Horses, Kohlrabi, Llamas… Oh My! Learning Comes Alive Outside the Studio
At Acton Academy Columbus, learning doesn’t live only inside a classroom—and it was never meant to.
Children are wired to explore, to move, to wonder, and to discover the world through real experiences. A worksheet can tell you what life was like in the 1800s—but walking through a historic farm, feeding the animals, touching the tools, and seeing real people keep old traditions alive? That leaves an imprint no textbook ever could.
This year, our learners have already stepped outside the studio walls and into the wider world—visiting homesteads, farms, festivals, forests, horses, and even a city-wide Halloween celebration. Each adventure has offered a new way to learn to think, do, and be.
Because at Acton, field trips aren’t “extra.”
They are part of the journey.
✅ Why Learning Outside the Studio Matters
Traditional schooling often treats field trips like a rare treat—a reward, a break from “real learning.”
But at Acton Academy Columbus, real learning isn’t limited by walls.
Children build deeper understanding when:
✔ They use their senses
✔ They ask their own questions
✔ They see real people doing real work
✔ They connect ideas learned in the studio to the real world
When a learner meets a farmer, a horse trainer, a beekeeper, a chef, or a historian, something shifts. They can see themselves doing those things. They realize the world is full of possibilities.
Agency grows. Curiosity grows. Courage grows.
And this year has already been full of powerful moments.
Field Trip #1: Slate Run Historical Farm
Growth + Discovery Studios
At Slate Run, history stopped being “something long ago” and instead became something our Eagles could touch and live.
Learners explored a working 1880s homestead—meeting the animals, touring the farmhouse, and watching real farm tasks happen just as they were done generations ago. They learned the difference between straw and hay, how farmers preserved food without electricity, and what it meant to live in a world where every family member played an essential role.
Some highlights:
Feeding and brushing the animals
Seeing antique tools used in daily chores
Learning how food was grown, harvested, and stored
Discovering what school and home life looked like in the 19th century
For many, the most memorable part wasn’t a single fact—it was the feeling of stepping into history and realizing that children their age once lived, worked, and contributed in ways we rarely think about today.
A field trip becomes powerful when a child whispers, “I wonder what it felt like to live like this?”
That’s curiosity.
That’s empathy.
That’s education at its best.
Field Trip #2: Heritage Founders Festival – Homesteading Comes Alive
Hocking Hills – Growth + Discovery Studios
At Acton, we don’t just study history — we step into it.
The Heritage Founders Festival in Vinton County gave our Eagles a chance to experience early American living in a way no book could replicate. Instead of sitting in a classroom reading about pioneers, learners walked into a landscape where homesteading, survival skills, and early settler life were brought to life.
Eagles rotated through a series of hands-on stations and workshops, including:
✅ Foraging class – learning how early settlers identified edible plants and how to respect the land they collected from.
✅ Knives & slingshots – an up-close look at how tools were crafted and used for hunting and protection.
✅ Barnyard animals – meeting the animals that early families depended on for food, labor, and clothing.
✅ Water filtration – discovering how clean water was gathered, stored, and purified without modern technology.
✅ Wilderness survival skills – exploring how people lived off the land when resources were scarce.
✅ Colonial period attire – learning what clothing was made from, how it was produced, and why every item had to be functional, durable, and often handmade.
It wasn’t a show. It was real people demonstrating real skills that kept communities alive long before grocery stores, plumbing, electricity, or machines.
Our Eagles touched the tools.
They asked questions.
They learned why these skills mattered.
And you could see it in their faces — the moment history was no longer “long ago and far away.” It was human. It was practical. It was survival.
These experiences help learners deepen understanding far beyond memorization:
Why self-sufficiency mattered
How every family member had a role
What it meant to live without modern conveniences
Why creativity, grit, and resourcefulness were essential
By the end of the day, Eagles walked away not just knowing about pioneer life — but respecting it.
Field Trip #3: Stratford Ecological Center
Growth + Discovery
This one might have been the favorite.
At Stratford, learners walked barefoot in nature, explored vegetable gardens, pressed fresh apple cider, fed animals, and learned how a regenerative farm works. Our guides didn’t just lecture—they let the Eagles do.
