Jennifer Lambert

A Sacred Balance

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Ohio Summer Bucket List with Teens

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May 13, 2024 By Jennifer Lambert 24 Comments

My teens are 18, 17, and 14…and we have a list of fun things to do that they’ve asked for or that we planned together, to explore Ohio. My eldest is 23, and can sometimes join us when her work schedule allows and she’s interested.

We’ve been cooped up with quarantines. Last year was college preview camps, job stress, and ongoing personal complications. This summer is our year finally to have some fun.

Akantha will attend ice skating sessions to keep up their skills. They’re looking for a part time job. They’re baking their way through The Bread Baker’s Apprentice.

Tori has aerial arts lessons twice a week. She also works part time at a local grocery store. She wants to go kayaking on one of our local rivers. We’re going to several concerts this spring and summer: They Might Be Giants and Kraftwerk in May, The Chicago And Earth, Wind & Fire: Heart & Soul Tour and The Totally Tubular Festival in July, and The 311 Unity Tour with AWOLNATION and Neon Trees in August.

We do have some baseball college scout days for Alex and a big tournament in PCB, but we’re all home this summer other than that.

I don’t believe all that we only have eighteen summers with our kids.  I am blessed that my eldest lives nearby and we are all still close. Tori plans to live at home as long as she can commute to college.

We have lots of plans for day trips, weekends away, or longer – yes, while it is busier to plan with teens and young adults and all the scheduling conflicts, we still strive to make memories happen.

Activities

My four kids all have passes to Kings Island this year. They can go together or with their friends whenever they’re free and the weather is agreeable.

We have Premier passes to Mason Community Center and they have a fun waterpark too!

We have some arts and crafts that have sat in the office closet for years. We have some household projects that the kids love to help with. And we’re gonna do it this summer!

  • Dutch wooden shoe painting from our trip to Amsterdam
  • Mosaic trays
  • Tie dye
  • Refinish garden bench
  • Painting walls and doors and garage steps?
  • Refinishing stair banister
  • Staining deck

We have some places we’ve been wanting to try to see what all the fuss is about.

  • Topgolf
  • Main Event
  • Pinball Garage
  • Ohio Antique Mall
  • Trader World and Treasures
  • lots of fun local places to eat or get snacks

We have some things we love to do all the time too:

  • Jungle Jim’s
  • Various thrift and antique stores
  • Bowling!

We have some fun places we’d like to visit around Ohio. We’ve been to lots of places already and we might revisit some of them.

There are also some fun museums on the Blue Star Map!

Dayton

Where we’ve been:

  • Tori and I did a fun Dayton Photo Walk for one of her college classes last year.
  • Of course we have seen the Wright Brothers sites and revisit the Huffman Prairie every year.
  • We’ve visited most of the Dayton MetroParks over the years and we have some favorites to revisit.
  • We’ve been to Fort Ancient and SunWatch and Boonshoft.
  • We love Dayton Art Institute and attend their special galleries often.
  • We’ve been to the USAF museum several times and Tori took some flying simulation courses there a few years ago.
  • We’ve been to Ohio Caverns. sorta near Dayton?
  • We loved Johnston Farm and Indian Agency.
  • We hiked the Yellow Spring – finally!

Dayton Plans:

  • Carillon Historical Park
  • Trolls at Aullwood
  • Dollar Book Swap
  • Rabbit Hole Books
  • Hartman Rock Garden
  • DK Effect
  • America’s Packard Museum
  • Siebenthaler Fen

Cincinnati

What we’ve done:

  • We loved visiting the Serpent Mound. sorta near Cincy?
  • We love the Cincy Art Institute, but we don’t go as often as we should.
  • Tori wants grad photos at Krohn Conservatory, so we plan to go see all that again soon.
  • The Cincy Zoo and Botanical Garden has the famous Fiona Hippo and family.
  • The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center is wonderful.
  • The Newport Aquarium is still a favorite! (it’s on the Kentucky side of the river)
  • Covington is a cute little town where Tori took some pictures for her photo course, and we want to go back to look around!

Cincy Plans:

  • American Sign Museum
  • Taft Museum of Art
  • Findlay Market
  • Nature Center
  • Loveland Castle

Columbus

Where we’ve gone:

  • The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is humongous.
  • Columbus Museum of Art is lovely.
  • Schmidt’s
  • Valters at the Maennerchor
  • Book Loft
  • Schiller Park
  • Thurman’s
  • Easton Center

Columbus Plans:

  • Dawes Arboretum
  • Westerville, especially Birdie Books
  • Dublin, for the statues and street art
  • Tensuke Market
  • Inniswood MetroPark
  • Indian Run Falls
  • Hayden Run Falls
  • North Market
  • Franklin Park Conservatory
  • Park of Roses
  • Topiary Park
  • Stuart Little’s home: 717 1/8 S. 3rd St. Columbus Ohio 43206

Toledo

Where we visited:

  • Toledo Zoo

Toledo Plans:

  • Libbey Glass Factory Outlet
  • Toledo Museum of Art
  • Tony Packo’s

Cleveland Area

We took a trip to Cleveland last summer, but we have so much more to explore near that city – to include Canton and Akron and area natural forests. We probably won’t get to many of these this year. It’s not a day trip from Dayton.

