The Wilderness Center, Stark County

In early February, we spent a day at The Wilderness Center in Wilmot. We enjoyed 2 programs about animals.
The staff were wonderful to deal with and had no problem switching our program choice when the weather decided to get so cold that even I didn't want to walk around outside.

Our first program taught us about the animals who are native to Ohio. We learned about their living habits, habitats, food choices, etc. This was a hands-on program with numerous real animal examples to pass around to the students. Most of the exhibits were birds who had come to some unfortunate end (one had a tag that said it flew into a window), but there were also a handful of animal pelts and skeletons and a couple of turtle shells. I've never felt a skunk before, but it was much softer than you might think.
Even my 3 year old held quite a few of the objects, studying them a little, but mostly just enjoying being a part of the group.

After this program, we had a nice lunch and spent a few free minutes in their observation room. We watched a large group of deer taking advantage of the bird feeders outside the observation window. Skittish, they were, but definitely bold as well, spending much time near the building.
The building is really nice, by the way.



Our second program was called "For Goodness, Snakes!" and was, obviously, all about snakes, but especially those who reside in Ohio. We learned how to spot a poisonous snake, why you should respect and avoid all snakes, and many more fun facts. We also learned that a child can "keep" a live wild animal specimen as a pet for a certain period of time, but an adult must release any animal captured within 30 days. This allows for personal study but also gives the animal the best chances for surviving again after release.
This program came with more hands-on experiences as we all felt a snakeskin, but this time, it was on a living specimen - a real, live brown snake who resides at the Wilderness Center. The kids just loved it (as did I. I'm a snake-lover from way back). There was also an easy experiment to do with the children about learning how snakes hear by using a tuning fork.

I loved our program guide. She obviously loves kids and animals and is a wonderful teacher. She was very patient with our children, especially with their eager questions.

For info on your own program, check out their site at The Wilderness Center. They do have a minimum group size, but it's easy to reach. They will do age-specific classes as needed, and are willing to work with your group. I have been consistently pleased with their staff.

WFMJ-TV in Youngstown

A fun tour led by a friendly lady in Youngstown! We have had a few groups tour the studios at WFMJ-TV in Youngstown during January and February. The guide is a fun, vibrant personality, who loves giving tours, especially to kids.
Here are some of the comments I received from families who attended:

"Hey the field trip (WFMJ) was great! My kids said it was Ken and Barbie
doing the news. And then, we were able to watch their 11:00 news
on a small set that for some reason gets weird stations. It came in
clearer than our Cleveland stations." (a Cleveland parent)

"We had a great time. Madonna was a riot and a great guide."

"We had a great time on the WFMJ tour. Madonna Pinkard was a wonderful
hostess, I truly enjoyed her enthusiasm. We were both surprised to
learn that our family was the only local family attending
today, and that some made the trip from Cleveland and Akron for this
trip." (a Youngstown-area parent)

The tour is free, which is great, and is recommended for children age 7 and up. A live studio broadcast was included, along with the behind the scenes tour.
You can contact Madonna Pinkard, public relations director, at (330) 747-7982 to schedule a tour for your group.

Schwebel Baking Company, Cuyahoga Falls

Our group was treated to 2 wonderful tours at the Schwebel Baking Company in Cuyahoga Falls, Summit County, in January.
Again, another parent sent me her comments about the tour, and I'd like to share them with you.
Thanks, Laura!

"Oh those smells!!! Today we toured the Schwebels bread factory in Cuyahoga Falls. You could smell the fresh bread from the parking lot. The tour started with a short film on the great family history of the Schwebel family.
The tour guide then took us through the factory from dry ingredients to bagged bread. It was loud and aromatic. I really wanted to put my hands in the huge vats of dough. The tour ended with everyone receiving a fresh loaf of wonderful bread."

The tour is only recommended for children of school age and older, so under 6 years is not allowed. They also have strict rules about jewelry and items not allowed on the tour.
Be sure to get this information when scheduling your tour.
You can schedule your tour by calling (330) 929-9507. The tour is free, including the loaf of bread at the end.

Football Hall of Fame, Canton

In January, we had a group of students and parents spend a day learning about professional football, and specifically, the many ties to our NE Ohio area at the Professional Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Stark County.
One parent was kind enough to share her experience with me, so I'm sharing it here with you.
Thanks, Ileen!

"The field trip was great! The tour started with a speaker taking the group
to a meeting room & discussing the history of the football helmet. We
watched a short football "bloopers" video, that had everyone laughing. The
speaker also gave us several details about the Pro Football Hall of Fame,
historical facts & interesting statistics. He also had interactive
questions to get the students involved. This took up at least the 30 to 45
minutes, which was great. Then the students were given "The Investigative
Reporter", field trip questionnaires, to fill out. We had a great time
searching for the fun facts in the museum. The questionnaire included a map of the museum
to help us find our facts.
The boys had a blast & so did I! We would enjoy
going there anytime. We left the museum around 3:30 pm & probably could
have stayed longer, but we had other places to go."

If you are interested in scheduling your own fun field trip at the Hall of Fame, you can find
info on their website at Pro Football HOF.

