What better way to hold class than on location in a Costa Rican rainforest! The workshop we attended in Costa Rica included a variety of adventurous excursions for attendees and guests, one of which was zip lining. The boys and I had this on our very long “things to do” list, so they were excited when I told them that we were going zip lining.
An added bonus on this particular excursion was meeting other homeschool parents who were also inventing their own time, money, and education freedom. We discussed the many different lessons that zip lining provided. Luckily, the boys were able to experience the following in real-time:
- Physics – The simple cable and pulley system provided the perfect laboratory to observe and experience gravity, friction, and speed.
- Botany – We were up close and personal (although at a pretty fast rate) with Costa Rica’s lush rainforest.
- Ecology – While we didn’t get to see some of the rainforests natural inhabitants such as scarlet macaws, chestnut mandible toucans, and whiteface monkeys, we did observe what looked like a possible termite nest nuzzled in the high trees.
- Geography – We were able to view the features of the land and rainforest as we headed up the mountain to the starting course, with spectacular views of the Gulf of Nicoya and the Pacific Ocean.
Overall, these experiences allow us to expand our studies as needed while embedding priceless memories in our hippocampal neurons (the hippocampus is the area of the brain responsible for memory, and neurons are brain cells; remember, I’m a science nerd :-)).