  • Smucker Store
  • Majestic Meadows Alpacas & Boutique
  • Stan Hywet
  • Squire’s Castle
  • Cuyahoga Valley National Park
  • Chagrin Falls Waterfall
  • The Holden Arboretum
  • Rockefeller Park & Greenhouse
  • Umbrella Alley

There are some other places that aren’t near major cities.

We’ve been to Hocking Hills and Burr Oak.

Tori and I did an ODNR Contac trip to the Zaleski area (where I got my first tick so we call it the tick forest).

Where we’d like to see:

  • Kingwood Garden
  • Midwest Glassware Outlet
  • Moonville Tunnel

I’m in several Facebook groups for Ohio road trips and day trips that give us lots of fun ideas and reviews.

What are your favorite places to visit in Ohio?

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Filed Under: Homeschool Tagged With: ohio, summer, teen

Yellow Spring Hike

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May 6, 2024 By Jennifer Lambert 16 Comments

We went on a little hike I’ve been wanting to do for years and we just never got around it for various reasons.

We finally saw the famous Yellow Spring!

We drove through Yellow Springs and parked at the main Glen Helen Vernet Ecological Center on Corry Street. It’s $10 for a day pass or $50 for an annual pass. They’re a nonprofit and no longer a part of Antioch College.

Tori and Akantha have been CCP students these past two years.

Tori took us along on a short hike Inman Trail that copied her college geology lab class field trip. She led us on a circle by the creek and to the spring and back to the welcome center.

The Dam was fascinating and looked like it defied gravity.

The Cascades and rock formations were really beautiful.

There is a small Adena Burial Mound right beside the path.

The Yellow Spring is so orangey-red from the iron and other minerals.

Read some cool history about Yellow Springs.

The hoodoo rock formation shows erosion split it in half.

The Grotto is a lovely rock cave waterfall.

After a picnic lunch, we drove to see some local covered bridges. There is another closed bridge within Glen Helen that we will find another time. Tori wants to visit all the Ohio bridges. We saw the longest one last summer near Cleveland.

We got to drive through one!

We have a fun summer bucket list before Tori starts college – “for real.”

And I don’t believe in the old criticism that “we only have eighteen summers” with our kids. I am blessed that my eldest lives nearby and we are all still close. Tori plans to live at home as long as she can commute to college. We have lots of plans for school breaks and summers and yes, while it is busier to plan with teens and young adults and all the scheduling conflicts, we still strive to make events happen.

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  • How Teens Can Spend Summer
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Filed Under: Homeschool Tagged With: homeschool, nature, nature study, ohio, outdoors, Science

Dayton Photo Walk

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November 13, 2023 By Jennifer Lambert 23 Comments

We often go downtown for Dragons baseball games and eating in nearby restaurants.

After living near Dayton for almost seven years, we still don’t feel familiar with the area and it was fun to explore a little bit.

My daughter is taking a photography class with CCP at a local university. One of her assignments is a roll of black and white film of downtown city buildings. We drove to Dayton and got some pretty neat photos and had a fun time walking around.

I snapped a few similar photos with my Google Pixel phone camera for reference.

It’s sad to see how desolate and empty the city is. Dayton is full of history, but it’s rundown and many businesses and industry have left to other states or countries in the past decade. The Arcade is getting rebuilt and it’s not open to the public every day so we didn’t get to see it.

Dayton experienced a dramatic rise in the early 20th century, but de facto racial segregation, a poorly educated labor force, and failed revitalization projects precipitated its decline through the turn of the 21st century.

Adam Millsap

We walked a little over three miles from Sinclair to Oregon district, in a rough square to get some interesting shaped buildings, reflections, and shadow/light combinations.

The weather was gorgeous: sunny, cloudless, 61.

Sacred Heart Catholic Church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places due to its unique architecture.

The Old Montgomery County Courthouse was built in 1847.

The Conover Building, also known as Wright Stop Plaza.

I love the contrast of colors and shapes with this Dayton RTA Wright Stop Station.

I love this view of the Conover Building with the other two buildings. They remind me of a child’s shapes puzzle.

Dayton Memorial Hall

There are fun murals on the sides of buildings.

