FIELD TRIP!!!!
It was also on Bequia that we went on our first “field trip” while homeschooling. Until that day, school consisted of textbooks, work sheets and journals. Math and Language Arts was all pretty straight forward from work books and just about all I could manage as I tried to figure out this home schooling thing. Teaching two grades, three levels apart with two kids, one who can barely read (and so is extremely dependent) is difficult! What makes it even more confusing is the change to the BC curriculum which switched topics from one grade level to another so I’m not sure what the kids have covered and what they haven’t. What I do know is that they still have to do Math, grammar, spelling, vocabulary, journal, reading and comprehension, every day. So, basically, I would pile all seven of those books up for each kid and every day, with me explaining each lesson before they started, they would have to get through the pile…BORING!!!
So, when we went to shore and this truck pulled up and we told the kids that an island tour from the back of a pick up truck was going to be school for the day, the kids got pretty excited.
Our first stop was a history lesson – an old fort. It was here that we first learned about the unsettled past of the English and French in the Caribbean. What was particularly interesting about this fort was that most of the cannons had the English coat of arms on them but one of the cannons had a fleur de lys on it demonstrating the fort had been held at least once by the English and once by the French.
Our next stop was a social sciences lesson. There is a lovely beach on the windward side of Bequia where the landscape is largely shaped by wind and waves. This fit nicely into the Grade 4 curriculum on landforms and erosion (not to mention the bonus lessons on boat building, fishing and whaling).
Our last stop was for a lesson in environmental biology – The Old Hegg Turtle Sanctuary. http://turtles.bequia.net. The kids learned about the endangered hawksbill turtle and how human behaviours threaten their existence.
This one day, which could hardly be considered ‘school’ is exactly the kind of learning we had hoped this adventure would bring for the kids. Bring on the next field trip!
Thank you beautiful Bequia for such a memorable visit!
Sailing Trismic 
This is my kind of homeschooling. Having the privilege of visiting all the islands, each with its own diversity and charm, must be very exciting for everyone. Dad looks gleeful holding the teenage turtle on his hip! Nathan and Millie appear to be so gentle with the babies. Beautiful pictures! So much to learn – more field trips here we come!! Much love, Mom/Lynne/Nana
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I’m guessing that the Bequia field trip is but one of the many ways you use as you take advantage of opportunities presented to make those “boring” textbook lessons come alive. Judging from the smiles, it is a happy way to learn.
Love to all,
GG
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Rly cool
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