Fun Field Trip ~ Sylvan Heights Bird Park

We have a bird park close to where we live and I have been hearing great things about it, but we have never visited. Since we buy a yearly membership aquarium pass, we are able to get into other places for free and Sylvan Heights Bird Park is included.

I made it a point that the kids and I would get to the park this year when we were finished with our school work. It is not very far from where we live (about a 1 1/2 hour drive) and it is easy to get to and find.

This place is a great place to visit. There are so many birds from all of the continents. You are also able to purchase bird seed to feed to some of the birds. You are also able to get up close to many of the birds. They also have a nice picnic and play area for the kids when you need to take a break.

The park is set up where you are able to walk in a loop and see all of the birds. There are also some trails that lead off of the loop where you are able to look out over a stream and possibly see a beaver or two and their house. We saw a beaver swimming and also saw one of the beaver’s houses.

It also doesn’t take long to walk through, but you can spend as much time as you want and take your time learning about the different kinds of birds at the park.

We definitely want to go back again and visit. We ended up at the bird feeding station last and by the time we got there, the birds did not seem hungry anymore since there was a school group there that was feeding them. We would start there the next time we go so that the birds are hungry and will eat the bird food. Below are several pictures from our fun day.





































I am linking up with:

N is for North Carolina

While trying to come up with something to write about on the letter N for the blogging through the alphabet series, the most obvious was right in front of me. North Carolina! I live in Eastern North Carolina and we have been to many places around the state. I want to show some places we have been in a sort of wordless Wednesday type post. Enjoy!

North Carolina Zoo


USS North Carolina Battleship


Wright Brothers Memorial


Aquariums (we have been to all three)


Billy Graham Library


Treasures on the beach


I have written several posts on our trips across the state. Check them out!

I am linking up with:

D is for Durham, NC

I live a couple of hours from Durham and Durham is filled with many historical sites and parks.

Historical ~ The Bennett Place is a  farmhouse that was used during the Civil War. The house was used as a meeting place between Confederate and Union General’s to sign surrender papers for the southern armies. It was one of the largest troop surrenders of the Civil War.

Interesting ~ Historic Durham Athletic Park was built in 1926 and was used by the Durham Bulls for almost 70 years. It was also a film location for the movie “Bull Durham.”

Fun ~ Duke Lemur Center is a fun place to visit and learn all about lemurs. The lemur from the show Zoboomafoo was here until he died.

Another fun place to visit is the Museum of Life & Science. The museum is packed with many great exhibits and you could probably spend a full day here learning and discovering.

Outside~ Want to spend the day outside hiking and playing? Visit the Eno River State Park. There is something for everyone. There are many trails to hike or you can do some fishing for the day.
These are just a few of the places to visit in Durham. Durham has a lot more places to visit. This would be a great place to spend a vacation.

I am linking up at:
Hopkins Homeschool

Activities For The Summer

A...is for Activities!

I am (once again) going to try to blog through the alphabet. I tried it a while back, but didn't make it very far. This time, I am going to take the time and write up the post ahead of time and try to get all the way to z.

 My kids like to be on the go instead of staying around the house all day during our summer break. Our number one activity during the summer is visiting the beach. We only live 45 minutes away from the beach, so it makes it easy to go for the day.

Another favorite thing my kids like to do is visit the different play parks in the area and just play. Although as my boys (12 and 10) get older, their interest in going to a playground is getting lower.


I've come up with a list of some activities that I hope to accomplish during our time off of school during June and July.

NC Blueberry Festival in Burgaw. We have attended this festival for the past 4 years and the kids love looking at the old cars and trucks at the car show. We also buy some non-alcoholic blueberry cider each year.

Cheap summer movies for the kids. I am going to let them choose one or two movies that they would like to see.

Visit nearby state parks and do some hiking. Visit Fort Macon in Atlantic Beach and Fort Fisher in Wilmington.

Soundside Park on Topsail Island usually has free movies on Saturday evenings in the summer.