Sir Winston Churchill Mural at the corner of Jefferson and 2nd.

I love the detail on this little cardinal!

Such a lovely painting and quotes on the side of the library.

We loved the Wagtown Dog Trail pawprints.

Liberty Tower was the tallest building in Dayton from 1931 to 1969.

My daughter easily filled up a 36 exposure roll of film on our walk and I can’t wait to see the results!

Dayton, Ohio, is known as the Birthplace of Aviation. Dayton is known as the home of many inventions. Some of most famous are aviation, the cash register, the hydraulic jump to prevent flooding, code-breaking machines that helped end World War II and the pop top. The Dayton Peace Accords signed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in 1995, ended the Bosnian War.

You might also like:

  • Dayton MetroParks
  • Wright Brothers Unit Study
  • National Museum of the U.S. Air Force
  • Dayton Art Institute
  • Boonshoft Museum of Discovery
  • SunWatch Indian Village and Archaeological Park
  • Fort Ancient Archaeology Park
  • Newport Aquarium
  • Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
  • National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
  • Cincinnati Art Museum

Linking up with blogs here.

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Filed Under: Ohio Tagged With: ohio

Dayton MetroParks

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October 23, 2023 By Jennifer Lambert 5 Comments

We love exploring the Dayton Metroparks: hiking, fishing, wildlife.

It’s great that we have so many options that are mostly free or frugal family friendly natural outings.

There are only a couple of these parks we have not visited, but we’ve only lived in Ohio for 6.5 years. There are a few we visited and surprisingly didn’t get any pictures! I think we were all busy oohing and aahing over flowers, rocks, leaves, or wildlife.

The Dayton Metropark 19 facilities are:

  1. Aullwood Garden MetroPark, Englewood
  2. Carriage Hill MetroPark, Huber Heights
  3. Cox Arboretum and Gardens MetroPark, Dayton
  4. Deeds Point MetroPark, Dayton
  5. Eastwood MetroPark, Riverside
  6. Englewood MetroPark, Englewood
  7. Germantown MetroPark, Germantown
  8. Hills & Dales MetroPark, Kettering
  9. Huffman MetroPark, Fairborn
  10. Island MetroPark, Dayton
  11. Possum Creek MetroPark, Dayton
  12. RiverScape MetroPark, Dayton
  13. 2nd Street Market, Dayton
  14. Sugarcreek MetroPark, Sugarcreek Township
  15. Sunrise MetroPark, Dayton
  16. Taylorsville MetroPark, Vandalia
  17. Twin Creek MetroPark, Germantown
  18. Wegerzyn Gardens MetroPark, Dayton
  19. Wesleyan MetroPark, Dayton

The Metropark 8 conservation areas include:

  • Dull Woods Conservation Area
  • Medlar Conservation Area
  • Needmore Conservation Area
  • Pigeye Conservation Area
  • Sandridge Prairie Conservation Area
  • Shiloh Woods Conservation Area
  • Twin Valley Conservation Area
  • Woodman Fen Conservation Area

I know my kids have seen some of these areas and I’m planning to explore the conservation areas with them soon.

Some of our Favorite Metroparks:

Cox Arboretum

We’ve been to Cox Arboretum many, many times. It’s nearby and so lovely in every season.

I even made it up the treehouse tower once! I’m terrified of heights.

We love the gardens, prairies, and walking paths into the woods.

Tori and I really enjoyed attending some of the Eco Talks at Cox Arboretum this past year.

Taylorsville

We love the easy three mile hike along the river with pretty wildflower and rock formations at Taylorsville Park.

The first time we went, we got a little lost on our way back to the parking lot. We missed the sign with the right arrow and direction and then it started pouring down rain, so now the park is nicknamed That Park We Missed the Turn.

Germantown

We’ve been to the Germantown park several times over the years. It’s just so pretty. It might be our absolute favorite with so many different views and ecosystems.

We love the prairie, high view, and Bob Siebenthaler Natural Area.

We love the big trees and creek.

There are several places to park for different trailheads and some cool fishing spots!

Twin Creek

Twin Creek park is nice and very similar and close to Germantown.

We enjoyed seeing the Hopewell Mound.

Huffman

We really love the Huffman park and there are two main parts – the dam walkway and around the pond. We’ve been a few times and it’s always lovely.

Possum Creek

We’ve only been to the Possum Creek park once and it was such a lovely day!

It’s really interesting it used to be the former Argonne Forest amusement park and there are placards explaining the ruins. 

Sugarcreek

Alex and I hiked in Sugarcreek Park and saw the fun Osage Orange tunnel and Three Sisters!

We love hiking and exploring nature, and I’m so pleased we still go often as a family now that my kids are teens and growing up and getting so busy.

