Last week we discussed how I brainstorm ideas for our Adventure Friday outings. Once you have a list of places that look interesting how do you go about making a decision where to go. I currently have a list of 140 places I could chose from just in Florida for the month of December. Today as I begin planning our day trips for next month, I thought it would be a good time to share my guidelines to planning for Adventure Fridays. When planning I need to take three things into account: budget, time, and schedule.
Budget
Our family budget is the first thing I consult when planning for Adventure Fridays. Does that surprise you? I have to take into account what we have allotted for gas, as well as entrance fees or other recreation cost. For one example Anclote Key State Park is very close to us so very little gas cost, and entrance to the park is free. While it would be a little cold for snorkling, winter is a prime time for shelling on the island, so it wouldn't be a bad destination. However, the only way to get to the island is by ferry. The absolute cheapest ferry ride for 6 people would give us 3 hours on the island costing $400, that isn't in the budget now so that's definitely not a destination that will make it on the sort list this month.
Right now, with Gary out of work, we are looking to spend the least amount possible for our Adventure Fridays, that's one reason that a picnic lunch at a State Forest is such a good deal. While entrance is only $2 a carload for the state forest, we have the annual pass, so we can go for free for this entire school year. At least one or two of our destinations then will be state forest in order to allow us to do one or two other more expensive day trips.
Time
The next thing I take into consideration is the time investment in a trip. National and State Parks for example have so much to see that it really requires all day to really take advantage of all that they offer. Other destinations might be at such a distance that it requires a full day to go, see the sights, and come home again. So for another example, I obviously don't have the time to invest in a trip down to the Keys next month, I can eliminate some other great destinations from the list of possibilities this month.
One way I do narrow our list though is to consider options on each day that we are planning an outing. The Friday that we are considering driving up to Alabama, we would like to break up the trip around halfway. There are several options but the best appears to be stopping at Lake Talquin State Forest and State Park. It is right off of I-10 and is one of the shortest trails on our list. It would give us the chance to get out and stretch our legs, enjoy a picnic lunch, see a different sort of forest than we have in this area of the state, and then get back on our way. It shouldn't add more than an hour or hour and a half to our overall trip, so it's a good investment of our time, and will also let us have an Adventure Friday when we otherwise might have to skip.
Schedule
The final thing I have to consider when planning for Adventure Fridays is our overall schedule for the week or two surrounding it. This is a really important step that in the past I've occasionally overlooked. As a homeschool mom, it is really easy to let the good get in the way of the great, and become overscheduled outside of the home. I've learned through trial and error that for our schooling to go smoothly (which is my first priority in this season of life) that I don't need more than two days outside the house. Sundays we go to Church, so that's one day right there. Adventure Fridays make two. Occasionally I stretch a week to allow us to head out of the house a third day of the week, maybe we have doctors appointments or co-op, maybe we have a set field trip or need to catch up with a friend, maybe we just need to spend just a day in town catching up on errands; but, that third day can't be the norm, otherwise we feel over extended and schooling suffers. Every family is different, so I can't tell you what your schedule should look like, but you should invest some time into figuring this out for your family.
For me this means if I have a week where I am going to be out of the house for an out of the ordinary outing for a third day in the week, such as the first week of December, I want a close by, low key visit nearby for Adventure Friday. I also don't want more than one trip a month to be a big production, such as a long drive to an all day state park destination. I struggle with my energy levels due to Hashimoto's disease, so I need more time to recoup from such trips. Other weeks, such as when we are in Alabama we won't be doing school, it'll be more relaxed the days we are home with Mother and Daddy so it might work out to make a big deal out of Adventure Friday. Perhaps they might even enjoy going with us somewhere, if I can pick out a good option, and then us eat supper out together. It's all about creating balance over the course of the month.
In Conclusion
To summarize you want to consider your family budget, your time allowance, and the overall schedule when planning for Adventure Fridays. This will set you up for success when making plans whether that's for field trips, day trips, even vacations. I hope you use some of my tips and tricks to get out there and do something fun with your family soon.
Commenti