Our family lives near Quantico, in Virginia. (Yes, we do hear munition training. If it’s raining, the Marines are training!) You don’t think park when you consider Northern Virginia’s suburbs. You think traffic, which is fair. We schedule everything in terms of time of day and traffic—not miles. But there are many parks in Stafford County. The Co-op meets in parks for planning sessions, back-to-homeschool days, or book exchanges. The parents can talk while the kiddos play. Our little family has visited many of these parks. Here is another opportunity to add a bit of science!
One local park, Government Island, is a wetland. Virginia’s DCR has a collection called, Your Backyard Classroom, which includes Wetland Walk and Marsh March. My advice is to take photos and look up wildlife with a guide, such as Common Wetland Plants or the Field Guide to Hog Island. See if your park has its own brochure to identify plants and animals. Does it have a Junior Ranger program? A Scavenger Hunt? (Here are a bunch of park programs. See which ones your state supports.) If the park has a Ranger, ask when he or she does interpretive hikes. The Ranger knows the locals flora and fauna. Take advantage!
Visiting a park is a form of informal science. Remember that expression for your portfolio! Make notes in your calendar whenever you take your family to the park. Fishing, hiking, wading in the creek are all forms of informal science. Your kiddos are exploring their local environment, learning different species of fish, how fish are stocked locally, how to avoid poison ivy, in addition to creating their own mud kitchen! Hey, this is why you home-school! Just add a 15 minute hike to your afternoon playing at the park.
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