What do you 'do' for field trips??

[Firestar Academy]

new homeschooler here...

 

We are going to the aquarium on the first day of public school....

 

So what do you do for field trips? do you have your children do a scavenger hunt, or answer questions, or just enjoy the day?? I would like to make it 'schoolish'......any ideas welcome...

 

BTW my kids are 7 & 10 and we are going with another hs freind who has a 6 year old..

 

 

thanks

Robin in NJ

[Karenciavo]

Welcome Robin :001_smile:

 

It really depends on the trip and the age of my child. Last week we went to the Franklin Institute to see the Mummies Imax movie and the Cleopatra exhibit. I downloaded the teachers guide and went over some info with my children and I required my ds8 to do some reading ahead of time because he doesn't know much about ancient history yet. This week we are going to the University of Penn Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology and will recieve a guided tour. Ds15 will have to take notes and write something about it (haven't decided yet) and ds8 will have to write something as well, on a smaller scale. In the past when we have gone to fun places like the Philadelphia Zoo or the aquarium we've done scavenger hunts, one time I looked up the latin names for some of the animals we would be visiting and my children needed to take a picture of the animal. Another time I glued a map of each hemisphere inside a file folder and they wrote the names of the animals they saw on the continents they were indigenous to. Definitely check the web site of any place you visit for teacher packets/lesson plans.

 

HTH,

Karen

[ProudGrandma]

We are part of a very small homeschooling group and once a month we take a field trip together...last year we did things like visit the police and fire stations, the hospital, athe back workings of a grocery packing plant and grocery store. We also saw a play. This year we have planned to go to a TV station, see how a bowling alley works, going to see a musical at a local college, putting together meals to be sent overseas to underdeveloped areas of the world, Christmas caroling and mini talent show at a nursing home, making soap at someone's home and then in the spring a homeschooling field day. For what it is worth.

[2_girls_mommy]

It depends for us too. If it is something we have studied before, or reflects our current studies, then we will definitely discuss what we are seeing and how it relates to what we know, etc.

 

A lot of times museums will have packets for the children with activity guides to use there or to take home and do later. We have done scavenger hunts when they are provided by the museums. The kids really enjoy those, but I am not sure they learn as much to be honest. They get so busy just trying to find everything and check it off. (at least mine do. My oldest is younger than your oldest, so it may be different for olders!)

 

Sometimes we just go and enjoy ourselves and have fun and pick up whatwever we pick up along the way. This is mostly the case if it is something completely unrelated to what we are learning about, but I do not want to miss the oppurtunity to go.

 

Many times I have the kids write about the experience after to tell me about something they learned, or about what they liked best. If it is a science related topic I will put it in their science notebook. If not ,then it goes in their history or writing folders.

[Ellie]

We go and have a good time--specifically, we hang around and look at stuff until we're finished looking, then we move on. :D I figure if my dc enjoy themselves, they'll remember more, and they'll want to go back. I don't do anything that feels like school. We might pick up flyers or whatnot that are available, but I don't require dc to do them (you might not be surprised to know that dc think it's fun to do that stuff and will do it on their own if you don't make a big deal about it).

[GoVanGogh]

We go and have a good time--specifically, we hang around and look at stuff until we're finished looking, then we move on. :D I figure if my dc enjoy themselves, they'll remember more, and they'll want to go back. I don't do anything that feels like school. We might pick up flyers or whatnot that are available, but I don't require dc to do them (you might not be surprised to know that dc think it's fun to do that stuff and will do it on their own if you don't make a big deal about it).

:iagree:

We go on a number of field trips. I am always sad to see public or private school children on field trips w/clipboards in hands, heads down, focusing on whatever worksheet is attached.

I would rather my child focus on whatever interests him, as I know he will learn more that way.

 

Now, if we are going to a historical museum or a theater production, I try to read a related book before we go and maybe follow it up with another book after.

 

We *always* talk about what we see/do on field trips.

"What was your favorite animal at the zoo today?"

"What did you think about..."

[Snickerdoodle]

We go and have a good time--specifically, we hang around and look at stuff until we're finished looking, then we move on. I figure if my dc enjoy themselves, they'll remember more, and they'll want to go back. I don't do anything that feels like school.

 

This is what we do too.

 

My kids love the audio tours so I always do those if possible.

[skueppers]

I don't think there's any need to make field trips "schoolish." I just go, and we talk about what we are seeing.

 

My parents were big on "field trips" when I was a kid, but there was never any need to work at making the trip extra-educational. Reading the signs, talking with the docents, going on guided tours, attending demonstrations, and possibly buying a book at the gift shop were entirely sufficient.

[Jen in PA]

We go and have a good time--specifically, we hang around and look at stuff until we're finished looking, then we move on. :D I figure if my dc enjoy themselves, they'll remember more, and they'll want to go back. I don't do anything that feels like school. We might pick up flyers or whatnot that are available, but I don't require dc to do them (you might not be surprised to know that dc think it's fun to do that stuff and will do it on their own if you don't make a big deal about it).

