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Field Trips
Organizing field trips and other events is a part of T.E.A.C.H. It gives our group a variety of activities to attend and doesn't leave all of the planning to one or two people. Also, families are able to plan events that they would like to do while inviting others to join them.
Families offering an activity make all decisions regarding that activity. While some of our more active families may be perceived as leaders, especially by newcomers, the truth is that no one decides what is to be on the calendar besides the families themselves. As long as we claim ownership and responsibility only for what we as individuals offer to one another and not for any type of group authority, then we avoid misunderstandings and conflicts. Each individual member is also free to decide whether or not to participate in any activity offered by another member. No activity is mandatory.
In order to avoid time and date conflicts with other events, it is helpful to view the calendar to see what else is scheduled in the same month before you finalize your plans.
Some families agonize over taking the initiative to organize and plan events but they don't have to. By following your copy of the T.E.A.C.H. Handbook (specifically our Field Trip Activity Guidelines) along with the following helpful guidelines, each field trip should be fun and rewarding.
Research Suggestions
* Look in the Yellow Pages and newspapers to find businesses and companies that interest your family. Call and make inquiries.
* Do they conduct tours?
* What does the tour include and how long does it last?
* What age range (grade level) is recommended or mandatory?
* What days and times are tours available?
* What is the minimum and maximum number of participants required?
* What is the cost per adult and child?
* Is payment or a deposit required in advance?
* Can parents participate with their children?
* Are young siblings allowed to come on the tour with parent supervision? If not, is there a place at the facility (a park or library nearby) where parents with younger children can wait?
* Are there any special instructions, safety precautions or behavior expectations?
Field Trip Guidelines
Recommended Information To
Include in Announcements to Others
* Date and time (and rain/snow date, if applicable)
* Event or trip name
* Description of the event
* Cost (including any pre-payments needed to help pay for a deposit for the event) * Picnic or eating facility (bring lunch? Eating at the cafe or restaurant? ..).
Additional Considerations:
1. Homeschoolers travel in family groups, meaning the "students" are often of varying grade levels and abilities. They each come with their own personal teacher, who can translate to their grade level if necessary. Please do not feel that you have to give a tour that is appropriate for every age group we represent! As long as the material is suitable for the parents, the knowledge can be passed on effectively! 2. Please be at the designated meeting place before or at least on time.
3. Parking- we require more parking than a simple school bus! When you see the trail of minivans, you'll know we have arrived. We generally meet in the parking lot of the place we're touring- do a head count- remind the children of the rules- and then enter as a group. If there are parking restrictions or advice you can give us, or special rules we need to be aware of, please let me know so I can make arrangements.
4. Small children - we usually have a few! Infants are carried by their mothers (or in a stroller if there's access) and promptly removed or fed if they cry. If preschoolers attend a field trip that doesn't meet their needs, mothers generally remove them to the outdoors or an appropriate area if their presence becomes distracting or inappropriate.
5. We usually have no time restraints. School field trips generally have an ending time- a time when they all pack up and leave- we could stay all day! We tend to linger when we have had a good trip, or when there are interesting things to look at.
6. We pre-study whatever topics we feel would maximize our educational experience, therefore we ask a lot of questions and are generally very interested in understanding the answers. If you have materials to recommend or that we can duplicate for our members- we would sincerely appreciate having that knowledge before we arrive. If you have a website that often proves helpful!
7. Many of our children like to send thank-you cards to tour guides, so if you can possibly have a few business cards on hand - with a mailing address, it would be greatly appreciated.
8. Last but not least - flash photography...please let us know before we arrive if it is acceptable to take photographs during our visit.
9. Only sign up for a field trip if you are committed to going! Arrangements are made according to numbers and it is a poor testimony if you set everything up for 50 people but only 10 show up. (This has happened in the past!) If an emergency does arise, please notify the coordinator as soon as possible. 10. Field trip attire should be in good taste, e.g. children should not wear ripped jeans, short shorts or dresses, tank tops etc, as these are school outings. Certain field trips may require students to dress up, such as concerts. Please abide by our dress codes listed in your copy of the T.E.A.C.H. Handbook. 11. As a parent, you must always know where your children are and what they are doing. Your children need to be with you. The children and parents should be respectful, kind and courteous to the tour guides and each other. 12. Pick up after yourself. Place everything where it needs to be. Place all trash in a trash receptacle. Always remember, first impressions are the longest lasting! For some tours, you will represent the public's first exposure to homeschooling. Let's make it a good one!! Remember the Purpose of the Field Trip Be flexible and follow your child's lead. Don't be surprised if your planned visit to see the dinosaur bones is put on hold because the huge elephant has caught your children's attention. Let them enjoy the exhibit at their own pace. Be ready to discuss any questions they may have. If you don't know the answers, jot down the questions in a notebook.
Try to relate facts about the exhibit that you're seeing to what your children already know. For example, a knight's suit of armor serves the same purpose as a catcher's mask, a bicycle helmet, or shin guards–to protect the body.
