Kiddos climbing the walls? Cabin fever setting in? Sick of hearing the word, “Virtually”? Want to actually get in your car and go somewhere? How does a REAL field trip sound? That’s precisely what we did & it felt amazing, almost normal. We went to one of NW Ohio’s hidden gems, 577 Foundation.
“Whatever we do here, let’s be educational, environmental, experimental, and let’s have fun” –Virginia Stranahan-
Not familiar with 577 Foundation?
DETAILS:
Hours: Monday-Sunday 9am-5pm
Address: 577 East Front Street, Perrysburg, OH 43551
Phone: (419) 874-4174
Website: http://www.577foundation.org/
History of 577 Foundation
The property goes back to the 1880’s as an old farmland, while the deed to the place was actually signed by President John Quincy Adams. In 1935, Duane and Virginia Stranahan purchased the 12 acre property, built their home and raised a family of six children. Virginia always had an interest in gardening & agriculture. Their home was a small farm with pigs, chickens, cattle, horses & victory gardens for each of the 6 children.
Many of the riverfront estates began to sub-divide and develop. None of her 6 children wanted this place, so Virginia decided to return her property to the community in a way that will preserve the land she loves, teach stewardship & make it useful to as many people as possible. At the age of 80, she decided to practice her belief as a preservationist. “To keep a corner of Perrysburg green” and “give people a way to get down to see the Maumee river” were a couple of the reasons she gave people when they questioned why she was preserving her estate from development. “Whatever we do here, let’s be educational, environmental, experimental, and let’s have fun” these words were often used as she opened her grounds and facility to the public. And one of the most significant comment when people asked what we were all about was “What would you like us to do?” (Source)What will you will find at the 577 Foundation?
Please note that there are a number of areas that are not open during Covid-19; however there are still significant amounts of educational information that makes it worth the “Field Trip”. If you have never been to 577 Foundation CLICK HERE https://momonthegoinholytoledo.com/2016/07/23/the-577-foundation-is-a-must-see/ to see all the awesome activities offered pre-Covid-19.
What was our main focus for taking a Field Trip to 577 Foundation? To collect research/information on how to best start our compost pile and our garden…added bonus was the scavenger hunt, walk, & peace of mind.
We started our field trip with each kiddo given a clipboard with paper & pen to take notes on heirloom vegetables, to sketch the garden beds so we have proper diagrams on how to assemble our garden and compost pile at home, & ultimately the supplies we will need to purchase.
Then we had a bit of fun with our scavenger hunt…577 Foundation Scavenger Hunt.
Finally we took a relaxing stroll along the path, the river walk, & learned a bit more…
We also got a little creative…while we couldn’t touch this, I could place my phone’s camera near it to take a pic and then show the children the beautiful kaleidoscope.
Bottom line, life as we knew it is a thing of the past, we CAN ADAPT, WE WILL ADAPT for the sake of our children. Get out! Grab your masks, have fun, learn, & then finish off your adventure with a “special treat” 😉
Mom on the go in Holy Toledo 
One thought on “577 Foundation: REAL Field Trip You Can Take With Your Kids”