AAA Discount: The Butterfly Place

The Butterfly Place is rather self defining. If you want to go to a place and see the amazing world of butterflies Westford, Massachusetts is a good place to head for adults and children. You can find more information here.

Some things to consider when visiting, they keep the temperature quite high for the butterflies so expect to be warm. If it is cold outside, wear layers that can be removed. The gardens aren't huge, so if you want to avoid crowds off peak times are best for visits as the gardens can fill quickly. You might want to talk to the kids about butterflies landing on them if this might be an issue for them. It is most likely to happen to them.

This is a fairly low tech chance to experience nature. It is not a hands on experience like the Children's Discovery Museum, it is a chance to observe a wide variety of butterflies in a garden environment with a few additional exhibits. However, the main experience is watching and looking for butterflies. The people who leave disappointed often don't seem to have researched the venue before visiting. While this is an indoor garden, if your kids like to be outside and learn about nature they will likely enjoy the experience. If they get bored without lots of activities to do then this might not be the venue for your outing. You know your kids.

This has long been a favorite destination on DH's side of the family. While it may feel like Spring let alone summer may never arrive, I like to start looking at places where we might be able to bring together what is a rather large extended family for different kinds of activities that are active and fun. I also like to find ways to save money while at it. Using my AAA membership benefits is one way to do that.

In order to get your AAA discount you do need to order the tickets online here. The discount is a flat rate discount of $7.99 per ticket. Adult regular admission is $13, Seniors $11, and Children $9. There is a processing fee which as of this writing was $.99 per ticket. That pretty much washes out the savings on a child's ticket, but it might just be easier to have all the tickets preordered, that's a decision for each person to make. Just to be clear though this is not a show your card discount, this is a preorder discount where you have to get your tickets through AAA to get the discount.

For those of you who aren't AAA members or would prefer not to preorder your tickets, The Butterfly Place lists the other discounts they offer here.

Fairy Tale Mix Ups: Red Riding Hood Meets the Three Bears

Charlotte Guillain explores the idea of what happens when encounters with the Big Bad Wolf causes Goldilocks and Little Red Riding Hood not to follow their traditional story paths in her book Red Riding Hood Meets the Three Bears (Fairy Tale Mix-ups). This book ponders what might have happened if Red Riding Hood arrived at the Three Bears house mistaking it for her grandmother's house. Being a regular guest in someone else's home will she perhaps react differently to the bear's home than Goldilocks?

It is a bit disturbing that the wolf decides to head out after Goldilocks instead of Red Riding Hood and we are left wondering what happens to Goldilocks. Goldilocks is pretty tough, she destroyed the bear's home and walked away clean. So perhaps the wolf will wish he'd stuck with the original plan and gone after Red Riding Hood. If she ends up at Grandmas will Grandma be able to teach Goldilocks proper manners and behavior for visiting strangers?

This is a fairly simple story, but it actually can start some interesting conversations like the one above about what happened to Goldilocks. The author doesn't tell us, but it is a way to get students thinking about what the author doesn't tell us. The author doesn't tell us why Red Riding Hood behaves so differently than Goldilocks but it doesn't stop us from discussing why they acted so differently. Do you think there will be problems between the Three Bears and the Big Bad Wold in the future now that the Bear Family and Red Riding Hood have become friends?

The Thrifty Guide to the American Revolution

What can be better than a book that makes children and adults laugh and provides accurate historical information? I stumbled across the Thrifty Guide to History series and decided to preview The Thrifty Guide to the American Revolution (The Thrifty Guides) as it fit a theme of books I've been searching for this past month.

The premise of the series is that in 2164 Time Corps is a vacation travel company that allows travelers to enjoy historic vacations without distorting the timeline because they come behind you to clean up. The reason we know about the Thrifty Guides is a time traveler carelessly lost several volumes and a New York publishing house decided to publish them without the permission of Time Corps. Now you too can discover the amazing Time Travel packages put together for you by Time Corps.

The Book has ten chapters with an Introduction on the basics of time travel. The chapters are titled the Boston Tea Party, The Battles of Lexington and Concord, The Siege of Boston, The Declaration of Independence, The Battle Of Brooklyn, The Crisis, Payback Time, The Battle of Cowpens, and Victory.

The book has helpful hints for surviving your trip and another feature for people to have lunch with and I liked the variety in that section. While some were major historical figures there were a variety of lesser known people introduced that generally get ignored in most books. There is also a section of historical pranks which I know will engage some and not others. The book clearly states all historical inaccuracies are cleared up by the Time Patrol. Don't skip the footnotes, these are not your typical dry entries but many are humorous commentaries from the Time Patrol.

There is something about the pace and descriptions that keep even the dryer material moving. I've always found Henry Knox's journey to be a fascinating one, but it the material written for kids can be dry and dull. This book manages to keep the pace moving while demonstrating what an amazing job Knox with a rather challenging job.

The writer never forgets the reader is on a vacation and reminds one of the dangers one will be facing as the next event begins. At the beginning of the section on Bunker Hill the writer gives a pep talk to the traveler on prepping for the battle as if one is going to be present to live through it.

I like history series that are fun, but they have to have historical value. Getting the facts right matters because many kids will read and remember more from the fun things they read than from any textbook on the subject. Along with being a fun read this is a good general introduction to the American Revolution. It isn't going to give your child everything, but because it engages, they will likely remember more than they may with other more traditional books on the topic.

Home School Days at Sturbridge Village

Well I clearly came late to this party, but it still seemed worth posting about since if I missed it others might not have heard either. I try to pass these events along to family that homeschool and I post them so others can enjoy as well.

Old Sturbridge Village has announced their 4 Home School Days for 2018 and I've already missed the first one. However, I will list it as it will remind me to look for next year.

Thursday, April 12, 2018
Wednesday, June 27, 2018
Thursday, September 6, 2018
Thursday, October 11, 2018

While a great resource a day out with the family can be a bit pricey so going on a day dedicated to homeschooling families provides the chance to meet other homeschoolers and it comes at a steep discount.

Children ages 4-17 $10
Homeschooling parents $15 ratio of one adult to one child between the ages of 5-17
Hands on Workshops $5-15 per student

As one can imagine these are popular programs and it is highly suggested if you want a workshop to preregister as they sell out quickly. The registration opens one month in advance of the date.
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For more information check out their website here.