📅 Ohio Homeschool Field Trip Date: October 16, 2025
🕙 Time: 10 AM – 5 PM
📍 Location: Vinton County Fairgrounds – Hocking Hills, Ohio
💲 Admission: Just $10 per vehicle
Step Back in Time and Learn by Doing at this Ohio Homeschool Field Trip
If you’ve ever dreamed of taking your homeschool lessons out of the books and into real life, the ultimate Ohio Homeschool field trip, Heritage Explorers Fest & History Fair is your chance! This full-day, hands-on homeschool field trip brings history, science, and homesteading skills to life for students of all ages—right in the heart of beautiful Hocking Hills, Ohio.
Families from across the state gather for this one-of-a-kind event, where kids can try pioneer crafts, meet farm animals, take survival skills classes, and even throw tomahawks under the guidance of skilled instructors.
A Living History Experience at this Ohio Homeschool Event
Beginning at 10 AM, the History Village opens with demonstrations from costumed interpreters such as Daniel Boone, pioneer basket weavers, leatherworkers, slate workers, and herbalists. Families can tour exhibits, watch demonstrations, and shop the Heritage Market throughout the day.
Period-dressed children can even enter a door prize drawing at the Ohio homeschool field trip – Heritage Skills USA booth… so grab your bonnets, suspenders, or coonskin caps!
Ohio Homeschool Field Trip Boasts Hands-On Classes Throughout the Day
The festival runs continuously from 10 AM to 5 PM with dozens of learning experiences. Here’s a glimpse at what your homeschoolers can explore:
🕙 10 AM Homeschool Field Trip Classes
- Pioneer Open Flame Biscuits & Jam Topping: Learn to cook like the pioneers—mix dough, bake over an open flame, and top your biscuits with homemade jam.
- Candle Making – Make & Take: Dip your own candle to take home.
- Foraging Hike for Kids: Identify edible and medicinal plants with a foraging instructor.
- Tree “Cookie” Activity: Discover how to read tree rings to learn a tree’s age and history. Take home your own wood slice craft!
🕚 11 AM Homeschool Classes
- Primitive Fire Starting & Bushcraft for Kids: Learn basic fire-making safety and techniques—includes a printable Bushcraft Unit Study PDF.
- Slingshot Course & Knife History (Optional $5 Take-Home Slingshot): Learn the science and history behind this classic tool, then test your aim.
- Chicken Husbandry for Kids: Meet real chickens and discover how to care for them, collect eggs, and understand flock behavior—includes All About Chickens Unit Study download.
- Tree “Cookie” Activity (Repeat): Hands-on dendrology fun for all ages.
🍽️ Noon – 1 PM: Pioneer Lunch
Enjoy a hearty Pioneer Lunch for just $10 per person—watch and learn as chicken noodles, mashed potatoes, green beans, and biscuits are prepared from scratch. Or, pack your own picnic and enjoy the fairgrounds.
🕐 1 PM Homeschool Classes
- Water Filter Making Class: Bring a plastic water bottle and learn to make a natural water filter using sand, charcoal, and cloth.
- Traditional Handicrafts – Needle Felting “Painting”: Create a wool art piece with fiber artist instruction. Adult learners welcome! Includes printable Handicrafts Unit Study.
- Barnyard Husbandry: Meet the goats, learn about their care, and try your hand at goat milking!
- Knife & Axe Throwing (Ages 12+): A favorite among older homeschoolers—learn proper safety and throwing form.
- Tree “Cookie” Craft (Repeat Session): Another chance to create your own dated keepsake.
🕑 2 PM Homeschool Classes
- Wilderness Survival for Kids Hike: Learn outdoor safety, shelter basics, and what to do if you’re ever lost in the woods.
- Pioneer Kids Games & Butter Making: Play traditional games and hand-churn butter to sample!
- Pioneer Storytime & Wood Peg People Craft: Younger learners will love hearing pioneer tales and making a keepsake figure or tin ornament.
- Crawfish Habitat & Dissection: A fascinating hands-on science class exploring aquatic ecosystems.
- Slingshot Course (Repeat Session): Continue testing your aim with a take-home wooden slingshot.
- Beginning Sewing: Stitch your own Pioneer Pouch with simple hand-sewing techniques.
🕒 3 PM Homeschool Classes
- Water Bath Canning for Kids – Make & Take Jam: Learn canning safety and water bath basics, then take home your own jar of jam!
- Primitive Fire Starting – PM Session: Another chance to spark a flame the old-fashioned way.
- Pioneer Homeschooling Experience: Practice handwriting, lessons, and chores just like 1800s students—includes a writing slate to take home.
- Wilderness Skills Hike (Optional Compass Take-Home): Learn to navigate using natural landmarks and compasses.
🕓 4 PM Homeschool Activities
- Fishing Class: Learn baiting and casting techniques, then make your own primitive fishing pole and take it home.
- Knife & Axe Throwing (Ages 12+): Final afternoon session.
- Wild West History Play: Gather at the main stage for a fun and educational live performance written and acted by homeschool students.
- 4:45 PM – History Fair Awards Ceremony: Celebrate the creativity and research of students who entered the Heritage Explorers History Fair!
