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Top 5 Unique Places To Visit In LA

Posted on February 19, 2014 | Filed Under: Field trips in Los Angeles, Museums, Zoo | 4 Comments

Boredom. That word doesn’t exist in Southern California. And if it does, you aren’t looking in the right places!

In Los Angeles and the surrounding areas alone, we have are over 220 unique and exciting places we can visit on any given day of the week.

So now, what’s your excuse for boredom? Go. Get out there and explore the world around you, at least in the Los Angeles that is!

TOP 5 UNIQUE PLACES TO VISIT IN LA:

1. Grandma Prisbrey’s Bottle Village

Grandma Prisbrey’s Bottle Village located in Simi Valley, is a fanciful wonderland crafted from castoff materials. Appealing to all age groups and admired by art scholars across the world, Bottle Village is a one-third acre site covered with an assemblage of shrines, wishing wells, mosaic walks, structures and follies constructed primarily from discarded glass bottles. Their next public tour is on March 8 @ 10am for a small cost. Advance reservations are required. http://bottlevillage.com/

2. The Old Zoo in LA

The Old Zoo in LA is tucked away in a Griffith Park dell lie the oxidized remnants of what served as the city’s official zoo from 1912 to 1966. The faux-rock outcropping of the big game exhibit is the most striking vestige, but the cramped iron cages, some with ivy creeping through, will haunt you. At the end of Griffith Park Drive, walk through the picnic area and up the wide path to the Old Zoo picnic grounds. FREE. http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-old-zoo-griffith-park-los-angeles-2

3. Flight Path Museum @ LAX

As the daughter of a retired American Airlines captain, The Flight Path Museum holds a special place in my heart. The museum’s main gallery includes models, photographs, uniforms and other artifacts highlighting the role of airlines, aircraft manufacturers, aerospace companies, and the airport in the history of Southern California. Many items are from private collections, never before on public display. The museum hosts excellent school tours, including a K-9 dog demonstration which our homeschool group liked the best. Admission is FREE. http://www.flightpath.us/

4. Angels Attic Dollhouse Museum

There is something universally magical and fascinating about dollhouses and miniatures. They are an art form and have captivated young and old from the beginning of recorded history. Right here in LA, you can visit one of the world’s largest collections of dollhouses and miniatures at The Angels Attic Dollhouse Museum in Santa Monica. They are open Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 12:00 – 4:00 pm. Closed all major holidays. Admission is Adults – $8.00, Children Under 12 – $5.00, Seniors – $7.00. http://www.angelsattic.com/

5. Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Museum

This little gem is in the middle of The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Academy in Whittier. There is a lot of history dating back to the 1800’s. If you have the time, and it will only take 15 minutes or so, give this little spot a whirl. Admission is FREE. http://www.yelp.com/biz/los-angeles-county-sheriffs-museum-whittier

And as an added BONUS, just for our readers:

St. Vincent Medical Center

St. Vincent Medical Center is Los Angeles’ first hospital. View historical documentation, artifacts & photos of the 1863 smallpox epidemic at the on-site conservancy. You can set up a visit Monday – Friday by appointment only by calling 213-484-7940. Admission is FREE.

For a complete list of over 200+ places to visit in Los Angeles, check out SoCal Field Trip’s LA Pinterest board at http://www.pinterest.com/socalfieldtrips/los-angeles-area-field-trip-ideas/. While you there, sign up to follow all of our field trip boards. We are adding new places to visit and explore all the time!

Happy Field Tripping,

Jilleen

SoCal Field Trips

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INFORMATIVE POST: How to deal with a grumpy docent or tour guide!

Posted on February 19, 2014 | Filed Under: Uncategorized | 5 Comments

But what if you have a grumpy tour guide? You know the kind. The tour guide that says “if you don’t keep your children in line, I am going to shorten the tour. Or better yet, just cancel it.” And this is supposed to be the tour guide that enjoys working with children. Umm, what?

So how do you deal with a grumpy tour guide?

I believe rather than trying to fix the tour guide, we should focus instead on teaching our children how to respect them. If we do this, then our tour guide will more likely have a positive attitude toward us.

TOP FIVE TIPS ON HOW TO CREATE A HAPPY TOUR GUIDE:

1. SHOW UP ON TIME

If the venue says your tour starts at 10 am, then arrive at least twenty minutes beforehand to get all your students and chaperones checked in. When I lead a field trip, I always do this and it works wonders in getting everyone there on time. Docents like it when groups arrive on time.

