some fresh ideas for your own adventures, and reminds you that education can happen in so many wonderful places beyond the walls of a classroom.
Happy exploring!
Fun learning groups you can create:
Lego Club (for each meetup, you have a different build theme in a different location. We have done building challenges and have created builds in different themes. The kids each present their builds at the end of the build time and get to showcase their creativity and practice speaking/presenting skills.)
STEM Club: Parents took turns teaching different STEM topics through interactive projects like building robots, doing science experiments and more.
Five in a Row: I loved this curriculum when the kids were younger. We would read a book together for five days in a row and complete learning activities that went alongside the books. For example, we would learn science subjects, math exercises, complete art projects and more. Here’s a great example from one of my old blog posts about how the curriculum worked: https://drewandheathertx.blogspot.com/2015/07/five-in-row-madeline.html
Book Clubs: I created a group where we would take turns creating field trips that went along with books we decided to read together. For example, we read the book, “Night of the Moonjellies” and then I organized a field trip to the Austin Aquarium, where we got to actually feed and learn more about Moonjellies and Octopus and other animals.
Museums: There are so many amazing museums locally and in this country. Our family loves museums. For many years when the kids were younger we had a family membership to the Thinkery in Austin. Having that family membership gives you access to the ASTC (Association of Science and Technology) passport program, which gives you free admission to museums all over the country. We have been to SO many museums for free through this program. Here are some of our favorite local museums, as well as some that you can drive a bit to:
The Thinkery
Blanton Museum of Art (free on Tuesdays)
Bob Bullock Texas History Museum (You can schedule field trips here, but they also offer free admission on their homeschool days and their once per month first Sundays)
Laguna Gloria (The Contemporary Austin): Such a fun outdoor art museum to explore–makes a fun hike as well. It’s free on Thursdays
Austin Science and Nature Center: It’s always free to visit. They have animals, a fun indoor learning area, ponds, hiking trails, an area where you can dig in the sand for dinosaur bones and great homeschool classes.
LBJ Presidential Library
Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center (we like to go when they have Fortlandia (usually November-January). You can plan a field trip with your group which provides a great discount..
Austin Aquarium (fun field trip–very interactive and you get a group discount)
Texas Science and Natural History Museum
Camp Mabry (Texas Military Forces Museum)--The live World War II re-enactment is fun–it usually occurs in the fall around Veteran’s day.
Zilker Botanical Gardens (They also have a fun Woodland Fairy Trail usually in May-July–handcrafted fairy homes, each designed by local families, artists, and community groups. These miniature masterpieces, constructed with natural materials, are scattered along a winding trail that promises discovery and delight at every turn.)
Umlauf Sculpture Garden & Museum
Jourdan-Bachman Pioneer Farms
George Washington Carver Museum
Wells Branch Pioneer Homestead
Warren Wildlife Gallery
The Williamson Museum (Georgetown)
Williamson County Courthouse (Georgetown)
Mayborn Science Theater (Killeen)
(A little Drive):
Hill Country Science Mill (Johnson City)--they have regular homeschool days
Mayborn Museum (Waco)
Homestead Heritage (Waco)
Texas Sports Hall of Fame (Waco)
Texas Ranger Hall of Fame & Museum (Waco)
Dr. Pepper Museum (Waco)
Witte Museum (San Antonio)
Perot Museum (Dallas)
Houston area Museums: Space Center, Children’s Museum, Museum of Natural Science, Health Museum (there are many more but these are the ones we have visited and enjoyed)
San Antonio Missions & The Alamo
Other Fun Field Trips we have done:
Texas Capitol tour
The Meadows Center Glass Bottom Boat Tour (San Marcos)
Wonder World Cave
Toyota Plant Tour
Tesla Factory tour
Amazon Distribution Center tour (San Marcos)
Inner Space Caverns
Round Rock Express tour (they also have an annual education day)
Round Rock Honey tour
SXSW: We love exploring all the free events during South by Southwest in Austin. Especially SXSW edu
The Annual Gem Capers Gem and Mineral Show (you can sign up in advance for free admission. This occurs every year in October
Waterloo Park Creek Show (there are free days if you register in advance)
Austin Science and Nature Center Classes
ACC Make it Center (an awesome field trip option for older students)
Texas A&M Medical Center Field trip
Colorado River Foundation and the Wilkerson Center for Colorado River Education at Redbud Center
HEB
Meteorology field trip with Kristin Currie and KXAN
Texas Governor's Mansion
Texas State Cemetery
IFly (great for STEM learning)
Apple Store–(Coding Field Trip)
Playland Skate Center
Dinosaur Tracks and Wagon Wheel tracks on Brushy Creek
Inks Dam National Fish Hatchery
Overnight Field Trip to Moody Gardens: we stayed overnight in the aquarium (we actually slept by the sea lions) and had so many fun learning activities that went along with a marine life studies
Galveston Island State Park Ranger Led Beach Field Trip (paired this with the overnight field trip to moody gardens)
Austin Energy Power Plant Facility Tour
Austin Fire Department
Police Department (Georgetown)
Newman’s Castle & Newman’s Bakery
Dinosaur Park in Cedar Creek
Jungle Movement Academy
Rodeo Austin
Zoos:
Austin Zoo
San Antonio Zoo
Waco Zoo (Cameron Park Zoo)
Local Farms that have fun field trip options:
Sweet Eats Fruit Farm
Berry Creek Farm
Crowe’s Nest Farm
Boggy Creek Farm
Slice of Heaven Educational Farm
Hiking and State Parks: If you contact the State Park well in advance, you can get free admission for your group and an awesome educational ranger-led hike. Each ranger-led hike we have had has been awesome and we learned so much! Also, do the Junior Ranger programs for every state park (and National Park) you visit.
