Homeschool field trips blend structure with hands-on nature learning

Students on a  recent field trip at McKinley Woods spent time touching tree bark, listening for bird sounds and inspecting spring sprouts on the forest floor.

The students didn’t arrive by school bus, however — their parents brought them.

They attended two Forest Preserve District field trip programs offered to homeschoolers. Thirty-two children participated in two programs on March 20: Fun in the Forest for ages 5–9 and Forest Ecology for ages 10–18.

The Forest Preserve District is offering more programs for homeschoolers as a way to serve a different community of children.

“Homeschooling has grown significantly in recent years,” said Lydia Pond, director of visitor services for the Forest Preserve. “Many families are seeking structured, high-quality educational experiences outside of the home. We offer something at our facilities that is often hard to replicate at home — naturalist-led, hands-on programming in our preserves.”

During the Forest Ecology session for older children, program coordinator Jess McQuown explained the different layers of a forest, starting with soil and insects and moving on to water, mammals, trees and birds.

She even shared news of a recent exciting find at McKinley Woods.

“A tiger salamander was spotted emerging from hibernation and heading off to a place to lay eggs.”

The students also saw a garter snake and identified hackberry, bur oak, shagbark hickory and other trees.

Kim Morse’s son, Nicholas Perkins, 14, of Shorewood, said he enjoyed the March 20 field trip and thinks they are a good idea for homeschoolers in general.

“You can learn a lot about native species,” he said. “You can learn about the animals, and it’s just nice to get outside.”

It’s ideal

Amber Hartwig of Tinley Park brought her 7- and 5-year-old children to the field trip. She said she had attended a previous homeschool field trip and was eager to try another. She said she likes that her children get to meet new kids in person rather than through technology.

“It’s ideal,” she said. “It’s a great way to meet community members, build confidence speaking to adults and learn about nature. It also allows them to socialize while I’m here to support them if they need it.”

Lalania O’Connor of Joliet said she was looking for a program that provided nature education with structure for her son, Isaac, 11, who deemed the field trip “pretty cool.”

“I think there is something to be said for having a different adult giving them information and providing structure around the programming,” she said. “Because in the real world, everything is not coming from your parents.”

She said she regularly visits preserves on her own, but visiting during a field trip offers a different experience.

“It’s really nice to have experts showing us around for more specific things we might miss or to get extra information about what is going on within the Forest Preserve District,” she said. “It’s a good asset for homeschoolers to have programs available to them in the same ways as public schools.”

Diana Smith of Minooka brought her children, Memphis, 10, and Eleanor, 9, to the field trip.

“It teaches them … that they have to sit and listen to somebody else,” she said. “It’s only 90 minutes, it’s outside and it’s really engaging. Overall, it’s a nice experience. It rounds out their education.”

Smith said she appreciates that the field trips for homeschoolers are during the day so they don’t interfere with her children’s evening activities like karate and gymnastics, “So we don’t have to miss out on anything.”

Community hub

Angela Rafac, an interpretive naturalist who led the field trip program for younger children along with fellow interpreter Alexis Lyons, said homeschool parents spend a lot of time and energy giving their children a well-rounded education.

“It is nice to offer these homeschool day opportunities for families to learn alongside each other with hands-on activities and experiences in our beautiful outdoor classroom with no walls,” she added. “It is also an opportunity to network with other homeschool families.”

The Forest Preserve also benefits by offering homeschool field trips because nature education is expanded to all audiences, Pond said.

“By hosting these programs, the Forest Preserve can become a community hub for these groups and not just a field trip destination,” she added. “Our hope is that you find us through the homeschool day programs but then come back again and again for our other programs and events. For us, it is another group that we can proudly serve and educate.”