Ask your children to tell you a story about an object in the exhibit that interests them. "Who do you think wore that suit of armor?" "How did they make it fit?" Encourage them to use their imaginations. If labels or wall text provide more information, include it in your discussion.
Play Museum and Gallery Games. Children of all ages love to play games. Museum games or treasure hunts focus a museum visit and help to break up the time as you go from exhibit to exhibit. They stimulate your child's curiosity, sharpen observation skills, and generally make the visit more enjoyable. If the museum does not provide games, make up your own:
Postcard Games Buy some postcards at the museum gift shop. Then turn your children into detectives and ask them to find the pictured items. Not only will they enjoy the hunt, but they'll be thrilled to discover the real thing. Were the colors the same? the details? the textures? the size? Later at home, the cards can be arranged for a home exhibition.
I Spy. Have youngsters find an object in an exhibit and describe it to other family members so that each one can take a turn guessing what the object is: "I spy something red and brown with sharp edges" or "I spy something that inches its way along the ground."
Seek and Find. Ask your child to find paintings that have his or her favorite colors, shapes, or objects in them. This game is not only fun but teaches children to look very closely at each object. Games like this give children a sense of accomplishment when they successfully find or identify everything asked of them.
Where Is It? Ask your child to find something in the exhibit that is very .... soft .... hard .... strong .... shiny .... Or something that feels rough .... smooth .... hot.... slippery .... bumpy .... itchy .... Or something that smells yummy .... burnt .... sweet ....
Tell Me Why or How? Begin the game by saying something like, "If I could ask one question, I'd ask: Tell me the steps in building an Indian tepee?" The answers are usually within the exhibit. This game is fun in any kind of museum.
Visit the Museum Gift Shop. Families are sure to find books, posters, toys, games, postcards, and other mementos that remind children of what they saw and expand their knowledge.
Child-Size Your Visit. Don't try to see everything in one visit. Young children, especially preschoolers and those in early grades, usually learn best in 10- to 15-minute sessions and can be overwhelmed by seeing too many things at one time. Thirty minutes to 1 hour may be the limit. Should your children say things like "I'm bored," "it's so hot in here," or "when are we going home?"–you know that they've seen enough and it's time to take a break or leave. Plan another visit to see the exhibits you missed.
After the Visit
Look for opportunities to continue learning after the visit. To reinforce the learning experience, you might: - Use the museum's family guide with ideas for activities at home.
- Relate what your children have seen to things they already know. For example, if your children enjoyed an exhibit on astronauts, then you might talk with them about the first man on the Moon or what we know about the possibility of life on other planets.
- Suggest that your children start a collection of their favorite objects and build their own home museum. A good way to add to the collection is to look for yard sales or flea markets in your neighborhood. If you're lucky, your collectible treasures may be found for as little as 50 cents!
- Check television and newspaper listings for shows about auctions or other collectibles. These programs often feature many different objects that are being auctioned, describing their history, value, and context.
- Go online. Many museums maintain websites that feature information about their exhibits and interactive activities for children. See the resources section of http://www.ed.gov/pubs/Museum/resource.html for some sites to visit.
- Encourage your children's creativity by suggesting they make a sculpture or mobile of something they saw in the museum from things found at home–newspapers, broken toys, building blocks, or clay. Display it in your home. If you visited a science museum, try some experiments at home with weights and measures, lights and shadows, or mixing acids and bases (soda and vinegar, lemon and milk). Check your library for books of activities and experiments.
- Ask your children to talk to friends and relatives about the visit. What were their favorite things? What didn't they like? And why?
- Check your notebook and examine your children's unanswered questions. Research the answers and talk them over with your children. See if some of the questions relate to their schoolwork.
- Use community resources. Watch for special events, such as festivals and exhibits at your local library, high school, community center, or shopping center. People are resources too–collectors, painters, and backyard naturalists may live in your neighborhood, eager to share their knowledge with children.
Collecting at Home - Building collections gives children plenty of opportunities to practice and learn valuable skills that can be used every day. Most children already have lots of stuff that can make up a collection. It only takes a few dolls, comic books, baseball cards, buttons, stickers, seashells, or rocks to have the beginnings of a super collection that could become a lifetime hobby.
- When putting together their collection, ask your children to sort, organize, arrange, and label the objects in their collection. They can organize and rearrange their treasures by size, shape, color, or texture. This will teach them to look at their collection in many ways.
- Don't be surprised by how eager your children are to share all the details about the "hows" and "whys" of their collection. Encourage them to discuss the patterns and relationships among their various pieces. This is also the ideal time to applaud their efforts by encouraging them to keep adding to their collection.
49 Fun & Educational Field Trips, by Katie Layne, Crosswalk.com Contributing Writer
Would you like to recommend any field trip associated information?
If so, please email us at DTP147@aol.com
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