Here are some of our local favorites:
- Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge
- Westcave Preserve
- Mayfield Park
- Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve
- Reimers Ranch
- Pedernales Falls SP
- Inks Lake SP
- Enchanted Rock SP
- Longhorn Cavern
- Lost Maples
- Palo Duro Canyon (Okay, so this isn't necessarily local- it is actually pretty far away since Texas is so large, but it is worth it. It's the second largest canyon in the US behind the Grand Canyon). Here's a blog post I wrote about it from our first trip there: https://drewandheathertx.blogspot.com/2017/06/palo-duro-canyon.html
- Mammoth Cave National Park (Waco)
- Jacob’s Well Natural Area
- Wimberly–Blue Hole) also visit the pioneer village while there
- McKinney Falls SP
- Many hikes along Barton Creek in Austin, like Twin Falls, Sculpture Falls and Hill of Life Trail
- St. Edwards Park
- Bull Creek District Park
(There are countless awesome hikes in the Austin area–this probably deserves its own post. I led a homeschoolers hiking group for many years and we have hiked pretty much every trail in the Austin area.)
I also organized some fun overnight field trips for large groups I ran. For example, in one group we read the book, Huckleberry Finn, and then I planned an Overnight Camping Field Trip at the Camp of the Hills for our big group. Camp of the Hills is amazing and helped create a ton of learning activities that worked well with what we read. We created paints from items found in nature, built boats and tested them in the water and learned all about beekeeping.
Theaters and the Arts: There are so many fun field trip options in Austin for theater and the arts. We have seen countless plays and performances over the years.
Zach Scott theater
Paramount
Scottish Rite Theater
Ballet Austin
Austin Opera
Broadway Austin
I also highly recommend taking advantage of the incredible national parks our country has to offer. If you have the opportunity, make it a goal to visit as many as you can and have your kids participate in the Junior Ranger programs along the way. We have visited more than 25 national parks, and every single one has been a memorable experience! These are some of our very favorite family trips, and I hope we have many more adventures ahead as we continue checking new parks off our list.
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| earning their Junior Ranger badges at the Grand Canyon with the Park Ranger |
Another trip I think everyone should experience at least once is a visit to our nation's capital, Washington, D.C. There is an incredible amount of history to explore, and so many of the museums, monuments, and historical sites are completely free! You can complete the junior ranger program there for free as well. The Smithsonian National Zoo is also one of our favorite zoos, and it's free to visit, too. Thanks to a recommendation from a friend, we contacted Senator Ted Cruz's office ahead of our trip to Washington D.C. and were able to get a free private tour by two of his office's interns. It was a great behind the scenes tour and we even got to ride in the underground tunnel that the Senators take when going from their offices to the Senate chambers to vote, etc.
There is something especially meaningful about visiting places like Washington, D.C., Boston, and Philadelphia after studying American history. Rather than simply reading about the people, events, and places that shaped our country, you get to walk the streets, stand in the very places where history happened, and see so much of what you've learned come to life. Those trips made history feel much more real and memorable for our kids (and for me!). I highly recommend adding these destinations to your family's travel list!
And lastly, take advantage of not having to take vacations when everyone else is–pick “off season” times, save tons of money and enjoy less traffic/people during those times. We enjoy planning trips, figuring out all we can learn about the destinations and cultures ahead of time, and then enjoying exploring in person. It really helps all the learning come to life! Any questions about our journey or homeschooling? I'm happy to answer them in a Q&A post. Just post them in the comments.
Early Days of Homeschooling Blog Posts:
https://drewandheathertx.blogspot.com/2014/03/in-good-place.html
https://drewandheathertx.blogspot.com/2016/06/may-homeschooling-adventures.html
https://drewandheathertx.blogspot.com/2015/04/a-nature-walk-homeschooling-adventures.html
https://drewandheathertx.blogspot.com/2015/04/homeschool-hiking.html
https://drewandheathertx.blogspot.com/2016/10/the-top-3-questions-i-often-receive.html
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