I want us all to remain active as we grow older – it’s good for our health!

Linking up at these blogs.

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Filed Under: Homeschool Tagged With: hiking, nature, ohio, park

Cleveland Trip

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August 21, 2023 By Jennifer Lambert 8 Comments

We haven’t had a family vacation in a long time!

We’d heard that Cleveland was a great place to visit and it’s far enough away that we needed to stay a few days. The kids were involved in planning what they wanted to see and do.

We drove from Dayton to Cleveland for a five-day trip to see some museums and Lake Erie.

The House

We direct-rented a little 3-bedroom house a block or so away from Headlands Beach State Park.

It smelled like wet dog when we arrived, even with an air purifier running.

I had to sprinkle essential oils on tissues and place them around the house and crack the bathroom window for a while to get rid of the smell. I developed an ear infection that I really don’t know if it had to do with any allergies in the house or not.

The decor was confusing: industrial shabby chic lake cottage vibes. We assume they bought a rundown house, gutted it, and remodeled as cheaply as possible for a rental income. I loathe open shelving.

The kitchen/dining room was nice and it was funny to have the same dining table that we own at home! We were excited to have a gas stove. The sofa was comfy. The beds were comfy.

I really do try not to be picky. We like renting houses or apartments for our larger family so we can eat breakfast and sometimes dinner instead of dining out every meal. It’s cheaper and more convenient than hotels for us.

The refrigerator had a water/ice dispenser, but the filter sensor was flashing red and we had no ice. There was a Brita pitcher inside the fridge. We bought ice.

All the drinkware was plastic except for tiny ceramic coffee mugs. There was not a serving platter at all. There was no foil, and only one dish tab for the dishwasher. We bought some.

There were only 1.5 bathroom tissue rolls in each of the two bathrooms for five people for five nights. We had to go buy more. It’s not a huge deal and maybe this is expected? But for the price of the rental, I would expect more.

Day 1

We stopped in Mt. Vernon to see the fountain!

Everyone seems to rave about this fountain in all my Ohio travel groups.

I mean, it’s super cute, but so much smaller than I expected, and not worth driving too far out of the way for. We snapped a few photos and drove on to our destination.

The little town didn’t have much and we moved on.

We stopped at Das Schnitzel Haus in Parma for a very late lunch/early dinner. Wow, is that a great place! Best German food we’ve had since leaving Europe. They brew their own beer across the street at Schnitz Ale Brewery and offer bar foods there. They were out of the Kölsch, but the Hefeweizen and Pilsner were lovely.

I don’t have a single picture of the food. It was amazing and we scarfed it all down!

We checked out our rental house and ran to Meijer to stock up on a few things, like actual drinking glasses and some food items we didn’t bring in our coolers.

We walked along the beach, looking for neat rocks and glass.

Day 2

We went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

This is where Tori really wanted to go. Honestly, the rest of us didn’t much care about it.

We parked in the garage at the Great Lakes Science Museum.

I think it’s pricey, loud and bright. It got very crowded about halfway through for us, and I’m glad we were able to quickly finish up our tour.

One of the escalators is very narrow and shallow and I had an anxiety attack going up to the 4th floor to see the Pink Floyd Wall.

There are some nice history exhibits and famous items.

Elvis and The Beatles have huge areas with info about how they changed the music industry.

One of the Cleveland signs is right behind the Rock Hall and it has a lovely city backdrop.

North Coast Harbor sign

We walked downtown to see some sites.

It was so hot and sunny that day, more than any other day of our trip!

The Arcade

We ate a late lunch at Geraci’s Slice Shop.

This was the only thing my son really wanted to do.

I imagine the pizza is best fresh. There are pizzas in a window and they heat up a slice like at a mall from the 1980’s. We showed up about 2 PM, so it was ok.

They have two free table top video games!

We stopped at Heinen’s and bought some steaks to cook for dinner.

It’s a very nice local grocery chain. I wish Dayton had some better quality stores!

Cleveland Main Library has a very fun Floral Immersive Exhibition by British Artist Rebecca Louise Law. We surprised our artist Akantha with a stop and to enjoy the air conditioning.

We were exhausted after walking in the city in the heat. Everything took so much longer than I expected.

Day 3

We went to the Cleveland Museum of Art.

This was the main event for Akantha, but Tori and I love art museums too.

I looked up online lots of reviews and expectations for how long it would take and most said a couple hours. I don’t know what people do in art museums, but we were there for a looooong time. This place is huge!

Lots of Asian and African art, as well as some lovely Byzantine, Medieval, Renaissance, and Modern pieces.

We ate an early dinner at Guarino’s and they let us dine on their lovely patio – even though we didn’t have a reservation!

