Say goodbye to school and hello to a summer full of fun and learning!
School’s out, but that doesn’t have to mean an end to learning. There are many opportunities to create fun, educational, and meaningful memories for your children during the summer months. For a little inspiration, we talked to Spring Creek Middle School's principal, Blake Pickett, who makes a point of turning his family’s summer road trips into learning expeditions.
For years, Pickett and his family have been using pit stops on their summer road trips to stretch their legs, take a break, and learn something new. One summer, while traveling to a conference in the tops of the Rocky Mountains, Pickett’s family discovered the John Wesley Powell River History Museum in the town of Green River, Utah. There, they learned all about soldier, scientist, and explorer John Wesley Powell and his impact on river exploration. Pickett’s children were fascinated by the big boats and the challenges that river explorers faced during the 1800’s. (A fun fact: The John Wesley Powell River History Museum is the only museum in the United States solely dedicated to river history.)
Over the years, Pickett’s family has enjoyed visiting historical sites and museums across the country. A few of their more memorable trips include the Dinosaur Tracks Museum in Rock Springs, Wyoming, the battlegrounds of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and Atlanta, Georgia, as well as our nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. Pickett explained, “There are so many opportunities to learn about the history of people, past cultures, and geographical structures as you travel.”
Pickett also stressed that educational opportunities aren’t exclusive to long road trips and vacations. There are many historical places in town or nearby that provide fun learning experiences for children. These include Cove Fort, Cache Valley Historical Farm, the Jacob Hamblin House, the Brigham Young House, the Golden Spike and more--each just a quick drive away. “All of these are just a short stop,” Pickett said, “but they each provide quite an impact on connecting with our past.”
So this summer, make time for educational pit stops on the road trip of learning. “Family vacations, with a little planning, can be a time of enjoyment and also a time to learn about the history of an area and about how man interacts with the environment and with each other,” concluded Pickett. “We can begin to pay the debt that we have with those who came before us.”
Cache County School District wishes you and your family a fun, safe, and educational summer. For more ideas on how to create a summer full of discoveries and imagination for your children, check out our article A Summer of Learning in Cache Valley Family Magazine’s Summer 2018 edition.