Bring history to life by spending the day at a historical site in your state. Visit the state legislature, a battleground, the residence of a famous person, such as your state's founder, or a history museum. Work the historical site into a lesson ahead of time so that, by the time you get there, your child understands its significance and can appreciate seeing it firsthand. For a longer trip, visit Washington D.C., Gettysburg battleground or another site that played a prominent role in our national history.
Expand your cultural horizons with a fine arts field trip. Spend the day wandering around an art museum, looking at different artists and artistic periods. Write down any that you would like to study, then add them to your curriculum for that year. Alternately, study up on art history beforehand, then go to your local art museum to see some of the classic works you have read about.
To experience local art, wait for an open studios day in your town and tour all the art studios to see what people are working on. Ask questions about techniques and styles that interest you.
Learn more about the infrastructure that keeps our society moving with an industry field trip. Take a tour of a hydroelectric plant, nuclear power plant, coal plant or other generator. Alternately, arrange a trip to a printing press, manufacturing plant or packaging center. Learn about agriculture at a large commercial farm or a small family one. If your state has a museum of industry, visit it to learn more about how modern manufacturing evolved.
Learn about astronomy at your local science center. Take a trip to the planetarium for a guided tour of the galaxy. Then attend a community night at an observatory where you can get a detailed look at the skies. Alternately, build a telescope at home as part of your homeschool curriculum. Take a field trip into the wilderness and set it up in an open field. Look for stars, meteorites, passing satellites and planets in the night sky.
There are countless opportunities to learn about music. Take a trip to your local symphony for a classical performance or a trip to a coffee shop for an open mic night. Keep an eye out for traditional music demonstrations at Native American, Chinese, Indian and other cultural centers. Go to your local library and take out albums by famous American musical innovators, such as Aaron Copland and John Coltrane.