Free valet parking. It’s the oldest restaurant in Cleveland. Lovely service – they didn’t even rush us. It was delicious! The best Italian food I’ve had since leaving Europe.

Alex got chicken piccata. Tori and I got two veal dishes and shared. Akantha got lasagna. Aaron got ravioli.

Great cocktails. Great salad and soup.

The proscuitto wrapped shrimp appetizer is divine. We got emotional about it.

We got gelato at Rosso. It was ok. No cones, only cups.

We drove through Lake View Cemetery.

It’s very lovely and easy to navigate. Signs point to the main sites and they’re available on online maps.

We thought these deer were statues until one licked his nose. Wow.

Harvey Pekar

It was along day and we did everything on my list!

Day 4

We drove to see the longest covered bridge. I guess we should’ve packed lunches and done a bridge tour.

It was hot and there were lots of wasps flying around.

We drove through the strip at Geneva-on-the-Lake. I’m sure I’m going to hurt some feelings, but that place was awful.

We counted two axe throwing bars, a gun range, several 21+ night clubs, and a Nazi biker bar. There was one little arcade with Eddie’s and a DQ. There were two gravel-covered paid parking lots. Lots of little slummy motels and tiny cabins. We didn’t think it was worth it to stop and eat at Eddie’s.

The beach was small and crowded. We didn’t check out the Lodge and I’ve never been able to make a reservation for our large family; they’re always booked and very expensive anyway.

We were very disappointed since everyone seems to rave about how cute Geneva is. We weren’t very impressed with any of the lake towns we saw. Maybe the ones between Cleveland and Toledo are better?

We stopped at Sam’s Club for burger patties and grilled those for dinner and later walked along Headlands Beach and found a ton of glass after a storm!

The water was receded more tonight and we could walk on soft sand barefooted. It was a lovely evening.

Day 5

It was pouring rain when we woke up.

Aaron didn’t want to go fishing and Alex was very disappointed.

We went to the Cleveland Aquarium.

It was actually delightful even though they’re all teens. We all still do love zoos and aquariums.

We got to have the most adorable little shrimp crawl all over our hands.

The aquarium was super cute, in the old Foundry building.

Just when we thought we were maybe halfway through, there were sharks, then the gift shop. It was small, but we had fun.

We drove to West Side Market and got some lovely pasties and pies at an Irish vendor for lunch. I bought some sausage, figs, and mangos to bring home.

We walked to see the Guardians at Hope Bridge.

The Guardians symbolize progress in transportation. Each Guardian holds a different vehicle in its hands: a hay wagon, a covered wagon, a stagecoach, and a 1930s-era automobile, as well as four types of motorized trucks used for construction.

They’re magnificent.

My husband and son drove to see some some other Cleveland signs, The Christmas Story house (and bought a leg lamp Xmas ornament), and went to the Guardians and Blue Jays baseball game.

Akantha didn’t want to do any of that and Tori decided to stay with us. We were a little disappointed we didn’t get to see the house or game.

I took my other two kids out to dinner at Brennan’s in Fairport Harbor. They don’t have to advertise. It was lovely.

Overall, this wasn’t our best or most memorable trip.

It’s getting difficult traveling with teens who have so many different preferences and interests – even when I make sure each one has a day and tour they prefer.

We are not all that impressed with Ohio, but we keep exploring.


Linking up: Randomosity, Eclectic Red Barn, Artsy Fartsy Mama, Gay NYC Dad, Life Tales Books, Perfectly Imperfect, Growing Garden, Joanne Viola, Fluster Buster, Ridge Haven, Try it Like it, InstaEncouragements, Grammy’s Grid, My Life Abundant, Slices of Life, Anita Ojeda, Silverado, Random Musings, Esme Salon, Mostly Blogging, Suburbia, Jenerally Informed, LouLou Girls, 2Chicks, Answer is Choco, Momfessionals, Lisa Notes, Modern Monticello, Katherine’s Corner, Pam’s Party, Pieced Pastimes, Shelbee on the Edge, CreatewJoy,

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Filed Under: Ohio, Travel Tagged With: familytravel, ohio, travel

Columbus Museum of Art

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November 28, 2022 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

My kids had to visit art museums and choose a work of art to review for their college art history course.

We visited Columbus Museum of Art.

I always love Chihuly and this piece is magnificent.

There was a silly scavenger hunt for Among Us characters.

We had some favorites, but there are so many lovely pieces of art – paintings, sculpture, and more. There are always great special exhibits too!

We’ve been at least twice. I think Akantha went a third time. And I have no other pictures?

There’s a cute little cafe too.

Visit the Columbus Museum of Art.