2. START ON TIME

Docents are volunteers and freely give of their time during the week to lead tours. Please respect their time and start on time. When I plan a field trip, I always include in the description of the tour that we will start right on time. If someone is late, they are not able to join the tour except on rare occasions. Venues do not like latecomers. Some venues will even CANCEL a tour if the tour group is late. Start on time and the docent will be a happy camper, guaranteed.

3. ASK THE VENUE AHEAD OF TIME ABOUT THEIR “NO TOUCHING” POLICY

Yes, it will happen no matter how hard you try to prevent it. At least one student in your group will touch an object that they are not supposed to. This happened to me personally when I was 8 years old while on a tour of Hearst Castle. No matter how many times my mom told me not to touch stuff, I couldn’t help it. I leaned up against a statue and our tour guide immediately shot me a dirty look and said “Please, young lady, don’t touch the statues.” Oh, the shame I felt after that incident. But boy did it teach me a valuable lesson. Respect the docents! Research the venue’s rules ahead of time and explain it to your students. You can’t save them all, but at least the majority of your students will respect the rules.

4. TAKE BREAKS WHEN NECESSARY

Last year, I went on a field trip with my son’s kindergarten class to a local park for a Thanksgiving feast. The kids did a great job. However, after spending four hours at the park prepping and cooking a community meal, making crafts for seniors and playing games, the kids were spent. Several of them were so tired that they cried all the way home. So pace yourself when planning a field trip. Allow for breaks, bathroom stops, snack time, etc. A well-rested group leads to a much happier docent. I promise.

5. SEND A THANK YOU NOTE AND PICTURE OF YOUR GROUP WHEN YOU GET HOME

Saying thank you goes a long way. Sending a thank you note and picture of your tour group goes even further! Venues love pictures of happy students. So much so, that they typically put them on display. Just yesterday, I had a docent who has lead tours for over 20 years, ask me if she could put our picture in the airport lobby. Pictures serve as great memories and help venues attract future groups.

So imagine now, if you were a grumpy docent and had to work amongst pictures of happy people all day. Do you think your attitude would change? I do, most definitely for the better.

In all honesty, we do not have the power to change anyone’s attitude. However, we do have the ability to be a positive influence on them. Therefore, if you show up and start on time, understand the venue’s rules, take breaks when necessary and send a thank you, it’s good for everyone. Including the new happy docent!

Happy Field Tripping,

Jilleen

SoCal Field Trips

https://www.socalfieldtrips.com

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MUSEUM REVIEW: The Western Museum of Flight in Torrance (real airplanes you can sit in!)

Posted on February 6, 2014 | Filed Under: Field trips in Los Angeles, Museums | 4 Comments

Last week, my family and I had the opportunity to visit a little golden nugget in the city of Torrance called The Western Museum of Flight.

The Western Museum of Flight is a non-profit, educational institution dedicated to preserving and displaying aircraft history and artifacts of Southern California’s aviation heritage. The Air Museum’s educational programs give children an opportunity to see and touch the airplanes that made aviation history and take an inside look at completed and in-progress aircraft restoration projects. The Western Museum of Flight’s collection includes numerous Warbirds, aircraft and target drones, piston and jet aircraft engines, aircraft components, aircraft ejection seats, World War II instruments, aircrew accessories, and an extensive model aircraft collection.

I led a field trip of 30 homeschoolers to the museum to learn about the world of aviation and to have a chance to get up close and personal with the airplanes.

Not only did we get to see a variety of airplanes, but we got to sit in them too! This was the highlight of our visit.

My personal favorite artifact at the museum was the model pilot. He looked so cute in his World War II uniform!

It took us approximately an hour and fifteen minutes to tour the museum. And for our size group, we had five very informative docents. You could tell simply by the stories they told!

The Western Museum of Flight costs $5.00 per person (12 and up). Child 11 and younger are free.

So if you have an airplane fanatic in your house or plan to learn about aviation anytime soon, this is the place to go.

Real airplanes you can sit in…it can’t get any better than that!

To learn more about The Western Museum of Flight, please visit http://www.wmof.com/index.html

Happy Field Tripping,

Jilleen

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