SoCal Field Trips - the AV and Beyond

We don't go on a lot of field trips, but I'm hoping to change that.  Below are a list of field trip ideas in Southern California (with an emphasis on those in the AV and surrounding areas). Sprinkled throughout are a few posts of our field trip adventures.

Antelope Valley

Blackbird Airpark (Palmdale)
"Blackbird Airpark, an annex of the Air Force Flight Test (AFFT) Museum at Edwards AFB, was officially dedicated on September 27, 1991. It is the world’s only display of a Lockheed SR-71Atogether with its predecessor A-12, along with the once ultra-secret D-21 drone and the only remaining U-2 “D” model in the world."  (Blackbird Airpark Site) 

We've tried to go here a couple of times but it was closed despite being during park hours, so hopefully one day we'll make it in. You can see the planes from the road though.


Musical Road (Lancaster)
Takes less than 30 seconds to see (or rather hear) but still very neat! Learn about it and see video of it here.








Prime Desert Woodland Preserve (Lancaster)
 "First proposed in 1985, the Prime Desert Woodland Preserve is the result of the efforts of many local residents and the Lancaster City Council. This scenic location nestled within an urban area has been established to provide visitors an opportunity to learn about the animals, plants and the region in which we live, as well as a place to simply relax and enjoy nature."

Neat little place but you definitely don't want to go in the summer heat. You can walk the trails and visit the Interpretive Center. There are also presentations given.

I'm looking for our pictures from this visit, but you can visit site to learn about its hours, etc and see pictures.


Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve

"Each spring, the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve comes alive with the seasonal surprises of the Mojave Desert Grassland habitat. The duration and intensity of colors and scents vary from year to year. The wildflower season generally lasts from as early as mid-February through late May,with a variety of wildflowers creating a mosaic of color that changes daily."

We've been to the reserve but not actually in it so I am hoping to catch it next spring, god willing.


MOAH - Museum of Art & History (Lancaster)

"Lancaster Museum of Art and History (MOAH) houses a collection of post-war period and contemporary art in the areas of painting, sculpture, prints, drawings, photography, film, installations and new media.The museum also houses a collection of art pertaining to the Antelope Valley region. This art was created by artists that lived in, worked in or were inspired to create by the region. Rotating art exhibitions focus on contemporary artists, as well as the art housed within the current collection."

Visit the site for information on hours and special exhibits.


Western Hotel Museum

"Built around 1888, the Western Hotel Museum is downtown Lancaster's oldest surviving structure." Located in downtown Lancaster. Visit the site to learn about its hours. 










Antelope Valley Indian Museum (Lancaster) 

"Built in the 1920s among towering rock formations in the Mojave desert, the museum is a unit of the California State Department of Parks and Recreation system."

Visit the Antelope Valley Indian Museum site to learn more about the museum and its hours of operation.









Arthur B. Ripley Desert Woodland State Park
"Added to the State Park System in 1988, Ripley Desert Woodland is located just west of the Poppy Reserve on Lancaster Road at 210th Street West. Donated to the State by Arthur "Archie" Ripley, the park protects and preserves an impressive stand of native Joshuas and junipers which once grew in great abundance throughout the valley. Today, only remnant parcels of this majestic woodland community remain in the valley, the rest having been cleared for farming and housing."

Haven't made it here yet but it is on our list, god willing.

Visit CA.gov's park page for this park for hours and other information. Admission is free.

Between AV and Santa Clarita

Vasquez Rocks (Aqua Dulce - between AV and Santa Clarita)
Natural Area Park is a 932-acre park located in the Sierra Pelona Mountains, in northern Los Angeles County,California. We went here and it was awesome!!!!!! Totally different (but better) than I had anticipated.  Lots of television shows and movies  have been filmed here.

Read about our trip here (at the above link)

Santa Clarita Valley

Newhall Aquarium Learning Center (Newhall)
Neat for little kids. It's not very big at all but my kids still enjoyed it. Read about our experience here.

Los Angeles Metro Area These are places we have been itching to go to but haven't made it yet!

• LaBrea Tarpits and Museum (site), admission is free but there is a separate charge for the museum. Parking is not free.