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Toledo Zoo

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October 10, 2022 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

Tori had a field trip to Toledo with ODNR.

We released tagged baby sturgeons into the Maumee River.

We blew our babies a little kiss and blessed them as we released them into the big river.

We got to see the Aquarium and some buildings in the Toledo Zoo. I want to go back with the whole family to tour it all.

The buildings date back to the WPA during the Great Depression.

We got to pet sturgeon!

My favorite part was the jungle room with the frogs just running wild.

The reptile room was awesome too.

Look at this peaceful Sonoran Desert Toad.

I want to go see the orchid show and visit the entire zoo.

Visit the Toledo Zoo.

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Burr Oak Review

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September 5, 2022 By Jennifer Lambert 3 Comments

We have been wanting to get out and explore some natural wonders of Ohio and I’m so glad we chose Burr Oak!

We haven’t gone on a real trip in so long.

There have been significant obstacles to our traveling these last few years: various unexpected expenses, sprained ankles and a broken leg!, COVID restrictions, my husband’s retirement and new job, extracurricular classes, my son’s elite baseball schedule, and my teen’s part-time job.

While waiting for a time of calm, I realized I just had to jump at a weekend that looked somewhat open and have my people ask off work for a few days.

We rented a cabin at Burr Oak National Park.

My husband actually called them to book the reservation after I had trouble with their online site. They have lots of deals for veterans and teachers and we got a free night for staying three nights. There are fun packages too.

We drove through Hocking Hills and hit three major sites on the way to our cabin.

The cabins are newly remodeled and worked fine for us.

One bedroom with a queen bed and another bedroom with two bunk sets. The one bathroom was small but it worked out. We never have enough towels and there was nowhere to really hang them.

There’s a lovely screened in back porch with a little cast iron bistro table and two chairs and I ate my breakfast our there every morning.

We brought some basics to make meals just like we eat at home. I brought my rice cooker, water cooker and teapot for tea, and my favorite frying pan and knives. My husband brought his pour-over for his coffee. We brought olive oil, an onion, minced garlic, butter, and salt, pepper, and Italian spice grinders. I now know to bring lemon juice next time. We missed it.

I packed coolers with marinated meats for the grill and zucchini from our garden. We had burgers and dogs with chips, Asian steak and rice, and chicken breasts with boiled potatoes.

We brought room temp farm eggs from our egg lady, bacon and sausage, and pancake mix for breakfasts.

The kitchen was ok. I don’t mind hand washing dishes. The stove and oven worked great. There weren’t any spatulas and we don’t like plastic cups. There was no bakeware so I had to buy some aluminum pans.

We went to the little Kroger in the nearby town of Glouster and bought sponges and cups and spatulas. We got fixings for sandwiches and salad and donuts.

We rented a pontoon and kayaks. Neither my kids nor my husband had ever been boating and they all loved it! They are first come, first served, so it’s best to get to the rental dock early. We got the last pontoon and kayaks our second day – whew!

The lake is lovely and easy to navigate for beginners. The lodge had a beautiful view from the deck and from the water.

We saw so many herons – blue and green! We saw ducks and turtles. The American lilies were in bloom. We even saw an osprey dive down for a fish!

Tori and I kayaked all over the lake, and then we met up with my husband and other two kids in the pontoon for lunch.

We were so tickled by this picnic table right in the lake by a tiny little sandy beach. It was a perfect spot to rest for a bit.

Akantha and Alex wanted to try the kayaks and they realized very quickly how much work it is!

We were all so excited to see the American water lilies in bloom. They smell heavenly and are a lovely source of food for their lotus pods with seeds, and their roots.

The lily pads are HUGE. Like humongous, some almost a yard across. They float but are attached to their tuber root down in the mud.

The white lilies have long stalks above the water.

The pink lilies have shorter stalks and there is another much smaller lily in among the big ones that might be a different species.

Tori caught the only fish from the pontoon, when we anchored near the lilies. She was proud of this catfish and I taught them how to remove it without getting stung – by wrapping him in a towel. He was a feisty bugger.

I used to fish from boats and shore at Lake Allatoona every summer with my Aunt Betty and she taught me everything she knew.

Our last evening, we fished off the little dock by the lodge and Alex caught fish after fish – all little ones but he was so happy!

While we ate our dinners in our cabin, I took the kids to the lodge restaurant for cake after dinner and we got to enjoy the view and sunset. There’s a full bar and the bartender is just lovely. The wait staff gets a little overwhelmed. The menu has pizza and barbecue and apparently a lovely breakfast bar on weekends.

We enjoyed our short time at Burr Oak and it was a lovely respite after COVID restrictions and isolation and a last hurrah before the hustle and bustle of autumn.

