Our First Homeschool Field Trip

Yesterday we took our first official homeschool field trip to Imagination Station Kid’s History and Science Museum in Wilson, NC. I purchased a Groupon that gave our whole family admission to the museum for just $7. Joe is on vacation this week and Wilson, NC is only about a 45 minute drive from our house so I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to schedule our field trip. We didn’t send Noah to school since I wasn’t sure what time we’d return, plus I figured he have a lot of fun at the museum.

I hadn’t heard much about Imagination Station before I purchased the Groupon so I really didn’t know what to expect… but it was different than what I was expecting. There were 2 floors of activities and exhibits for kids. The first floor consisted primarily of hands-on activities. There were a lot of large exhibits that looked “vintage” and taught children basic science principles, a few newer looking pieces and a small section about sharks. Upstairs was a section with about 15 tanks containing turtles, snakes and lizards. There was also a small room with hands on learning activities for preschoolers. (Apparently the 3rd floor was closed for renovations)

The boys enjoyed exploring the museum but it didn’t take nearly as long as I was expecting. We stayed about an hour and a half.

However, the real adventure started as we were heading home. Just a few minutes in the car, still in Wilson, we suddenly got a flat tire. Like FLAT. I’m assuming we ran over something because the tire was completely obliterated in no time.

 

We pulled over in the Wilson Hospital parking lot so Joe could change the tire, thankfully there was a playground just a short walk across the parking lot.

Joe tried to change the tire which had pieces of metal sticking out but the spare tire was also flat. So we called a few people and finally got Firestone Roadside Assistance to sent a tow truck. We were literally half a mile from a Firestone but had no way to get our car there. A family friend that lives in town was able to come pick up the kids and I so we could all wait at the Firestone together.

By the time we finally got the car to the Firestone it was almost 2pm. The kids hadn’t eaten lunch and were way overdue for naps but thankfully they were all well behaved and patient. (Luckily, I had a few snacks in my bag… always be prepared!)

While they installed our new tire we walked down the street to eat lunch at Bojangles. By the time we were done with lunch the car was ready and we finally headed home almost 4 hours later than we planned.

We’d planned on having a little adventure but the day turned out nothing like we expected. However, I can’t complain too much. Although we spent a little (a lot) more money than expected we still had a fun day navigating the crazy adventure life threw at us. I am extremely grateful that Joe was with us otherwise this pregnant mama would have been in tears.

I just hope our future homeschool field trips turn out a little less chaotic.

We ended our evening by putting the boys to bed early and relaxing by the fireplace.