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With summer almost over, many families are looking for opportunities to have fun days out. But knowing exactly what to do can be a bit of a challenge. What you need is a list of ideas of educational days out of different things to try!
Personally, when it comes to taking the kids out, I love a great educational outing! Probably because I’m that geeky, but also because kids LOVE LEARNING! They have so much fun getting to explore and learn new things!
Educational Days Out ARE FUN!
I think a lot of people think ugh… kids don’t want to do educational things! Do fun things! Well, I hate to break it to you but they are one and the same.
Here is a great list of great educational days out for the whole family that will have your kids and you having fun!
Visit The National Park
One of the great things about living in the great US of A is the many beautiful national parks. You can visit Yosemite down in the southwestern corner of the country, or take a trip to the Appalachians if you live closer to the northeast.
National parks are great for the family because there is plenty to learn and explore and nature is beautiful! We all know kids love to be outside. They love to see animals and plants that they don’t get to see every day at home.
Regardless of where you go, you’re bound to have a great time. National parks have a host of facilities, well-marked trails, and places to leave your car as you go out on an adventure. In some areas, you’re free to wild camp overnight, cutting the costs even further.
Go To A Theme Park
I guess you could argue this isn’t super educational, but still great fun for the family!
Everybody loves theme parks, whether it’s a massive international park like Six Flags, or something much smaller and local. Haunted hayrides, rollercoasters, and Ferris wheels can all make for a fun day out for the family.
No matter what your preference, there’s usually something to do at these amusement parks, even if you don’t like the thrills. Most parks have shows that run all day, firework displays, and plenty of places to sit, relax, and have a coffee. What are you waiting for?
Take A Trip To The Science Museum
Chances are there is a science museum of some sort where you live! We have actually have a few in Kansas City! (Check out my post on the Museum of Prairiefire in Kansas City!)
Kids love science museums. Do you have a kid that’s obsessed with dinosaurs? Find a great Dinosaur Museum to let them dig for fossils and learn all of the crazy names that somehow 6-year-olds have no trouble learning.
I love the science museums that allow the kids to explore physical science. Most science museums have interactive displays where kids get to experiment with sound, light, and gravity!
What’s more, parents can benefit too. There’s a lot of information and engaging interactive exhibits in museums which are both interesting and educational.
Visit The Race Track
Motorsports aren’t everybody’s favorite (me). But they can be a lot of fun if you’re stuck for something to do on a Sunday afternoon. This is especially true if you don’t have a dinosaur kid, but a car kid! We all have met that one kid that seems to know more about every car that exists than you know about your own mini-van.
Nascar is one option, but you can also pay a visit to your local banger racing track to see some old-fashioned destruction (always a kid favorite, amirite?).
Kids will get to watch how the races work and see the pit stops in action!
Take A Trip To A Local Farm
I still remember visiting the farm as a kid. I’m pretty sure it was a homeschool thing that my mom did, but I loved it!
Kids love farm animals. Especially city kids. They don’t get to see them often! So it makes the list of great educational days out! There are a lot of farms that do tours and educational “field trips.” I remember going to the farm and seeing my first horse, chasing chickens, and looking at a fertilized chicken egg with a flashlight to see a little life growing inside!
Even though it was super educational, it was so much fun!
Our kids love to learn about different animals and pet the goats!
Go to the Museum
Art museums are another wonderful resource for fun and learning. I have always loved going to the museum. As a little girl, I was one of those “American Girls” readers. I loved learning about other time periods.
Going to the museum allows kids to see how people lived in other times and other cultures. There are so many beautiful and fascinating things to see in a museum.
If your museum is anything like ours, there are interactive children’s exhibits and even children’s classes that you can sign up for! Ours has a really cool dragon class that first tours kids to look at the different types of dragons (Eastern vs. Western). They talk about what the different types of dragons mean in the artwork. After the tour, the kids get to make a dragon using clay using the art that they saw as inspiration!
Go to the Zoo or Petting Zoo
Zoos are a classic educational day out for families! We love going to the zoo!
Children just love animals. There’s no denying it! Taking a trip to the zoo is a great day out! Kids learn so much just by watching, but older kids love to read all of the signs at the exhibits too.
Our zoo has a petting zoo area within it so we get the best of both worlds!
Check out the Family Events at Your Local Library
Libraries are a great resource for families. There is so much available that people don’t even realize! Check your libraries calendars for family and kid events like read-alouds or movie nights.
Our library has a tabletop gaming club for teens as well as a board game night! They also have a “silent disco” for families where everyone wears headphones and listens to different music that they have chosen and dance! How fun!
For little kids, MOST libraries have a read-aloud time. Ours has one on Thursdays for toddler-aged kids and one on Friday for Preschoolers. They read a story and have little activities for the kids.
The wonderful thing about library events and resources is that it’s free! That’s the point of the library to make resources available to the community.
What Are Your Favorite Options for Educational Days Out?
Give us your suggestions! Where do you love to take the kids for great educational days out?
[…] can seem like you spend a lot of money finding fun things to do with your kids. The library on its own is already a pretty great way to spend time as a family. We go at least […]