Adventure awaits! As a stay-at-home mom, who homeschools three kids, a spontaneous day at Silverwood is such a treat. Our family looks forward to visiting Silverwood every year! I love that the park opens so close to the school year end and about the time our homeschool co-op finishes. We have been homeschooling for about four years and each year I love sprinkling the end of the school year with spontaneous adventures. Silverwood is a fantastic choice for this. We love living within a quick driving distance to the park and meeting our friends for a fun day on the coasters! Our family looks forward to these days with friends, because they are so memorable and add so much value to our homeschooling journey.

As a homeschooling family our community is so important to us.  We love creating experiences with our friends.  As I said above, spontaneous adventures at the park are some of my kid’s favorite memories! We have found so much joy in creating lasting memories at Silverwood. In the homeschooling world we all know just how important it is to have a strong community to homeschool alongside with.  These connections foster wonderful friendships while we explore and take adventures together.  

Silverwood is one of our favorite field trips ideas to plug in towards the end of school year. There are many ways that a spontaneous day at Silverwood is possible for homeschool families. One way would be the Read to Ride Reading program.  

 As Dr. Seuss would say, 

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” 

The Read to Ride Reading Program has blessed our family for 3 years now! I am going to go into how the program works and how you can participate as a family to earn a free ticket to the park. This program was developed to help spark interest and inspire kids to find joy in reading. My kids absolutely love this program, because each year they are so excited to find books to read and to log their times so they can begin earning their “Golden Ticket” to Silverwood.  

The official program rules are listed HERE. Our Classical Conversations Coop in Sandpoint was able to participate in this program for the past two years! We have had a wonderful mom step up and help our community group get qualified to participate in this very generous outreach program.

Here is an example of the Reading Log Form we had for our homeschool Coop group. 

Each form acts as a log that helps each student track their reading hours. Each student needs a total of 10 Hours of reading to earn their ticket.  When we finished filling out this form, our family submitted it to our Co-op Coordinator (aka… a mom who volunteered to coordinate this awesome opportunity), and she submitted all the forms together to Silverwood. Once Silverwood has the forms, they will review them and then will email or text the tickets to the students who participated. Remember all students from Pre-K to 6th grade can participate. This is a great way to experience Silverwood and spark that interest in reading! 

INSIDER TIPS……. 

Here are 3 tips, from a homeschooling mom, when planning this day out with your homeschoolers.

1. Utilize your Read to Ride Tickets 

These tickets are such a blessing, especially for bigger families, because they create an opportunity to experience Silverwood and all its wonder even if your household lives off one income. Which I have found this to be true for our family, Read to Ride curates a curiosity to read and learn which will enrich our kids in so many ways.  Reach out to your Co-op Coordinator’s to see how your homeschooling community can be apart of this amazing outreach. 

2. Make it a Community Affair 

Community and family make adventures memorable. When planning this awesome day, don’t forget to do it together with those in your homeschooling communities! Some of my fondest trips were when we spent a day at Silverwood with those we do homeschooling and quite honestly life alongside. The day included multiple moms, tons of kids, and plenty of snacks, of course! You won’t regret doing a full day at the park with those that bring value to your life.   

 3. Plan a Special/Spontaneous Treat 

Here are some ideas for you! What I like to do for my kids is include a surprise at some point in the day! One option is allowing them to play at the arcade, which gives them an opportunity to win a stuffed animal. Which is my son’s favorite thing at Silverwood. Or simply, getting them a sweet treat! This year I treated my kids to both! But I have found this to add such fond memories for my kids because we are not able to do this every day! It fosters such excitement for them, and I am so grateful these littles blessing spark such joy!

“Joy is the simplest form of gratitude!” 

 -Anonymous 

I hope this post was helpful and brought value to you and your family! What a blessing it is to create these opportunities that cultivate unique memories for our kids.  Silverwood is a great option for all families, and it will not disappoint! Don’t forget to explore the fantastic Read to Ride outreach, build a strong homeschool community, and curate unforgettable memories together at Silverwood!  

Meet the Conductor

Hello I’m Shawna! I am a stay-at-home mom, who homeschools, has a slight obsession with iced coffees, and I love living north Idaho! I have been married for 11 years and have two biological kids and one foster daughter who will soon be adopted. We have lived in North Idaho for seven years and have visited Silverwood the past five years. Our kids are finally at an age where fond memories are continuing to be created every year. We make many group trips throughout the summer with friends, and it has become quite a tradition! I love to write and really enjoy sharing experiences with my Sandpoint community. I truly feel incredibly blessed to live here and serve others in the region. I have a small sourdough bread baking business and find joy in sharing that. The most important aspects of my life are my love for the Lord, loving my family, and serving those in my community.

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