• California Science Center (site) - hands on science center. Admission is free, parking is not.

• The Getty Center (site)The J. Paul Getty Trustn is the world's largest cultural and philanthropic organization dedicated to the visual arts. All the homeschool charter schools that we've gone to in SoCal have always had field trips here but we've never made it.

Vasquez Rocks - Field Trips in the AV and Beyond

This is one of the few field trips that we have been on thus far in/near the Antelope Valley.   It is located in Aqua Dulce which is between the Antelope Valley and Santa Clarita.

"The rocks’ history began in prehistoric times when the sandstone rocks were uplifted at a picturesque angle, showing their jagged red features. In 1874 Tiburcio Vasquez, one of California’s most notorious bandits, used these rocks to elude capture by law enforcement. His name has since been associated with this geologic feature. The park is a popular hiking, picnicking, and equestrian area and has been used in many hit movies, television shows and commercials."

We were in for a treat when we went because when we got there, we didn't know that you get to climb up on the rocks. The kids loved it!!!!! 

My 17 year old climbing on the rocks at Vasquez Rocks

Be prepared for some walking (we weren't and we brought a stroller and had to lug it around). As I said, you can climb on the rocks and there is also an interpretive center with information about the rocks and artifacts and even a few birds in an exhibit outside.  Visiting Vasquez Rocks is free and there is also a gift shop on site.

We spend about a couple of hours here so it's a nice, easy field trip that won't take all day if you don't have that kind of time.

In the Interpretive Center:

Outside among the rocks:

Check the site for information about park hours and other things you can do there.

Read more about the Vasquez Rocks at Wikipedia

Antelope Valley Homeschool Charter Schools

Here are a few homeschool charter school options available in the Antelope Valley.

Antelope Valley Learning Academy

This school is located in Lancaster and they have a tuition free homeschooling program.

• Students can choose from exclusively all at home learning or they can take optional classes at the campus.  If you are looking for more structure, this is a good program because they give parents pacing guides of the assignments.
• Students are required to turn in all assignments from the pacing guide (not just samples).  Students are assigned a supervising teacher and the parent and student must meet once every 20 days (really just monthly). Parents must turn in attendance logs at those meetings.  
• Students are required to participate in state testing each spring.  
• Students are required to participate in physical fitness testing in grades 5, 7, and 9.
• Students are given traditional public school textbooks (which you return at the end of the school year) and although you must use the textbooks they choose, you do have some leeway as far as math and you can use programs like Saxon, Math U See, and Teaching Textbooks.

My kids were enrolled in this school for about 2 years and they liked it. We are not enrolled any more because our high schoolers are in public high school and I took out my elementary and middle schoolers out because it was hard to keep up with all the assignments since I was homeschooling several kids. Otherwise, if you don't mind the monthly meetings, I would recommend this school.

Visit AV Learning site

iLead 

iLead is a relatively new school and we just found out about it in spring 2015. It is available to students who reside in Orange and Los Angeles counties (maybe Riverside too, I can't remember) and it is tuition free. They have different options, you can attend school at a campus (iLead) or you can totally do independent study  at home (iLeadExploration - which is what we are enrolled in.) If you are looking for flexibility, this school so far seems to be a good option. Each year, each student is allotted funds for curriculum. (This year elementary and middle school students were allotted $2,000 and high schoolers get around 2400 or 2600). You are not given the funds, but you put in an order to your EF (Education Facilitator) and he/she will place the order for you.  You not only can purchase books, but also online and local classes (art, martial arts, dance, sewing......) with your funds, even computers. All the materials have to be returned when you take your kids out of the school, but there's a great variety of resources you can get, including copy paper and ink each semester.  You get to choose your curriculum  as long as it is not religious based.  You have to meet with your EF once a month for him/her to collect your samples, but you only have to turn in 2-4 samples per learning period.

Visit iLeadExploration site

Desert Sands Charter School

This is a tuition free high school charter school in Lancaster. It belongs to the same Learn4Life organization that Antelope Valley Learning Academy is a part of and they have many schools throughout California

Visit Desert Sands Charter School site