winter 2018

HOMESCHOOLIOWA.ORG

Picture it:

our family gazes on crisp blue skies, sitting quietly be-

low the tall, snowcapped peaks of the majestic Grand

Teton Mountain Range. The beautiful Jackson Lake

lies below. Wisps of transparent clouds drift across the vista.

Evergreen-scented air (is that the same smell as your essential

oils?) fills your lungs. The children sit eagerly at the feet of a uni-

formed park ranger. All those gentle reminders to the kids to ‘be

respectful’ have paid off! The ranger gratefully nods to you, and

then begins the educational lesson on wildlife and hiking.

This is the trip of a lifetime, two weeks traveling the Yellow-

stone and Teton National Parks with your children. A trip like this

is the result of a hundred hours dreaming, planning, and pack-

ing. Binders and books fill a huge plastic container just waiting

for the long drive to begin. Oh, yes, this momhas planned every-

thing down to the last detail for over 18 months. It is a celebra-

tion filled with smiles and balloons. As homeschoolers, we enjoy

freedom to take our school on the road and experience different

learning opportunities.

The first balloon pops while packing the vehicle the morning

of departure. It isn’t all quite fitting into the vehicle. “Maybe we

don’t really need so many blankets,” I proclaim, as we sweat in

the Iowa heat. “That crisp mountain air will feel great after this

heat in Iowa,” I decide, as I remove the extra blankets. (We’ll re-

turn to that decision later while in the Tetons).

1) Plan

Planning this learning adventure can be a wonderful part of

the experience. Discuss the trip with your family, set a budget

together, then assign your students different parks to research.

This can provide you more insight into what interests your chil-

dren. Our family has“school-traveled”throughWilliamsburg and

Jamestown, VA.; Washington D.C.; and St. Augustine, FL, over ten

years of homeschooling. Our son, who enjoys maps and geogra-

phy, has mapped all the trips. Find what sparks interest for each

child and involve them in the planning.

National parks have simple websites to navigate. You can also

order brochures, but allow extra time for those to arrive (up to

three weeks). Put a map on the wall and highlight your plans.

Connect the big screen to a computer and invite the entire fam-

ily to participate in the research.

I cannot overemphasize the importance of planning the trip.

Our plans began with a phone conversation in January of 2017

for a scheduled June 2018 trip. Booking ahead for your camping

spot or cabin is vital. There will be absolutely nothing available

if you try to book same night accommodations in Yellowstone.

I watched a grown man panic in Yellowstone’s Mammoth Hot

Springs lobby as the reservations attendant repeated,“Sorry. We

have no openings tonight.”

Neighbors shared stories of an impromptu trip through Yel-

lowstone. The family slept in their vehicle because there was lit-

erally no room at the inn. The children learned a valuable lesson:

bears will do anything to eat a snack. Evidentially, a sow (female

bear) broke open the truck passenger window to grab the crack-

Summer in the National Parks

BY LAURA CARLSON

You know that all the hours planning, researching,

saving money was worth it when your teenager

steps out, hikes up, and has a quiet moment with

his Creator.