homeschool highlights: sunsphere field trip.

 As I mentioned last week in our "The Sun's Beer" daily photo post, we took a "homeschool field trip" to visit the Sunsphere. In light of September 11th (that post is {here}), I based our lessons last week around the Tower of Babel, and wanted to take the kids to visit a tall structure close to home.

We discovered through our study of the Sunsphere that construction was complete in 1982, just in time for the World's Fair, and the observation deck was reopened in 2007. So, it was completed during my birth year, reopened during Eden's birth year. She thought that was really cool. Confession: so did I.

Every educational outing has to include a trip to Target, right?? C'mom moms. Back me on this. We grabbed some Lunchables, settled into the Target cafe, and read our Tower of Babel lesson before heading out on our adventure. (Yes: I also perused the clearance racks and found a cute dress for my hot date tomorrow night. It'll be our 8th anniversary. I gotta look cute. Teaching the kids about frugal shopping. See? Educational...)

We walked around a bit before riding the elevator to the top of the Sunsphere, and discussing things like the weather and what in the world a parking meter is for:

 Once at the top, the kids loved learning about Knoxville's origin and being able to see much of downtown from so high in the sky. Oh, and rifling through coupons and brochures normally reserved for tourists:

The kids were a little finicky to stand too close to the glass, but eventually braved it and enjoyed the view:

After we were finished placing our fingerprints on every inch of glass in the golden disco ball, we went to the Chocolate Factory for an afternoon treat:

We sat on the steps, enjoyed the perfect prelude to fall weather, and nibbled on white chocolate pretzels before heading home. Yes, there were a few pretzel casualties along the way:

I think I'm still struggling with homeschooling---worrying about being a "good teacher", making sure my kids grasp all they need to know, keeping my heart in the right place. That is why trips like these are such a highlight in homeschooling for me: the freedom to take my children, right now, today, on an adventure that I can orchestrate, and teach them about God over Lunchables and Goldfish.

This week we are studying Jonah and the Whale. Looking forward to sharing with you all the new adventures to come.