The sound of shrill excitement ensues when a teacher tells the class they will be taking their studies out of doors (literally!) and visiting a museum, park, or event for the sake of furthering their education.
At Ambleside Ocala, we have the opportunity to visit many different places that coincide with the studies of that particular year. For example, the fourth-grade students study Climatology/Meteorology all first semester and then they have the opportunity to see and feel and observe all the things they learned at the Orlando Science Center, which has an entire floor devoted to just that topic!
Or maybe it is the eighth-grade class that concludes their literature reading of The Hiding Place by touring the Florida Holocaust Museum in St. Petersburg which is led by an actual Holocaust survivor.
Sixth Grade visits Marjorie Rawlings’s home in Cross Creek after they finish readingThe Yearling. They can experience the actual spot in her home where the author wrote this beloved novel.
And this is just a small sampling.
Makes you want to be an Ambleside student, doesn’t it?
Your child’s teacher will be getting you the upcoming field trip dates for your child’s class. You are welcome to attend and you are welcome to help transport students. There is an approval process to drive other students. If you haven’t been approved, please feel free to call the front office and see how you can do that.
We are thankful to live in Central Florida where we have an abundance of opportunities for our students to learn more about. And just like Charlotte Mason said, “That the knowledge most valuable to the child is that which he gets with his own eyes and ears and fingers (under direction) in the open air.”