Giant Eagle - Amherst

A small group of field trippers had a treat at their local Giant Eagle store last December, and one of the moms was gracious enough to share her thoughts about the field trip. Thanks, Lynda!

"Just thought I'd let you know about our tour. Our "guide" Pat, Mrs. B. was
excellent. We had a small group, however, we had 3 younger (5-7yo) and 4 older kids (11-14).
The woman did a great job including all the kids in the information. Even the
moms thought it was a great field trip.

The children got "treats" that went
along with the different departments and food groups. We sampled celery,
apples, and a star fruit; a multi grain European bread that was yummy, fresh
from the bakery and was warm :) and a sample of shaved turkey lunchmeat and
American cheese. And at the end, we got a cookie and each child received a
goody bag. Oh yeah, they even were able to touch a live lobster! The
children enjoyed going behind the scenes in the Bakery, Meat department, and
the back room where the deliveries are unloaded and we even got to walk in
the various large freezers.
We were pleased with the amount of information and "freebies". I would
strongly suggest this fieldtrip."

For more information about scheduling a field trip at a Giant Eagle near you, check out Field Trip Factory.

Equine Specialty Hospital

Had a wonderful tour, or rather, two tours at the Equine Specialty Hospital in Burton in Geauga County. I was able to join both of our tour groups for successive tours this time, which made it even more interesting for me.
The Equine Specialty Hospital is generally a referral facility, which means that most of their patients were referred by veterinarians who weren't able to treat the animal or felt that the hospital was the best place for treatment. This means that they have some of the most cutting edge technology in equine medicine today. Each tour I took was slightly different because the guides were different, so we were able to experience almost every aspect of the hospital.

The first thing you might notice when you arrive may be the underlying aroma of horse and the bodily fluids associated with an ill or injured horse. The facility is not grand, but practical. From outside, it seems small and has a quaint tudor style. Inside, every inch of space is used for the animals, treatment, etc. We were taught in the hallway about radiation diagnosis and other technologies with photos to view of some former patients and their treatments. I've never seen a horse completely upside-down before. We visited the ICU stalls, the CT scan room, the radiation room, where we saw the overhead track and pulley which lifts the patients onto x-ray tables, the CT scan, operating tables, etc. We also went through the pre-op room and the lab, where the children found out why they don't put any food in that particular refrigerator.
We all had many questions and the staff was very gracious about answering every one. I learned more than I ever thought I would about equine medicine.

What an interesting place to visit! We saw some amazing animals, and I am so glad that there is a facility like this to save the lives of these horses. If you're interested in scheduling your own tour, you can find contact info on their website at www.equinespecialtyhospital.com. Younger children will be bored with all the talk and medical mumbo jumbo. This is a "hands-off" tour for the most part because of all the medical equipment around. Especially great for your upper elementary or older student who is interested in horses or medicine.

Ramseyer Farms - Wooster

A blustery day by any standards greeted us for our field trip to Ramseyer Farms in Wooster this day. I was not discouraged. Actually, I've found that wind and rain often accompany my girls and I on some of our best days out.
Ramseyer Farms has the best harvest and maze tours of any farm, orchard or similar facility I have ever visited. I had such a wonderful time. I can't wait to go back next fall.

This visit had been rescheduled from a much rainier day earlier in October, and this day we visited was ultimately, the last day of the season which we could visit, because they finish all of their harvesting activities in October.
We began with the Harvest tour, which is recommended for the lower elementary grades. Many of the older children, though, still enjoyed it. First, we were shown the play area, which contains a number of box mazes, a corn slide, animals to feed, a giant pumpkin house and numerous things to play with, even a few for our older students. After a short time here, we were given an informative talk on the crops grown at Ramseyer, especially corn, potatoes and pumpkins. The children were given a lot of information and answered questions themselves before we all had a taste of homemade potato chips. Yummy!

Next, we climbed aboard a tractor-drawn wagon to pick pumpkins and potatoes in the field. Bags had been recommended for carrying the "goodies" and were especially useful since the pumpkins and potatoes were muddy. Even my 3 year old enjoyed traipsing through the field to find just the right pumpkin. Our nice tractor ride dropped us off at the beginning again, and those of us who were taking the Ohio Maze tour took a brief moment to eat lunch before we braved the now constant rain.

The Ohio Maze is a giant corn maze in the shape of Ohio with actual highways and other landmarks and paths carved into it. There are many points of information along the way. Designed for students in gr. 4 and up, there is a lot for you to do here. It is a self-guided tour as you walk the paths looking for answers to the questions on your handout. Stamps to find to finish the code, cities to discover and record info, bodies of water, bordering states, the list goes on. We found more than half of our information before deciding to head back because of the rain. As it turns out, everyone else in our group had turned back even sooner. Still, even with the rain, it was completely worth while. Definitely, a situation for good, thick-soled boots with big lugs.

We had such a nice day. Although this won't matter to many people, I was pleased by the lack of Halloween paraphernalia/decorations. I didn't see anything but harvest decor all around.
I have been to numerous farms/orchards/etc. in the fall and not one can stand up to the program at Ramseyer. The staff was friendly and cheerful, the farm was beautiful and the price was reasonable. It's no wonder this is such a popular farm in the fall. Worth a long drive, too.