One of the best parts about homeschooling in FL is that there are so many historical places to go on a field trip. This time we visited Kingsley Plantation and Ft. George Island in the northeast Jacksonville area.
Part of the Timucuan Trail State Park, Kingsley Plantation consists of several original buildings including a fascinating row of slave houses made from tabby. Entrance to the park is free, and children can complete a short activity booklet and obtain a junior ranger badge.
Zephaniah Kingsley owned several plantations in north FL. His wife was born in Senegal, Africa and was a former slave whom Kingsley had purchased as a teenager. Anna Kingsley bore four children and helped run the plantation with her husband.
On Kingsley Plantation the main crop was Sea Isle Cotton. This type of cotton was superior in quality than other cottons, but because of the differences in the length and softness of the fibers, it was much more labor intensive to produce.
One of the Park Rangers, Cecily, was a wealth of information regarding the history, flora and fauna of the island and plantation. She explained how tabby was used as a building material; there are several excellent examples of tabby buildings still standing today on the island.
The short video below shows a volunteer, Betty, explaining a bit about slave life on the plantation and the island’s main cash crop, Sea Isle Cotton.
Tags: field trip, fort george island, homeschool fl, kingsley plantation
I recently signed up for the Homeschool email newsletter at
Alpha Omega Publications (they produce Swtiched on Schoolhouse, Lifepacs, etc). I get at least one of their emails a day in my inbox .. and although I don’t have a lot of time to read these daily homeschooling devotionals, I do skim over it before deleting.
Today’s devotional was very insightful, so I am sharing it here with you,
I was on my daily walk and trying to organize my thoughts for a long homeschooling day. I stopped to observe the sunrise in the spring sky, and noticed a large flock of geese heading north. Captivated by the sight, I laid down on the ground to watch their movements. Watching them fly in their traditional V shape, I observed the lead goose as he dropped back to find a new spot in the formation. The goose that had been directly behind him assumed the lead, and the entire group continued flying. Twice more, I saw the same process take place before the flock was completely out of sight.
Reflecting on what I had just seen, I knew God had spoken to my heart with a new homeschooling philosophy. Since I didn’t have the energy or the wisdom, God’s divine plans for my children’s education included others besides me. Sometimes God moved my husband into the lead position to teach art, physical education, or life skills in mechanics and carpentry. Other times, God provided homeschooling friends to share their expertise in a particular subject during a co-op homeschool group lesson. God even allowed me to drop back and catch my breath with field trips supervised by Grandpa and Grandma and high school tutors for biology and chemistry labs. Although I was ultimately in charge of my children’s education, I found great relief in God’s occasional provision of a new lead goose.
Great analogy – hope you are as inspired by it as I am!
Homeschooling in FL is thriving and has the full support of the State Board of Education. Well, not exactly, but thankfully the laws in FL for homeschooling make it very easy for a parent to make important educational decisions for their children without major obstacles from the state government.