We also love to go to the local spray park when we can't get to the beach. We are hoping to also make it to our local water park sometime this summer.

We like to go to the different museums in the area during the summer. One of our favorites is in Beaufort- The Maritime Museum.

These activities will keep us busy throughout the summer. There is so much fun and free things to do in Eastern North Carolina which is great when you are on a budget.

Fair Time

We went to the NC State Fair this past Saturday and had a great time.

My youngest daughter is obsessed with horses and was so excited to ride a real live pony. 

My sons had their first ever roller coaster ride. My oldest also rode the super shot- the ride takes you way up and then it drops you and you feel like you are falling. He had a great time. 

I rode the tea cups with my youngest son and daughter and they both had a blast. My older daughter went on the train and boat rides with her sister. She likes the calm rides. 

We had a great time. We can't wait for next year. 

Raleigh North Carolina Free Field Trip

Back in August, I wrote this post about free and almost free field trips in and around Eastern North Carolina. I failed to mention that there are two great museums in Raleigh that are free to visit (during the week, you do have to pay for parking).

My boys love to visit the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. Their favorite subject is science. We have visited this museum a few times in the past year. There is evolution posted on many of the exhibits, but since we are a Christian family, my boys have learned that evolution is not true and we are able to discuss the different view points in each exhibit.

 The science museum is huge and you could spend hours looking through all of the exhibits. The building is four stories tall and also has many animals to look at, including a butterfly exhibit you can walk through. Attached to the science center is the Nature Research Center. Here you can find many hands on science research activities and also watch some scientists at work. Here is a map of the Museum of Natural Sciences and Nature Research Center.

Another free museum that is right next to the science museum is the North Carolina Museum of History. This is another place that one could spend hours visiting. We usually visit one museum in the morning, have lunch, and visit the other museum in the afternoon. There are only two stories that are accessible to visitors, but there is so much information on the history of North Carolina. This is a great place to visit when your child is learning about North Carolina history. The main exhibit on the first floor, tells about the history from the beginning (Native Americans) through the 20th century. There are a lot of hands on activities throughout the exhibit. One of the other exhibits that my kids like to visit is the sports hall of fame. Here is a map of the exhibits.

Both of these museums are open from 9-5 Monday through Saturday and noon-5 on Sundays. Parking is only free on the weekends.


A couple more places to visit in the Raleigh area would be the State Capitol and also Marbles Museum which offers a discount to homeschool families.

Free (or almost free) North Carolina Field Trips

I have found a few places, mostly in Eastern NC (since that is where I live), that offer free or discounted admission to homeschool families and groups.

NC Zoo: You have to call ahead 15 days before hand. You and your children (K-12) are allowed free admission. Any additional adults and children have to pay regular admission. They even offer a discounted rate to out of state homeschoolers. Click on the link and scroll down to find out more.

NC Aquariums: You need to pre-register 24 hours in advance. Free admission for children and 2 adults. Homeschool Day at Pine Knoll Shores Aquarium is usually in September.

USS North Carolina: One adult is free, children are charged a discounted rate. You need to call or email in advance.

Marbles Kids Museum: Discounted rate for homeschool families. One adult is admitted free.

I am always on the lookout for places that offer a discount to homeschoolers. I will make another post when I find more places to visit.

Thanks to a post on North Carolina's Home Educator's Facebook page, I can add more places that offer a homeschool discount.

Great Wolf Lodge: Call or book online and enter promo code HOME.

Biltmore Estate: Homeschool days are in September.

Old Salem: Homeschool days are in September.

North Carolina Transportation Museum: Homeschool Day is at different times during the year. They update the link.

Rural Hill Farm: Homeschool Day is in October.

Latta Plantation (click on Educational Programs, then click on Homeschool): They have homeschool days throughout the year.

Here is a neat tool I found, put in what county you would like to visit and it lists what you can do in that county.

This is also a great site to look for field trips.