Field Trips Kids Ideas
Field trips are a great way to enhance the education of children. Field trips help kids relate the subjects they learn in school to the real world, allow them to meet interesting professionals and teach them to behave appropriately in a group social environment.
Field trips can be purely for recreational enjoyment such as a fun day at the park, or they can have a specific educational goal like a trip to a museum.
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Trips to Local Businesses or Government
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A fun and easy field trip idea that can fit into almost any area of study is a trip to a local business or government facility. The advantage of utilizing these local resources is that they are highly educational, lend themselves to a large variety of subject matter and are inexpensive. They also allow students to interact with other people in the community.
Ideas for field trips to local businesses might include a trip to an artist studio, the police or fire department, the local power company or a farm. Industries specific to the area are particularly good ideas.
Museums and Historic Sites
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Almost any part of the country will have historic sites, and larger towns and cities may have a variety of museums. These kinds of establishments welcome groups and often have staff on site to assist and guide tours. Although these field trips are more subject-specific, they are also designed to educate thoroughly.
Contact the local government to research a list of historical sites that offer group tours. They will often offer discounts to large groups and educational institutions.
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Nature Outings
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Nature outings are valuable in many different ways. Getting the students out of the classroom and into nature is an exciting way to spark interest in the natural world. Nature trips to local national parks and wildlife reserves are ideal. When arranged in advance, park rangers may be available to give tours and facilitate nature walks.
Nature walks and field trips to wildlife sanctuaries are excellent activities to complement science and biology classes.
Recreational Outings
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Field trips are a great way to simply allow kids to enjoy themselves and get some great exercise and fresh air. Trips to local playgrounds and recreational areas such as amusement parks and water parks are great ways to spend a summer day with a group of kids.
Directing the students to write a paper or answer questions about their experiences during a recreational outing can make a fun trip an educational field trip as well.
Planning a Trip
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When planning any field trip, the school administration and parents must be notified. Consent forms are often available at the school office to send home with students. Take this opportunity to ask for parent chaperons as well.
Select trips based on cost and distance as well as educational value. Find out the budget for outings from school administration and use this to gauge possible trip ideas. Transportation is usually arranged through the school administration, and must be considered in the trip budget.
Contact the offices of possible trip locations and inquire about group rates and services.
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References
- Photo Credit Yellow Schoolbus image by Jim Mills from Fotolia.com