Linking up: Eclectic Red Barn, OMHG, Slices of Life Katherine’s Corner, Penny’s Passion, LouLou Girls, Jenerally Informed, Shelbee on the Edge, God’s Growing Garden, Simply Coffee, Answer is Choco, Momfessionals, CWJ, Being a Wordsmith, Modern Monticello Homestead, Fluster Buster, Ducks in a Row, Pinch of Joy, Create with Joy, Mostly Blogging, Suburbia, Silverado, Grammy’s Grid, Ridge Haven, Pieced Pastimes, Pam’s Party, Random Musings,

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Filed Under: Ohio, Travel, USA Tagged With: camping, familytravel, ohio, review, statepark, travel

Hocking Hills

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September 5, 2022 By Jennifer Lambert 3 Comments

I have wanted to see Hocking Hills since before we even moved to Ohio. So, about six or more years now.

It’s just far enough away that we didn’t think we could swing it in a day trip. Three hours there, hiking all day, then three hours home? Whew!

I have looked to no avail for a cabin to rent that didn’t break the bank and could house all of us. I prefer to have a kitchen and separate bedrooms instead of renting two hotel rooms and it’s usually cheaper. I’ve seen so many cabins for 4, but so few for 5 or more. And all the cabins book up really fast and I couldn’t figure out how to plan that far ahead with our busy schedules.

There have been significant obstacles to our traveling these last few years: various unexpected expenses, sprained ankles and a broken leg!, COVID restrictions, my husband’s retirement and new job, extracurricular classes, my son’s elite baseball schedule, and my teen’s part-time job.

I will say that traveling with teens and older kids is so much fun and I love that they’re independent and don’t need me as constantly as when they were younger.

Luckily, I found a cabin for a long weekend at Burr Oak, and we planned to drive out early and hit some major Hocking Hills sites before checking in.

I recommend downloading or screenshotting maps since cell service is spotty in the area.

We parked at three trail heads to easily access the sites.

Ash Cave

The parking lot was very tight and full of deep pot holes full of water.

There were only permanent portapotties.

There is a very nice pavilion with grills.

The path to the cave is paved and signs say one-way, but if you have a stroller or accessibility issues, you have to return this way.

It was really exciting when we caught our first view of the magnitude of this rocky cave from the path.

We climbed up the stairs and returned on the treacherous high path through the woods.

Cedar Falls

The paved parking lot is nice at Cedar Falls trailhead.

There are real bathrooms that seem pretty well-kept.

The wide walkway was really beautiful and full of ferns and mushrooms. There was one big muddy stretch and we had to climb up and over to the side by some rocks and tree roots or risk getting completely muddy and stuck.

The views were really beautiful and we took a long time here looking at all the plants and bugs.

Old Man’s Cave

This site is right off the huge paved parking area for the Hocking Hills visitor center.

The shop wasn’t great. There are fun activities inside for little kids. There are great bathrooms. There are park rangers with maps and info at a desk. It’s a pretty center.

The trailheads weren’t well-marked and we wanted the quickest option since we were tired and this was our last stop.

To be honest, this was disappointing after seeing Ash Cave and Cedar Falls.

We could almost view it from the parking lot. We walked the short way in to get some pictures and went right back to our car. I mean, it’s pretty, but we were glad it was our last stop and we loved the other sites so much more.

Hocking Hills is a beautiful region and I would love to see the leaves in autumn. We hope to return to see some other sites now that we are more familiar with the area.

We stayed at a Burr Oak cabin and that was cost effective and easy for us this time around.

Linking up: Eclectic Red Barn, God’s Growing Garden, Shelbee on the Edge, OMHG, LouLou Girls, Jenerally Informed, Pinch of Joy, Create with Joy, Mostly Blogging, Suburbia, Silverado, Grammy’s Grid, Ridge Haven, Simply Coffee, Pieced Pastimes, Pam’s Party, Answer is Choco, Momfessionals, CWJ, Being a Wordsmith, Modern Monticello, Slices of Life Katherine’s Corner, Penny’s Passion, Homestead, Fluster Buster, Ducks in a Row, Random Musings,

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Filed Under: Ohio, Travel, USA Tagged With: familytravel, hiking, ohio, travel

College Credit Plus in Ohio

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March 10, 2022 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

I started college early and took several courses before I graduated high school. It wasn’t easy to navigate in the mid-90s and it was a new concept. I am glad I did that and would do it again. It was good for me to ease in to college. I attended a local college – now called Clayton State University, then Georgia State University to complete my bachelor’s in English and master’s in education.

Every state and school district and college have different requirements for early college. For homeschoolers, sometimes it’s easier and sometimes it seems more difficult.

I have homeschooled my four children for over sixteen years.

