Isaiah 28:5

Treetop Outpost at Conner Prairie ~ Road Trip Time!

Spring will be here before you know it! This week many bloggers are focusing on adding field trips to their children's education, so we wanted to remind you about Conner Prairie, with this post that originally debuted in July of 2016



Just north of Indianapolis lies one of Indiana's treasures: Conner Prairie! It is a living history museum where guests learn through interaction with costumed interpreters while being immersed in Indiana's past.  While Conner Prairie has long been known for its quality presentation of multiple times in Indiana's history, it is fast becoming known nationwide for its newest area: Treetop Outpost! 


This newest hands-on exhibit is centered around the four-story tall wood and steel Treetop Outpost and includes dozens of activities for all ages. We have been members of Conner Prairie for more than a decade, and I must say, they have outdone themselves with this newest addition! There are learning and play centers outside the structure, as well as various interactive activities inside. Words cannot describe everything there is to do at Treetop Outpost, but I'll try to at least whet your appetite to visit soon!


 As you enter the Treetop Outpost, you cross a slightly elevated boardwalk through a portal that frames your first view of the area. The first outdoor area you see contains three archaeological-dig-type boxes with "relics" for children to find from 200 AD, the 1820's, and a 1950's kitchen. Just beyond this is an area for exploration in art through water painting, twill weaving, or nature framing. Rounding the salvage wall, you will find multiple opportunities to build using various materials. Many of these are appropriate for all ages, but your littlest ones (6 and under) may require some help. This area also hold a unique sand and granite art exploration station.

Approaching the actual Treetop Structure, you will find the outdoor music area where kids and adults alike can listen to recordings and create their own music on three different outdoor instruments. On one of the days this past weekend (Treetop Outpost officially opened on July 1, 2016,) I passed a group of young adults doing a drum and bugle corp style rendition on the drum set. It was quite impressive. Almost as impressive as when a kid played Mary Had a Little Lamb on the xylophone . . . but I think the kid won with the cuteness factor.

For entering the four story Outpost, you can choose the suspension bridge that begins a few steps up from the music platform, or you can take the ADA accessible ramp past the binoculars and flag station. The main floor is chock full of hands-on experiences. Learn to tie knots, explore Indiana on the map wall, get up close and personal with the bugs, moss, and fossils via your fingers and a magnifying glass, these are just some of the options on the main floor. I was impressed with the variety of Hoosiers featured on the learning wall where boxes represent their major reasons for notoriety and tags give you details. This is outdoor learning at its best! Just to the side of all of these activities is a small play area with wooden figures and animals for the make-believe age little ones. The back side of the Outpost has stunning views of the woods and wildlife.

When you venture up the stairs to the second floor, you'll be met with a stunning view of all the areas in front of the Outpost, as well as the other end of the flag station. This floor is an excellent place to stop and look out into nature at a height level many people don't readily have access to. Currently, there is a mama robin raising her fledglings in a  nearby tree.

The third and top floor houses a telescope that can be used to view far and wide. I think the views will be spectacular this Autumn when the leaves change color and begin to fall.

For those who venture down the steps to the basement of Treetop, they will find a quaint little library with books for all ages about the outdoors: picture books, field guides, and more. The seating for the library is reclaimed chairs from the Indianapolis Indians's old home: Bush Stadium.

If you've visited Conner Prairie in the past two years, you may be wondering how this newest area interacts with the Nature Walk. Treetop Outpost is situated at the top of the Nature Walk, which has also seen some new additions this Summer. You can access the Nature Walk either via a path past the base of the Outpost, or by walking out of the basement and taking the spur around to the Nature Walk. 

Be sure to allow yourself at least two hours for your first visit to Treetop Outpost. Because there is so much to see and do in all of the historic areas at Conner Prairie, not to mention in the museum center itself, we are recommending an all day visit. Conner Prairie is open Tuesday-Sunday during the Summer and Fall from 10 am-5 pm. There are reasonably priced food offerings at the Cafe on the Commons, or you can pack a picnic lunch and enjoy it at the tables in front of the museum center. Your admission price gives you all day access to the park, so you can return to your vehicle at your leisure throughout the day for lunch, sunblock, or bug spray as needed. 

Consider purchasing a membership while at Conner Prairie. A basic family membership is only $115 for the whole year (12 months from date of purchase.) For a family of four, you'll begin seeing the savings on only your second visit. If you choose to purchase one-day admission and then wish you'd gotten membership instead, stop at the ticket counter before you leave. Depending the level of membership you choose, you can apply most, if not all, of your one-day admission to a year-long adventure!

Treetop Outpost is a wonderful addition to an already stellar family-friendly, hand-on history park! Plan your road trip soon, and bring your friends! For more information on Conner Prairie, visit their website.

Note: all pictures used in this review were taken on my iPhone, and rendered through our newest favorite app: Waterlogue.

FTC disclosure: We did not receive any compensation for reviewing Treetop Outpost. All opinions are our own. We are simply so impressed with it that we had to share it with you!


Find more great field trip ideas here:

OLIGO 30 Premium Prebiotic Fiber ~ a review

Do you ever have those days when you just feel a little off? What do you do about it? Have you considered that your overall health is linked to your gut health? Too often we let those 'little cheats' become our standard fare instead of them being an occasional indulgence in our eating pattern. If you've been looking for a heavy-duty fiber supplement to get your gut back on track, you'll want to take a look at OLIGO 30 Premium Prebiotic Fiber. Brad Dennis, Ph.D, the founder of Great Gut sent me a container of OLIGO 30 to test out. We had talked extensively about gut health last fall, and I was impressed that someone actually wanted to talk about the science of gut health with me! I had tasted the Great Gut Extra Strength Prebiotic Fiber and wanted to know more about their other products.

