I used to love going on class field trips, when I was in school. I had no idea, though, all of the pre-planning and preparation that went into it before the permission slip was even sent home for my mother’s signature.
As a home educator, the organization and planning of field trips is now my responsibility. Just to take this crew to the lake for a couple of hours, takes nearly 30 minutes to pack and then another half hour to unpack. Beach towels, life jackets, sunscreen, water bottles, volleyball, frisbee, snack, shovels, pails, sifter, blanket or chairs, etc. This is for swimming only; if there is any hiking or fishing planned, well… you can imagine. A day at the zoo… wow!
* Smithsonian National Zoo, Washington, D.C.
My children and I recently visited the Blue Creek Rainforest Reserve of Belize, Central America; Cloud Lake bog in Algonquin Park, Ontario, Canada and five deserts in the southwestern, USA.
I didn’t pack a thing! No bug spray, because there were no mosquitoes. No sunscreen, because there was no overbearing sun or drenching humidity. No umbrella; no rain. No water bottles, because we didn’t get thirsty. No leeches or waterbugs to contend with; yet, we observed them up close and we watched a jaguar, without fear of being pounced upon!
*Blue Creek Rainforest Reserve
Thanks to Digital Frog International, and their Digital Field Trips on DVD, we were able to explore 3 eco-systems from the comfort and ease of our home. Scientifically sound, virtual reality field trips to the rainforest, the wetlands, and the desert.
We walked the forest floor, climbed trees and sat atop the canopy. We waded through swamps and suffocating mud. We crossed the arid lands of the Sonoran Desert, the Painted Desert and Cattail Falls oasis in Big Bend National Park; the Black Rock Desert and even Death Valley. On our way, we learned about the organisms; plants and animals that inhabit each eco-system.
While in the rainforest we participated in an in depth exploration of botany, in the wetlands the in depth exploration was of photosynthesis, and in the desert, homeostasis and adaptations.
Digital Field Trips is science at it’s best!
- interactive software
- animation
- graphics
- illustrations
- stunning photographs
- videos
- detailed text
- narration
- integrated dictionary
- 360^ panoramas
- zoom
- ambient sound
- diagrams
- games
- worksheets
Home licensing for each, single disc is $60; the set of 3 is $125. School licensing is available. Visit the Digital Frog Shop online for products and pricing.
Try before you buy – download a free limited version at http://www.digitalfrog.com/club/demo_download.html
Call ~ 1-800-621-3764 (international)
1-(519)-766-1097 (local)
Fax ~ 1-(519)-767-9994
Each of my children found these field trips fascinating. My elementary age and pre-reader needed some assistance to navigate the terrain, but my middle school through high school found the trek easy, but fully engaging.
I have no doubt, we will travel with Digital Frog International, time and again.
They also have The Digital Frog 2.5, virtual frog dissection, anatomy & ecology and Science Matrix: Cell Structure & Function.
Many of my crew mates, from The Old Schoolhouse (R) Magazine Homeschool Review Crew, reviewed the 3 disc set, Digital Field Trips. Click below to read their reviews.
This product was given to me, free of charge, in exchange, for my honest review, as a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew. I receive no other compensation for my reviews on this blog. The opinions expressed are my own.
Blessings,
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