One graduated our homeschool and started early college classes. I did pressure her a little, but she wasn’t as motivated as I would have liked. I wish I could go back and be more gentle.

Two are starting early college classes this upcoming fall semester. This is their choice and I’m excited to help them.

One kid left to go! He’s only twelve and has so many options and interests and we aren’t pressuring him at all.

Information about College Credit Plus for Homeschoolers

Students must be Ohio residents to participate in College Credit Plus. As a military family, this was tricky for us the first year we PCS’ed here from Germany.

View all CCP FAQ’s here.

Students in grades 7 through 12 can qualify for dual enrollment or early college courses.

Earning college credits while still in high school can reduce the time and cost of attending college after high school. It’s great to ease in and get a taste of college courses before committing to enrollment.

The College Credit Plus Program includes courses taken during the summer term also.

Be aware: classes failed or withdrawn with an “F” (or equivalent failing grade) will receive an “F” on the high school and/or college transcripts and will be computed into the high school and college GPA.

Many entry-level courses earned at an Ohio public college are guaranteed to transfer to any other Ohio public college.

In Ohio, there are lots of higher education options:

  • 14 universities with 24 regional branch campuses
  • 23 community colleges
  • More than 70 adult workforce education and training centers statewide

Check with the institution of your choice if they offer College Credit Plus and what their special requirements might be. This interactive map shows you which option might be near you.

Homeschoolers are responsible for purchasing or renting textbooks and supplies. It’s been noted by many that homeschooled students don’t seem to receive as many credit hours as they request or not as many as public and private schooled students.

Note that colleges are not required to modify course content based on the ages of the students. Some content may be for mature audiences.

Students will be expected to follow the rules and regulations set by the college/university. 

Transportation is the responsibility of the student. This can be sometimes difficult since we homeschool parents always chauffeuring our kids around to activities. I try to plan their courses only two days a week to limit travel.

The state education website breaks down the CCP process into four steps.

College Credit Plus applications open in February 1 and close April 1.

How to Navigate College Credit Plus

Step one: Set up a parent OH|ID account as soon as possible and save that login information.

Step two: After February 1, start state application for tuition funding for each child.

We usually request only 15 credit hours for the first year or two so they’re not too stressed. You can request up to 30 credits for the year, but I feel they won’t grant homeschoolers more than 15.

You have to upload your homeschool intent letter received from your school district.

Step three: Apply to college(s). The applications should be free for high school/CCP students. Pay attention to details like sending transcripts or test scores and if permission slips or extra forms are required. We had to sign maturity forms and permission slips.

Some common college choices:

  • Wright State University
  • Sinclair College
  • University of Cincinnati
  • Miami University
  • The Ohio State University
  • Ohio University
  • Kent State University
  • Cleveland State University
  • University of Akron
  • University of Toledo

Step four: College admissions office should contact you and/or the student with a tentative admission letter to send to the state to process tuition funding so there’s no holdup on that end. Upload these letters to state CCP files and submit before April 1!

Sometimes, there are additional requirements and instructions from the colleges depending on several factors such as age of child, test scores, transcripts.

My first child took the SAT, but the math score wasn’t high enough for her to take the college math class without a remedial course or placement exam. This also affected her ability to take some science courses.

My middle child hasn’t take any standardized tests in her life, and the placement exams were waived based on her age and transcripts. But she took the college placement tests to streamline her ability to take college writing and math without remediation.

My third child is deemed too young and is required to take college placement exams for admission into CCP, even though their transcript is almost the same as my middle child’s.

Step five: Funding letters from state should be received about the first week of May, before 5/6. Make sure you send that letter ASAP to the bursar at the college or you’ll be responsible to pay tuition!

Step six: Receive admission letters from colleges and instructions how to register for classes and student IDs. Usually, a physical appointment is required with a registrar to ensure all is understand and done correctly and they release the hold on registration. Only certain core classes are usually available to CCP students. Wright State advisor stated that students can request to take a class and it’s at the discretion of the dean.

It’s an exciting time for our homeschooled teens to enter into adulthood and attend college. We can learn to let go and let them navigate their education and future. It’s great to ease into it and determine if that’s the route they want to go.

I feel CCP allows homeschooled students to make decisions for themselves and preview college which could help them determine their direction for the future. It might make it easier to enroll in the college of their choice later, after high school. It’s a great opportunity!

You might also like:

  • Homeschooling in Ohio
  • Homeschool High School Credits
  • 5 Best Life Skills Books for Teens
  • Graduating from Homeschool
  • How to Prepare for After High School

Let me know if your homeschooled child has done CCP!

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Filed Under: Homeschool Tagged With: college, high school, homeschool, ohio, teen

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