 

:iagree:

This is pretty much what we do. I try to have a trip to the library soon after a field trip and encourage the dc to choose some books on whatever subjects tie in, which lets them follow their interests that were sparked by the field trip.

[Crimson Wife]

What I've been doing is having my oldest do a narration after we get back. I should probably transition her to writing it herself rather than dictating it to me.

[m0mmaBuck]

Generally, we go and have fun. If DS is having fun, it generally sparks an interest for a unit study later. If there is something we see that we have already studied (i.e. cheetahs at the zoo, dinosaurs at the museum), I may ask one or two questions to remind him of what he knows about those topics and it typically starts an entire conversation.

 

For a first day of school outing, I would definitely just let it be fun and then see if it involves into a unit study later.

[GoVanGogh]

What I've been doing is having my oldest do a narration after we get back. I should probably transition her to writing it herself rather than dictating it to me.

Speaking of narrations.

In the past, we have 'just' talked about the field trip after.

Late last year, I decided to scrapbook our school year - sort of like a school yearbook. This year, I am planning on having DS do narrations re: our field trips so I can add those to the scrapbook.

[Carol in Cal.]

Pre-read info about what they will see, to give them background. Discuss things afterwords. Encourage long time exploration rather than rushing from thing to thing. Tell them either to find 10 new things that they did not know before and write them down with them, or to write about the trip afterwards.

[JenC3]

We have a small group as well and so far we went to:

June: Art museum with guided tour, activity

July: History museum

August: Local credit union with tour

September: Apple orchard

October:Post office

November-Science museum

December-HSing Day at a Plantation for an old time Christmas

[NanceXToo]

We go and have a good time--specifically, we hang around and look at stuff until we're finished looking, then we move on. :D I figure if my dc enjoy themselves, they'll remember more, and they'll want to go back. I don't do anything that feels like school. We might pick up flyers or whatnot that are available, but I don't require dc to do them (you might not be surprised to know that dc think it's fun to do that stuff and will do it on their own if you don't make a big deal about it).

 

Yep. We just go and have fun and enjoy it and absorb what we can. I don't drill them or quiz them or make them write things to make it more "educational." It's already educational. :)

[mcconnellboys]

I check online to see if they have educational materials I can print out before we go. Many places to offer this now. Some places offer scavenger hunts and other such things once you get there. I'd email or call and ask before going the first time.

 

I either try to arrange field trips as a group so that we can take advantage of classes and other things offered to school groups, or, if going on our own, I do what you've already mentioned.

 

Sometimes in going through galleries at museums, etc., you will also find mini-activities to do with your children that aren't mentioned elsewhere. Cincy Museum Center has always provided lots of such activities that they rotate on a regular basis to keep things new and interesting.

[VBoulden]

Not sure I understand the question: Are you asking where to go? If that's the case, I use this great book called "Things to Do with Kids in New England." We live in Connecticut... It probably won't be useful to you, but here's a link so you can see what I mean anyway.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Fun-Places-Children-New-England/dp/0811835987/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1283811659&sr=8-1

 

I also have a book about going to NYC with kids. It's chocked full of info only life-long city-dwellers would know about... I will probably get one for Boston, too. We live close enough to visit these cities in a day and drive back home at night...

 

Maybe you can find a similar guide for your area... or start with visiting your state parks and/or forests... or find a list of museums at your local library...(Maybe the library also provides free day passes... ours does.) and go from there.

 

As to what to do when you are on your field trip... This is what we do.

 

#1- Take pictures, pictures and more pictures

#2- Do a nature notebook pages about somethings that struck your child's interest

#3-Check out books from the library about that topic (to help with the nature notebook pages or to read out loud or let your kids read to you - depending on the level)

#4 -Find activities or projects or crafts to do along with that topic, if you can find some

#5 - Visit somewhere else that you've heard about in your recent studies or go back to the same place again

#6 - Repeat 1-5 again... and again... :D

 

Have fun!

[VBoulden]

Note: I saw that our library has a free pass to the CT Recycling Museum... It's not that interesting to me, so I think, "I recycle, but it's not part of our plans right now and Norah hasn't expressed interest in it... but it could be fun, so maybe one day..."

 

Today I saw an Usborne book called "Trash and Recycling" or something like that... It's a book my daughter could read. I bought it on the spot (knowing it would be perfect).

 

Now, when we are bored in the next few weeks and sick of "school," I will call the library, get the pass, read the book and then take Norah to the recycling museum...

 

I've also heard that they make statues out of garbage there... maybe Norah will want to do one of those in our free time when we come home... :D

 

We just let one thing lead to another when it comes to field trips... It's one way we do interest-lead learning. Field trips are educational because they are fun, not the other way around! :D

Edited September 6, 2010 by VBoulden