So here is the scoop...

OLIGO 30 is a blend of 6 different prebiotics. Prebiotics are those fibers that feed the beneficial bacteria in our digestive system and help them grow. You could take a probiotic every day, but if you do not feed it well, it will not stick around in your gut and help your digestion. You need both, probiotics and prebiotics to maintain a regular, healthy gut. It is not difficult to find probiotics, but it can be a challenge to keep them happy. That is where OLIGO 30 comes in.

The standard plan to follow with OLIGO 30 is to take it in the evenings, so it can feed your good gut bacterial while you sleep. This blend can also help suppress some of the bad gut bacteria you may be harboring, like Streptococcus. If you're already used to taking fiber daily, you can start with a scoop each evening, but if not, start with 1/3 to 1/2 a scoop each evening mixed in 6-9 oz of a non-carbonated beverage and work your way up to the full dose.  One of the Prebiotics in this blend is cocoa powder, but I did not notice it being enough to affect going to sleep, in fact, when you get your gut regular, you sleep better. I did however, find the cocoa difficult to mix in when I used just plain water to take it, so I often mixed it in unsweetened applesauce instead. If any of you are bakers, you'll know that cocoa powder is notorious for not mixing well with water, so if you're taking your OLIGO 30 with water instead of a clear juice, plan on using a mixer bottle instead of a spoon.

The non-dairy formula of OLIGO 30 may create gas and/or bloating for some people. Start with the lower dosage and move up to minimize this. Also, be sure to take it every evening as a consistent usage can minimize the gassy feelings. The best way to do this is to set a reminder on your phone to take it every night a half-hour or so before bed. If you are wanting to mix it into a smoothie, you might want to take it earlier in the evening. If you really struggle with gas or bloating, you might want to consider their Low FODMAP Fiber instead.

I tried taking it both in the evenings and in the mornings and found it did work much better when taken after dinner. This is a potent formula and not for the faint of heart. You said you wanted to get your gut in order right? That means being consistent and letting your body balance itself again!

The price for OLIGO 30 is consistent with other quality prebiotic blends - around a dollar a serving. This container is 13.5 ounces and holds between 37-41 servings depending on how level you make your scoop. It retails for $39.97.

Has your healthcare practitioner been suggesting you start taking fiber? Do more than just take fiber, take a blend that can feed your beneficial bacteria along the way, not one that only pushes food through your gut. OLIGO 30 comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Get it, use it, and have a better balanced digestive tract in 30 days.

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Disclaimer: I received a free container of this product in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions are mine. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC regulations.

Valentine's Day Flash Sale at SchoolhouseTeachers.com - only through Friday 2/16!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Just in case you missed last month's Fresh Start sale and were thinking about joining SchoolhouseTeachers.com, I wanted to let you know about this week's Valentine's Day flash sale. All the great courses, all the great extra resources, only $99/year with code: LOVE18 or $10.95/month with the code: LOVEMONTHLY18 ... and ... the Yearly Membership comes with a chocolate bar and a print copy of the Winter education of The Old Schoolhouse magazine for new US subscribers!

If you are not familiar with SchoolhouseTeachers.com, check out these recent posts of ours that share more information: 

YearlyMembership

History lessons at SchoolhouseTeachers.com


Don't let this opportunity pass you by! The sale ends Friday at midnight!

Isaiah 26:12

Books with Bean ~ Winnie-the- Pooh

Title: Winnie-the-Pooh

Author: A. A. Milne

Published: 1926

Genre: Children’s 

Summary: It started with some bees and ended with a child realizing he was growing up, but all the stories in the middle are what make it timeless. The stories of Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, Owl, Eeyore, Kanga and Baby Roo, Rabbit and Christopher Robin are simple, sweet and they never grow old. 

The title of the very first story is of course In Which We Are Introduced to Winnie the Pooh and Some Bees and the Stories Begin and I find this sums up the stories well. There is always Pooh and his friends and in this case the bees as well. Simple but fun stories that teach the important lessons of friendship and courage, sticking to your goals and having fun while you do. 

What I liked about it: Classic tales stay with us and stay popular because to quote G. K. Chesterton. “This is also why the new novels die so quickly, and why the old fairy tales endure for ever. The old fairy tale makes the hero a normal human boy; it is his adventures that are startling; they startle him because he is normal. But in the modern psychological novel the hero is abnormal; the centre is not central. Hence the fiercest adventures fail to affect him adequately, and the book is monotonous. You can make a story out of a hero among dragons; but not out of a dragon among dragons. The fairy tale discusses what a sane man will do in a mad world. The sober realistic novel of to-day discusses what an essential lunatic will do in a dull world.”

I find this applies to these stories so well, Christopher Robin is a happy and curious little boy and it is his adventures with his animal friends that make the stories so good and last so long. I know I have mostly done books for older kids but honestly this is one of my favorite books even to this day. It reminds me of the fun I had as a kid and to never grow out of the love of the simple things in life. It is all about the adventures you have even as a grown up when you realize you are not to old to have fun. 

Language: None

Romance: None

Violence: None

Magic: None

Recommended Age: As soon as you want. These stories are for children and it is my personal belief that they should be some of the first stories read to children when they are babies.

Mark 13:13