If we communicate anything on this blog, we want it to be that kids are always learning as long as you give them opportunities to do so, and it doesn’t need to be complicated! Recently we went on a trip to Iowa and Illinois to visit family and were amazed at how many new things T was exposed to and learned about while we were in a place some may not consider particularly exciting. We really didn’t go through any special effort to make this a “field trip”, but it definitely became an age-appropriate learning experience nonetheless!

Not-so-Everyday Sights

Where we live, there are no water towers (thanks, mountains!) and we don’t see a lot of large-scale agriculture, so something as simple as pointing out all the water towers we passed became a fun game for T. He had so many questions to ask about what they were and how they worked. He loved seeing all the big farm equipment too – proof that all the books he loves are talking about real vehicles! We also had the opportunity to see a bunch of (adorable) windmills, another cool thing he’d never seen before. 

Helping in the garden

One of T’s favorite things about this trip was helping out in our family’s abundant garden. It was time to do autumn chores, so he got to help plant some fall seeds, put yard waste in the compost bin, and harvest sunflower seeds from the giant flowers! He likes to work in our little garden at home, but these were new and exciting tasks he had never done before! He didn’t want to come in when the work was done. 

Nauvoo, Illinois

We took a day trip to Nauvoo, Illinois to see some historical sites significant to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the pioneers who lived there. On the drive there, T got to see his first swing bridge (in action!) and watch a tug boat pass it. There were so many cool activities to do in Nauvoo, and they were all free! In our short time there, we and the kids learned how the pioneers made rope, candles, bricks, barrels, and textiles, and we got to participate in making some of them too! We also rode in a wagon pulled by oxen (which we learned are actually just well-trained cows), visited some grave sites, and barely scratched the surface of all there is to see and do there. We spent a little bit of time inside the Nauvoo Temple and told T about how this was one of the first temples built. Then we headed to Carthage to see Carthage Jail, the place where Joseph Smith (the first president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) was martyred. While our littles couldn’t really appreciate the significance of these locations yet, doing some hands-on activities was great for them. T is still too young to understand why this particular temple is so special, but we could still use the opportunity to let him see our love for temples and help him see that people worship in temples all around the world, not just where we live. This was something we talked about on our recent trip to Thailand as well!

Always Learning

At only 3 and 1, our kids can only digest so much information, so we didn’t feel it was necessary to do much preparation or lecturing. We loved watching them discover and try new things and just see more of the world! They pick up bits of knowledge and experience everywhere they go. Keep doing fun things and keep talking to them, and you’ll be surprised how much they are learning!