A New Blog on the Block

I have a secret to share...

While I have enjoyed sharing my family’s fun, family friendly, educational travel adventures and while I’m certainly not ready to stop traveling or writing about our experiences, My Homey Haven is about everything else that interests me. More specifically, my new site is focused around homemaking, household management, thrift store shopping and decorating, with an emphasis on hospitality- topics that may not be of interest to my Traveling Prater's readers.

So, if this sounds like something you may want to check out, I hope that you’ll stop by and visit. If not, rest assured that The Traveling Prater’s will remain all about our traveling and homeschool adventures- the same thing it’s always been about. I also have some exciting changes taking place, a few product reviews and some fun giveaways that I’ll share with you in the next week or two so stay tuned. I can’t wait to tell you what I’m up to!

Tennessee Aquarium Homeschool Day

The 2012 Winter Homeschool Day at the Tennessee Aquarium will be will be Monday, January 30. The homeschool day offers discounts on admission, the IMAX Theater and gift shops in each facility as well as special programming for homeschool families. 

Prices:
Home School Students:
$6.50 Aquarium
$5.00 IMAX
$10.25 Combination Aquarium and IMAX

Home School Parents:
$22.50 Aquarium
$ 7.75 IMAX
$27.50 Combination Aquarium and IMAX

A guided behind-the-scenes tour will be offered for $5.oo and must be purchased at the ticket office when you purchase your tickets. Be warned- this sells out quickly. I’ve been at the aquarium twice, once on a homeschool day,  and it was full both times.  If you plan to take part in the special behind-the-scenes tour, plan to arrive early in the day. 

In addition to the discounted prices, homeschool students and parents will also receive a 10% discount at the Aquarium gift shops. If you are a member of the Tennessee Aquarium and you are a homeschool student or parent, you will receive a 20% discount. These prices and discounts for homeschool families are available only on January 31st, during the Tennessee Aquarium Homeschool Day event. 

Do you have questions about visiting on the Homeschool Day? You’ll probably find the answer on this FAQ Page. If  you’re unable to find what you’re looking for, you can contact Bray McDonald at brm@tnaqua.org or call (423) 785-4093.

The Tennessee Aquarium has also put together a wonderful page of educational resources to use prior to your visit and while visiting the aquarium for all ages. Don’t forget to download my free field trip notebooking pages e-book to document your trip.

You can read about our first visit to the Tennessee Aquarium at Field Trip Friday: Tennessee Aquarium.

Stop back later in the week when I’ll be sharing other Chattanooga attractions that my family has enjoyed!

Tennessee Aquarium                                                                                                                           One Broad Street, Chattanooga TN, 37402 
800-262-0695

Have you been to the Tennessee Aquarium? What tips would you give a first time visitor?

Welcome and a Free Offer

Welcome to The Traveling Praters! If you are stopping by from the Homeschool Channel and this is your first visit, I’d like to offer you a special gift and quickly tell you a bit about me and my site.

I am a homeschooling mom of three teenagers that has spent extensive time on field trips and traveling with my husband’s job, which once lead us to be a full-time RV family! You can read more about me and my family on my About Page. 

I mainly write about the fun, family friendly, educational travel that we experience, travel tips, money saving secrets, and homeschool curriculum reviews.  If you’re interested in some of those posts, My Top Ten of 2011 will give you a good example of what I share at The Traveling Praters.

I also share information on upcoming Homeschool Days, like the 2012 Winter Homeschool Days at the Creation Museum and other family friendly events.

I am currently updating my site and have some exciting changes planned. If you’d like to know when this happens, you may choose to stay in touch by:

Subscribing to my RSS feed.  

Following me on Twitter.

Or liking my Facebook page.

As promised, I have a special gift just for stopping by my site Field Trip Notebooking Pages, a free excerpt from my upcoming family travel e-book, due to be released in February 2012. 

I hope you enjoy what I’ve put together for you and I hope to see you here again!

Free Entrance to the National Parks Jan. 14-16

I love visiting the America’s National Parks! In fact, when we travel, I always check the map to see if we’ll be near any of these amazing places so we’re sure not to miss it.

Entrance to many of the National Parks are free all the time but several times a year you’ll find free admission at ALL National Parks and one of those days is right around the corner.  January 14 –16 (Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend) will kick off the first of 2012’s free entrance days at the National Parks.

Other 2012 dates you’ll want to remember:

• April 21-29
  National Park Week
• June 9
  Get Outdoors Day
• September 29
  National Public Lands Day
• November 10-12
  Veterans Day weekend

Discounts are also offered from these park partners:

• National Park Hospitality Association
• National Parks Promotions Council

Start Planning Your Visit to one of the 397 National Parks today!

What is your favorite National Park to visit?

Top Ten of 2011

I can’t believe that we’ve come to the end of 2011 already. What a year it’s been! I thought I’d take a minute to share my most popular posts from 2011. You never know, they may just inspire you to plan something fun for 2012 and hopefully give you a few tips to save a bit of money along the way! 

1. Tips for a Smoother Traveling with Kids Experience

We’ve always traveled, from the time our kids were tiny. This post shares some of the tips I’ve implemented over the years to train my children to be good travelers.

2. Fun and Inexpensive Staycation Ideas for Mansfield, Ohio

At first glance, Mansfield may look like there isn’t much to offer but if you know where to look you’ve discover it’s the perfect spot for an inexpensive staycation.

3. Harmony Park Safari; a Hidden Gem in Huntsville, Alabama

We had spent two years traveling back and forth to Huntsville and lived there for a year before we found this amazing gem.   

4. Get More Bang for your Buck: Hotel Savings

Let’s fact it, it can be super expensive to travel so why would you want to blow your travel budget on lodging? This post gives you plenty of tips to save money on hotel costs.   

5. Ten Ways to Save on Prom Expenses

Last year was the first time we dealt with the expense of prom and we didn’t have one child attending- we had three! I wrote this post to show others some of the ways that we saved money and made prom a very affordable event.

6. Getting Started with Twitter

I love Twitter but have to admit that it was incredibly confusing when I first logged on. This post is my attempt to explain and simplify Twitter.     

7.  Ten Reasons You’ll Love Callaway Gardens

When my family was invited to Callaway Gardens, I had no idea what we were in for. I still imagine returning for a week long, family friendly adventure. Callaway Gardens is really some place special!

8. Samuel Boardman State Scenic Corridor

This may be my Top Ten list, but I didn’t write this post. Nope. This post was written by Barb from the ever-popular, if- you- haven’t- seen- it, you- must- visit- site, The Handbook of Nature Study. I have to say that after reading her guest post I certainly can’t wait to plan a trip to Oregon.   

9. Fort Wilderness Campground: Is It Really an Affordable and Enjoyable Alternative to Disney Resort Hotels? 

Our stay at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Campground certainly was memorable, but not in a good way. Thankfully, Disney stepped up and saved the night and it turned out not so bad after all.

10. Hiking Trails Near Huntsville, Alabama: Devil’s Racetrack near Wade Mountain  

One of the reasons we loved living in Alabama was that we were able to hike nearly anytime of the year. That allowed us to visit quite a few hiking trails. This is written from our experience to Devil’s Racetrack.

Thanks for reading The Traveling Praters! I hope you all have a very Happy New Year and can’t wait to see what 2012 has in store!