I have lived in the area for 15 years and before that for 7 years and I never made it to the Jupiter Lighthouse. Thank goodness for co-op, this year’s topics, and parents who planned the field trip.
We have traveled through the states of North America this year, with each child responsible for a particular state. Our moms were amazing at covering various themes that could be learned about each of the states. This month our theme was man-made landmarks in their states. As the Jupiter Lighthouse was less than an hour away, it was our real-life learning oppurtunity.
Before getting to the lighthouse, the grounds houses an old house from the early days. It is raised above the ground with a central room and two rooms off to each side of the middle sitting area. One room was a living room with a table, desk, and piano for entertaining. The other side was the sleeping room. It also had a porch to enjoy the outside, (and probably be attacked by mosquitoes!). Out the backdoor was a walkway and another building for the kitchen. We learned that this was because fires were often used in the kitchen and frequently caught on fire. This way, a kitchen fire would not destroy the main house.
An Indigenous people’s chickee hut was on the grounds with benches along the side. It was perfect for a quick historical chat about the light house
We made it to the lighthouse and had to wait for people to come down, before we went in groups up the 105 steps. I was not planning to climb it, as I have PTSD from the last lighthouse I visited. However, there were a few last-minute kids who wanted to climb, and I was the last mother who was able of it, so I did it. I took a quick look up top. It was beautiful to see from such a height. Then I took the first available group back down. I will say that climbing down is always a lot more work for me than going up. But we made it!!
We finally made it to a local man-made landmark that went perfectly with what we had been learning. We got some serious exercise, and then we enjoyed a nutritious lunch at the park that was on the other side of the parking lot. If you are local or in the area, don’t forget to visit the Jupiter Lighthouse.
