Summer Vacation and Field Trips

It's already shaping up to be a pretty busy summer over here at the Berry Patch. We have some vacation time planned plus I'm hoping to add in lots of field trips to add to our required Maine studies that we need to do for our home education program.

My hubby & I will be celebrating 20 years of marital bliss and we're ditching the kiddos for a whole seven days and heading north to Canada. I can't wait. The only time we've ever taken a similar vacation is when my hubby had a high school friend getting married in England. We took 10 days and headed over and it was fantastic. We only had one kiddo then.

Shortly after we return from that, I'm heading out sans family and with two good friends to SoulFest. It's a four day Christian musical festival. The bands start playing at 10am and go until after midnight. This year's line up includes Chris Tomlin - one of my absolute favorites.

In August I'm taking the two younger boys and my mother-in-law to Peak's Island. We're bringing our bikes along and plan to take a slow tour of the island. I think we are all really looking forward to that.

Then at the end of August I'll be taking the boys and heading south. Our first stop will be at Old Sturbridge Village. I think I went as a young child, but it's obviously been quite a few years and my boys have never been. We're going there with both my mother-in-law and her sister-in-law and her children. Then my boys & I will continue south to my aunt's home. We'll base there and take day trips into Boston. I'm planning to walk the Freedom Trail one day and most likely head to the New England Aquarium another. In between we'll add beach days.

Then, as I can fit them in, I'm hoping to add in local (as in we'll stay in the state) field trips. Some of the spots I've been looking at heading to are:

• Acadia National Park - amazingly I've lived in Maine my entire life and have only been here twice. The first time was when I was very pregnant with son #1. We took a family trip there to the beach. The other time was after my second son was born and I rode the Tour de Cure for the first time. My boys have never been. Some Mainer I am.....
• Abbe Museum - a museum about the Wabnaki Nation. Beginning in mid-August through the beginning of September they will be building a birch bark canoe. I thought that sounded neat to check out.
• Montpelier, The Henry Knox Museum in Thomaston. 
• Fort Knox - always a fun place to visit. 
• Blaine House/State House - we've been to the State House but not the Blaine House. It's probably time for that trip.
• Old Fort Western - we've done classes here before and they are always fantastic. We've only done a few so there are more to go to!
• Seashore Trolley Museum - this is the one place my middle son requested to visit. We've ridden the Tour de Cure together the last two years and this is a rest stop on the route. He wants a chance to check it out.
• Old York - this looks pretty cool. Various historical buildings to check out. 
• Willowbrook in Newfield - we went here once ages ago - okay four or five years ago. It's a great turn of the century village.

Yes, lots of historical spots on the list, but we'll also be doing some atypical field trips. I'd like to take the boys to the blueberry barrens to rake blueberries. We've done it in the past but it's been awhile. My youngest, who is now nine, was only two at the time. Beaches - lots of beaches. Lighthouses top the list as well. I'm planning to fit in enough fun so that my boys don't groan at learning during the summer.