By Holly Giles | Field Trips , Florida , florida vacations , Great Outdoors
Cross Creek Cross Creek State Park is like stepping back in time 75 years ago. Grayson and I took a day trip to visit this historic location after I finished reading the book, Cross Creek by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings for the 4th time. Florida is filled with wonderful places we can visit in a day. […]
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By Holly Giles | Family , Florida , florida vacations
Summer Vacation How to save money Summer vacation savings. Planning Can Save You regardless of whether you travel or have a staycation. Summer vacations when the children are out of school can be very expensive if you don’t plan ahead and look for as many ways to save money as possible. Here are some suggestions. […]
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By Holly Giles | Florida , florida vacations , Great Outdoors , homeschooling , Nature Study
Nature Walk Having a natural curiosity to explore the world around us is what makes us human. Having the tools to explore makes it more interesting and easier to do. Create your own family nature kit. Fill it with items that will help you learn more about what interests you and your children on a […]
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By Holly Giles | Florida , florida vacations , Great Outdoors , Inspiration
Reviving Florida Heritage Outdoor Sports It was the fall of 1978. At 4 am the bells began ringing on my grandfather’s wind-up alarm clock. I had slept in my clothes so I would be ready for the fishing trip. It was so quiet and still in the darkness outside as we loaded the nets, buckets, […]
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By Holly Giles | Field Trips , Florida , florida vacations , Great Outdoors
Outdoor Adventures Living in Florida gives us a unique advantage to outdoor adventures all year long. City playgrounds to sportsman activities give families plenty of options to add adventure throughout all our homeschooling years. Toddler Years When my children were young, simple outdoor adventures were easy to find. Nature centers, museums, and many parks offer […]
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By Holly Giles | Family , Florida , florida vacations , Mama's Musings
I met Shanna Rae Horstmeyer and her two young boys during a homeschool field trip last year. I heard she raised cows for milk. She recognized my feed-sack purse and introduced herself. She said she had been saving feedbags to work with but had been too busy moving onto their milk farm. Shanna Rae wondered […]
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By Holly Giles | Florida , Florida field trips , florida vacations
The Treasure of Florida’s History It can be hard to treasure right where you live when you aren’t sure you like it very much. I am a native Floridian. Actually, I am a fourth-generation Floridian- a rarity these days. As a child, I did not think it was a special place but my grandparents did. […]
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By Holly Giles | Florida , florida vacations
Debary Hall “We are called the best-hidden gem in Volusia County for Florida history!” said Betty, our tour guide at Debary Hall. A friend and I, along with our four children decided to take a tour of this historic home to learn some Florida history. This particular gem actually sits right within my own neighborhood. […]
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By Holly Giles | Field Trips , Florida , florida vacations , Great Outdoors , homeschooling , Nature Study
The wonderful weather beckons us to be outside! We met up with some friends for a day at Hontoon Island State Park. Come along with us to this hidden Florida gem. Hontoon Island sits along the St. John’s river in Volusia County. It is accessible only by boat. It is a treasure trove of […]
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By Holly Giles | Field Trips , Florida , florida vacations , Great Outdoors , homeschooling , Nature Study
Florida Manatee Florida manatee show up in the springs of Florida from December through March. During the winter months, manatee move to warmer waters and a large number of them find their way to Blue Spring State Park. We have been taking Grayson and Grant to the park to see Florida Manatee since they were […]
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