🧵 Ohio Homeschool Field Trips Youth Makers Market (3–5 PM)
Support young entrepreneurs at the Youth Makers Market! Students can bring their own tables and canopies to display and sell handmade crafts, baked goods, or creations.
Why Hands-On Learning Matters
Events like Heritage Explorers Fest remind us why homeschooling is so powerful. Instead of memorizing facts, students get to live history and do science. When children light a fire with flint, bake bread in the open air, or sew their own pouch, learning sticks in ways a worksheet never could.
This event aligns with modern experiential learning principles promoted by education experts such as the Institute for Experiential Learning and the National Park Service’s Teaching with Historic Places program.
Connect, Learn & Celebrate Homeschooling in Ohio
This isn’t just an event—it’s a community gathering of hundreds of homeschool families from across Ohio. You’ll meet other parents and co-ops passionate about hands-on education, homesteading, and preserving traditional skills.
With over 20 classes, live demonstrations, history fair exhibits, and family-friendly fun, there’s something for every learner—preschool through high school.
🌿 Ohio Homeschool Field Trip Event Details Recap
📅 Date: October 16, 2025
🕙 Time: 10 AM – 5 PM
📍 Location: Vinton County Fairgrounds – Hocking Hills, Ohio
💲 Admission: $10 per vehicle (all passengers included)
🎟️ Lunch Option: Pioneer Lunch $10 per person (optional)
🪶 Bonus: Kids attending in historical clothing can enter the Heritage Skills USA door prize drawing!
Don’t Miss Out!
If you’ve been looking for the perfect fall homeschool field trip—one that combines history, nature, and life skills—mark your calendar for Heritage Explorers Fest 2025.
👉 Learn more and plan your visit at www.heritageskillsusa.com
Bring your curiosity, your family, and your sense of adventure.
You’ll leave inspired—and maybe a little dusted with flour and sawdust too.
🪶 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Heritage Explorers Fest
❓ What is Heritage Explorers Fest?
Heritage Explorers Fest is a hands-on homeschool field trip and living history event where families learn traditional skills, pioneer crafts, homesteading, and natural science through 20+ interactive classes. It’s hosted by Heritage Skills USA and takes place at the Vinton County Fairgrounds in the scenic Hocking Hills of Ohio.
❓ Who can attend?
Everyone is welcome! While the event is designed especially for homeschool families, it’s open to students of all ages—from preschoolers to teens—and their parents, grandparents, and co-op groups. Adults love the classes too, especially the needle felting and handicrafts sessions!
❓ How much does it cost to attend?
Admission is just $10 per vehicle, no matter how many people you bring. Pack in your family, your co-op crew, or your best homeschooling friends—it’s one low price for everyone in your car.
There’s also an optional Pioneer Lunch available for $10 per person, featuring chicken noodles, mashed potatoes, green beans, and biscuits.
❓ Do I need to register for classes ahead of time?
Registration is highly recommended. Many classes are booked full or nearly full.
❓ What should we bring?
Here are a few helpful items to make the most of your day:
- A refillable water bottle (especially if your child wants to join the Water Filter Making Class)
- Sunscreen and comfortable walking shoes
- Cash for lunch, the Youth Makers Market, and optional take-home crafts
- A picnic blanket or chairs for relaxing between sessions
- A small wagon or backpack for carrying your handmade crafts
❓ What ages are the classes best suited for?
Most activities are designed for ages 5–17, with flexibility for younger siblings to tag along. Classes like foraging hikes, biscuit baking, candle making, and animal husbandry are great for the whole family. The bulk of the grounds and the rest room is both stroller and wheelchair friendly.
❓ Will there be food available during the Ohio Homeschool Field Trip?
Yes! The Pioneer Lunch will be served from 12–1 PM and includes a hearty homemade-style meal for $10 per person. You can also bring your own picnic if you prefer and picnic tables are available.
❓ What if it rains?
The show goes on! Many sessions are covered, and large barns and shelters throughout the fairgrounds keep everyone dry. We recommend bringing a light jacket or poncho just in case.
❓ What’s the History Fair a the Ohio Homeschool Event?
The Heritage Explorers History Fair is a showcase of homeschool student projects related to history, science, and culture. Submissions are dropped off at the Fern Kruger Building upon arrival, with interviews at 4 PM and awards announced at 4:45 PM.
❓ Can my child sell something at the Youth Makers Market during this Ohio Homeschool Field Trip?
Yes! From 3–5 PM, students can set up at the Youth Makers Market to sell their handmade items, baked goods, or crafts. Just bring your own table and canopy. It’s a great way to teach entrepreneurship and marketing in a supportive homeschool environment.
❓ Is there a dress-up or costume option?
Absolutely! Children who attend in period clothing (pioneer, colonial, or Wild West style) can enter the door prize contest at the Heritage Skills USA booth. Costumes aren’t required, but they make the day extra fun!
❓ Where can I find updates and more information?
Visit www.heritageskillsusa.com for the latest schedule, instructor updates, and printable guides. You can also follow Heritage Skills USA on Facebook and Instagram for sneak peeks and announcements.