Some moments we’ll remember:
✅ Discovering that red kohlrabi is delicious
✅ Tasting freshly pressed apple cider they made themselves
✅ Feeding chickens—and a few brave Eagles even held them
✅ Meeting pigs, sheep, llamas, and learning their roles on the farm
✅ Exploring natural loofahs drying in the sun
✅ Hiking through a forest to learn about habitats, soil, trees, and ecosystems
One of the most beautiful moments?
Our guide Pauline stopped in the forest, handed out buckeyes from her own tree, and talked about gratitude—gratitude for sun, soil, seeds, rain, farmers, animals, and the delicate ecosystem that feeds us all.
At Acton, science isn’t isolated in a textbook.
It is living, breathing, growing right in front of our learners’ eyes.
Field Trip #4: Dublin Spooktacular
Growth + Discovery
Not every learning moment happens quietly.
Some are loud, colorful, joyful, and full of celebration—and Spooktacular was exactly that.
Eagles explored a community event where families, organizations, and local businesses came together in creativity and kindness. They played games, made crafts, spent time with one another, and got to be part of something bigger than the school walls.
Community matters at Acton. We want our Eagles to see:
How people create events and experiences
How traditions bring neighborhoods together
How volunteering and service make celebrations possible
How joy builds culture
Yes, it was fun.
Yes, it was exciting.
And it also helped our Eagles see themselves as contributors to a vibrant community—not just observers.
Field Trip #5: Duzan Riding Academy
Our youngest Eagles had one of the most magical trips of the year: a visit to Duzan Riding Academy.
To a 5- or 6-year-old, walking into a barn full of horses is like stepping into another world. They learned how horses are cared for, why farms are important, what different tools are used for, and how people make a living training, riding, and caring for animals.
They asked questions.
They practiced gentleness and courage.
They connected with living creatures much larger than themselves.
Hands-on experiences at this age matter immensely:
✔ It builds confidence
✔ It develops empathy
✔ It teaches responsibility
✔ It opens their imagination
At Acton, we talk about heroes, challenges, courage, and overcoming obstacles. Sometimes, that starts with reaching out a hand to pet a horse.
But What Makes Acton Field Trips Different?
We plan them as education—real, deep, meaningful education.
✅ 1. They are tied to quests and learning goals
When we study agriculture, we go to farms.
When we study community, we attend community events.
When we study animals, we visit real caretakers.
Learners make connections because the field trip has purpose.
✅ 2. They spark curiosity
We don’t script what learners must memorize.
We let them wonder:
Why is the soil here darker?
Why do llamas live with sheep?
How do you know when apples are ready to pick?
What did children do for fun in the 1800s?
How do horses communicate?
Curiosity drives real learning.
✅ 3. They build courage and independence
Field trips ask learners to try new things:
✔ talk to strangers respectfully
✔ ask questions
✔ share space
✔ practice safety
✔ be responsible for their actions in public
It is real-world training for real-world life.
✅ 4. They build social and emotional skills
When Eagles explore the world together:
Friendships deepen
Conversations become more meaningful
They help each other when someone is nervous or excited
They feel proud of themselves
You can’t teach that from a desk.
Learning That Sticks
The best learning isn’t what comes up on a worksheet.
It shows up in:
✅ A child who remembers how apple cider is made
✅ A learner who can explain the difference between straw and hay
✅ A student who now wants to work with animals
✅ A group of Eagles who thank farmers, volunteers, and guides without being asked
✅ A quiet child becoming brave enough to hold a chicken
✅ A learner who goes home talking about kohlrabi, llamas, pioneers, horses, and homesteads
These aren’t just memories.
They are moments of transformation.
Field Trips Build Heroes
Our goal is not to raise children who only know facts.
We are raising:
Problem solvers
Explorers
Question askers
Helpers
Leaders
Heroes
A Hero’s Journey cannot happen in a single room.
It happens out in the world.
And we are just getting started.
More adventures are coming—more farms, more history, more nature, more community experiences, more hands-on learning that makes education come alive.
Because at Acton Academy Columbus, learning is not confined to four walls.
It’s in the soil, the forests, the animals, the festivals, the gardens, the people—and every corner of the world Eagles are brave enough to explore.