Remote learning and work from home mean more together time than ever before. But that doesn’t mean you have to stare at the same four walls. Take a working vacation and let the kids have a schoolcation with a getaway to the Pocono Mountains. You can unplug from your everyday routine while staying connected to work and school. Plus, there are so many chances to enrich your child’s education. Here are 8 great ways to enhance remote learning in the Poconos. After everyone’s work is finished, plan a little play time that incorporates history, ecology, science and culture.
Home Away from Home
Make Silver Birches Resort your home base of operations. There are a variety of accommodations to fit every situation. For nuclear families there are self-contained, home-like options such as The Retreat at Millbrook Cove. The lakeside suites feature a complete kitchen and spacious living and dining rooms as well as a private balcony. Meeting up with extended family or close friends to form a learning pod? There are several vacation home rentals available that offer enough space for everyone to spread out while staying under the same roof. You’ll have the luxuries of hotel life with all the conveniences of home.
1. Wallenpaupack Environmental Learning Center
At 5,700 acres with 52-miles of shoreline, Lake Wallenpaupack is a vast outdoor classroom. Water from the lake powers a hydroelectric plant providing clean, renewable energy. Visit the Wallenpaupack Environmental Learning Center for displays about hydroelectric generation, history of the area and creation of the lake. There’s also an auditorium, science laboratory, resource library, glass museum and Native American artifacts.
2. Dorflinger Factory Museum
In the mid-1800s, the village of White Mills was an industrial hub creating the finest cut glass in the world. The coveted pieces graced the most prestigious tables of the time and were even part of the collections at the White House through several administrations. Dorflinger Factory Museum is a regional industrial heritage museum that preserves the history and craftsmanship of a bygone time. Tour the restored cutting shop and factory office building. Exhibits detail the glass-making process and history of the company. A short distance away, the Dorflinger Glass Museum displays the largest collection of Dorflinger Glass in the world inside the former home of company founder Christian Dorflinger. The 600-acres surrounding his home are preserved as a wildlife sanctuary with miles of walking trails.
3. The Stourbridge Line
Relive the era of locomotion with a train excursion through the Northern Poconos on The Stourbridge Line. Ride in vintage coaches along a route that dates back over 100 years. Trains depart from Honesdale, PA the sight of the first commercial railroad in America. A steam-powered engine known as the Stourbridge Lion took its to Do Near Hawley, inaugural trip here in 1829.
4. Lacawac Sanctuary
Public education on environmental and conservation issues is the founding principle of Lacawac Sanctuary. The nature preserve that surrounds a 52-acre glacial lake is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Lake Lacawac is the southernmost glacial lake in the hemisphere and a declared National Natural Landmark. There are two different habitats around the lake worth exploring. The Natural Boreal Bog is an undisturbed, pristine wetland. The regions to the east and north consist of sand and rock. There are eight hiking trails on the grounds as well as a venue for ecological research, scholarly interaction and scientific training.
5. Eagle Institute
Enjoy the rare opportunity to see Bald Eagles in the wild. The Upper Delaware River Region is one of the largest bald eagle wintering areas in the Northeastern United States. The Delaware Highlands Conservancy operates the Eagle Institute in nearby Lackawaxen, PA. Visitors may learn more about eagles and their habitats, get information on eagle sightings and take a bus tour for guided eagle watching opportunities. The institute is open weekends in January and February.
6. Pocono Environmental Education Center
A great resource for learning, the mission of Pocono Environmental Education Center is to advance environmental education, sustainable living and appreciation for nature through hands-on experiences in a national park. Located within the boundaries of Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area visitors will find 12 miles of hiking trails, the educational building that features displays and a bookstore, teaching yurts and family-oriented activities and workshops.
7. D & H Canal Park
See the remnants of a marvel of civil engineering. The Delaware & Hudson Canal consisted of 108-miles of locks built mostly by hand. The system operated from 1828 to 1908 and carried anthracite coal from the mines of Northeastern Pennsylvania to Kingston, NY. D & H Canal Park boasts 16 acres that includes the remnants of Canal Lock 31. Visitors can walk the former canal towpath and read the interpretive signs along the way that detail the area’s history. Go inside Daniels Farmhouse, also on the property. The structure dates to 1820 and contains numerous displays and historical artifacts.
8. The Great Outdoors
8. The Great OutdoorsNature is a great teacher. Explore what’s right outside your door. Acquire a new skill such as fishing or boating right here on Lake Wallenpaupack. Set off on one of the countless trails in the area to see native flora and fauna. Promised Land State Park, Shuman Point Nature Trail and Prompton State Park are all nearby and offer endless opportunities for hiking, biking and wildlife watching. Learn how to make a fire, then roast marshmallows with the family while you stargaze. Spend some time in the saddle on a horseback ride through the countryside. Fall in love with winter sports. Ski Big Bear in nearby Lackawaxen is the ideal mountain to learn to ski or snowboard or brush up on your skills.
Learn to Let Go
Lessen the stress of unpredictable times with a change of pace. Work and study amid the mountains. Take your laptop lakeside. Find the space to breath and room to concentrate on what really matters. Check out our specials and packages to find the best fit. Then, get busy enjoying life.