Mostly homeschooler question all opinions welcome

[GwenFarms]

I think its a great idea. There are alot of things going on around here like that. Nothing so formal that folks are getting insured for it, but its probably a good idea, I guess. There are classes offered at one of the bigger churches in town and people will advertise there when they are having an event, with the local association and the local support groups. I'm sure you'll have great success if you do this too!



If anyone else is reading this and interested in home school field trips I just wanted to mention that one of the best trips we ever took was to the tv station in Columbia. They let our small group come in and watch a filming of the news and we got to talk to the meteorologists. The kids loved to play with the green screen. It surprised me when they let us have the run of the place being such a small group and not a more organized public school group.

 

[ChickNLittle]

We were going to do something similiar here. We have horses, chickens, etc., We thought about contacting the local school district and offering to have a "field trip day" out here. We were going to talk about the different breeds of chickens, basic horse safety and how to saddle/bit the horse, pick up his feet, etc., We were going to charge a $5.00 fee for each child and have them bring a sack lunch and drink.

 

[loisgroat]

Don't worry TOO much about the legal stuff, we homeschoolers are NOT the type to sue people, and we love for our kids to have lots of different life experiences. If I lived closer, I'd jump at the chance to come and see what you are offering. And I am sure it would be fascinating enough just as it is - no need to try to make it MORE interesting. Most homeschoolers have pretty good attention spans.

 

[Crunchie]

Quote:
I have to agree with Pat. It's sad that we have to think like such party poopers, but...yep, better safe than sorry. Other than the liability issue, I think it's a wonderful idea. I would not, however, do any activity where the kids actually come in contact with horses. A blacksmithing demonstration sounds good, maybe tour through the barn or by the pasture and stop and talk about horse care in general, but I wouldn't do touching/grooming, and definitely not any riding. That's a whole 'nother can of liability worms there. Even if you have or get some sort of blanket coverage through your homeowner's insurance, it is not going to cover equine events. You would have to get specialized insurance for those kinds of activities, and it is quite expensive.

There are plenty of kids that are from "transplant" families that might live in semi-rural areas but really have no idea what rural/farm life is about. I think this could be a wonderful way to show them a bit of real farm life! I think that you would get good interest from your local homeschooling families.

 

[ChickNLittle]

I agree about the waiver. What we were going to do was have the teachers give out a permission slip to be signed and notarized by the parents.

 

[Crunchie]

Quote:
"Homeschoolers" describes a really broad spectrum of people...I don't think you can peg such a diverse group as "not the type" of anything!

I'll admit that I am more paranoid than I should be about some things, and while I'd like to be more trusting of people, the sad fact is you can't always be so relaxed about these things.

 

[GwenFarms]

Lois,
This is getting a little OT, but Crunchie brought up something I've never thought of much before. When you said "us homeschoolers" I was right there with you, but Crunchie got me to thinking. Those of us that have been doing this for 12, or 15 yrs starting homeschooling with a philosophy of life and learning, but I'd say we're only 50 % of the homeschooling population now. These days everyday we have more and more homeschoolers joining our ranks out of frustration, or fear, of the public school system. The surge began with Columbine, but has continues as parents become more disatisfied with the school system in general.

So we do have to take into consideration that some of the folks that have joined our ranks do have a different outlook on things. Of course, there are still plenty of us "it doesn't matter how dirty you get as long as your learning" parents out there!

 

[RobinEgg]

As a homeschooling parent I agree this would be a great learning experience, I also agree that accidents can happen and it's always better to be prepared than to be left wishing that you were.

 

[Robin'sBrood]

If you do this, we'll come all the way from NC to attend!

 

[Chirpy]

I totally agree that it is a fantastic idea.

Our Home School group has approximately 130 families. We have things to do, places to go, people to see stuff happening every month of the year. There are always field trips available (TV stations, chocolate/candy makers/farms/etc.) and we all pick and chose the ones we want to attend.

Definitely offer this wonderful opportunity and let those who want to participate. I believe many Home Schoolers will want to be involved in what you are offering. Especially, as mentioned, if you can bring in some other animals to give even more education to the kids.

We went to a farm day where they let the kids make their own butter by shaking the glass jar until the cream turned. They had pieces of tin and the kids got to use nails and a small hammer to make a piece of artwork to take home. (All this with adult supervision, of course.) They even had old fashioned wood stilts that we had a blast trying to walk on.

Although our group has never signed waivers I absolutely see the importance of that in this day and age.

Good luck and let us know what you decide to do.