Fun Field Trips

[nature girl]

I'm looking for ways to give my preschooler a better idea of how the world works. We learn a lot through books, obv, but I'd love to show her more in person. Have any of you done anything fun and unusual with your kids? We do the obvious things like the zoo, a local farm, apple orchard, etc., but are there ideas I haven't thought of?

[2queens&1princenmyhouse]

Next week we are headed to a candy factory with a small group of other homeschoolers.

[craftyerin]

fire station was our favorite field trip last year!

[carriede]

Our grocery store does behind the scenes tours for kids.

[lea_lpz]

Wee Folk Art includes some good field trip ideas for little kids, like:

1)grocery store produce department

2) bakery

3) farm equipment store

4) yarn shop

5) apple orchard

6) pumpkin patch

7) Farmers market or craft fair or both

8) making a food donation or helping at 2nd Harvest or something like that

9) Farm

10)Duck pond

11) Nature center

12) Green House

13) Community or children's garden

14) A beekeeper

15) a butterfly house or monarch preserve

16) you pick berry farm

 

Other places we plan to go-

Children's Symphony

Art Museum

Ballet or play

[Kerileanne99]

We have done many of the things I see mentioned, and I love the ideas! Some things we have either done or plan to do that I didn't see mentioned above:

 

1) university band practices in a huge field near us. A lot of fun to watch, especially since the flag/dance team usually practices as well. Most unis and even HS practice outside and are open to public.

2) the Post office has behind the scene tours, open to homeschoolers an groups as well. We have to schedule in advance and have a minimum of five kids.

3) The Salvation Army hosts special holiday dinners and ask for community helpers. Last year we collected food and spent Thanksgiving morning helping out. My daughter is very young, but this and subsequent talks have had a large effect...for example, she realizes that there are people who are not as fortunate for many, many reasons...and has a tiny frame of reference.

4) nature scavenger hunts- put together by a couple of moms. We put together a booklet of local plants, trees, animals, etc. and let the kids search and identify them. This was a HUgE hit and now my kid loves to tell people the names of trees, plants, flowers, and the like.

5) a dairy farm, followed by a trip to a bottling plant.

6) we are lucky enough to live near a huge self-sustaining community. They have a farm, animals for food and by-products, a forge, a carpentry shop that uses no nails, a pottery shop and kiln, sheep and wool dying, yarn making, cheese making, and sooo much more. They are open to the public daily and offer classes in all the areas.

7) the science labs at our local university (where dad works) have profs and grad students that love to share their work with kids!

8) the Bank- after a trip through the drive-thru one day I asked about a tour. We set up a trip, and My kiddo opened her own ACcount, got to see the inside and outside of an ATM, saw the door of the huge vault, made a deposit with a teller, and generally had a great time. Not to mention a lollipop.

9) the local private airport- some of those older pilots will talk to the kid as long as they want, and we were able to see the engine and sit in the pilots seat of a little crop-duster. We will definitely go back!

10)our power plant has a school group field trip available for older kids, but we have not been.

11) tour of the recycling plant- this is our next big plan as my dd is really set on being an oceanographer. On a recent trip to SeaWorld the guide talked to her about the importance of conservation, and specifically trash and recycling. She has become our house recycling cop:)

12) this meant a trip to the local dump to see what happens to trash and things people no longer want. I HIGHLY reccomend this as now when she asks for some plastic piece of junk it is a very simple matter to ask her if she REALLY needs it or will it end up in the dump next week when she tires of it or it breaks. This made a big impression on the whole family.

13) A compost/worm farm

14) just had a trip to the botanical gardens where they have a junior naturalist program and could earn a badge.

15) fire station training- we were lucky enough to be next to the training site where firefighters can practice one day when they were training. These buildings are often right in the city in an adjacent lot to the station. Obviously you can't get too close, but it turns out people often come out to watch.

16) we have a large free-range egg farm that we have visited.

17) candle making/glass blowing studio

18) tractor/fa store where you can walk through and look at all the tractors

19) paint store- my kid loved all the colors and really enjoyed watching the colors being mixed. We had a mini-lesson on where the dyes and pigments can come from as well.

20) I realize that this one wont be for everyone but we often visit a variety of temples/ worship areas for many religions and cultures. The focus is on the fact that whilst they often have different beliefs, respect and understanding are very important, and that we all have much in common. She also has a chance to meet and play with people that she would not normally encounter, and often encounters different accents, languages, even food.

 

Just a few ideas...