Saturday, November 10, 2007

Finding Field Trips: Tips and Ideas...



In my field trip to the farm post,
I was asked about how I found the farm
and how I found out they did field trips
so I thought I would share what I do
and share a list of possible field trips to take.

Part of being a military family
involves moving to new areas every few years or so
(sometimes we stay a little longer, sometimes not).

When we first started homeschooling,
we lived in the suburbs of a large city in Ohio
and we never seemed to lack in field trip possibilities.
However, when we made our next move,
that changed quite a bit.
We moved to a much smaller area
where the field trip possibilities were much less...
so I thought anyhow. ;o)

Here were some ways I, prayerfully, found

some field trip ideas for the areas we live in...


Finding Field Trips Tips

* Online search engines.
For instance, for our farm field trip
I typed in words like 'farm', 'my town', 'my state'.
You can search for towns near you, too.
Some field trips are worth the drive. ;o)


* Drive around and make note of interesting places.
Really look and explore possibilities.


* Let your fingers do the walking...
through the yellow pages ;o)


* Ask the church folk ;o)
Ask what nearby, interesting places
that they know of.


* Word-of-mouth from other homeschoolers
or local homeschool group(s).
If you don't know any other homeschoolers,
call the local Christian schools/public schools
and ask what kind of field trips they take.
If you don't have a local homeschool group,
consider starting one.
That's what works for us. ;o)


* Go to your town's Chamber of Commerce,
a travel agent, check the local newspapers, etc...
Most areas have their own local history
and a historical site to go along with that history.
Those can be interesting field trips, too.



When you find something interesting...
simply call them and tell them your situation...
that you homeschool, have a group or not,
and are interested in a field trip.
I've had many that are more than willing...
only a few have said no.




Field trip ideas...

* a local newspaper
* a dairy farm
* a local news television station
* a local Christian radio station
* an aquarium
* a bakery or candy store
* a zoo or a little petting zoo
* an animal shelter/vet/pet store
* a local post office
* a local museum
* fire department
* police station
* a beach tour
* horse stables
* local farms
* pizza place to make your own pizzas
* bowling alley (with a tour of the back)
* ice skating
* ceramic shop
* woodworking shop
* taxidermy
* hospital
* library
* camera/printing store
* scrapbook store
* hiking/nature trails
* mini golf
* small local airport
* drama theatre
* local historic sites
* plant nursery
* mayor office
* ferry/trolly rides
* state park
* nature center
* plantetarium
* local factories
* parades
* local water facility


Each location has its own unique options. ;o)
I keep a 'master list' of field trip ideas
and add our local ideas as I discover them.
This is what has worked for us. ;o)



6 comments:

Amy ~ (Life's Small Treasures) said...

Great tips! Our church's homeschooling group has a field trip about once a month and the girl that heads them up/organizes them uses a book called:
Fun with the Family in Michigan
http://www.amazon.com/Fun-Family-Michigan-Hundreds-Ideas/dp/0762702451
I am sure most people can get a similar book from their state too. It lists all the places in Michigan that offer things to do, hours of business and the cost. She TRIES to look for the FREE ones ;). We have only had to pay for 2 so far so not too bad.

Thanks for this list!
~Amy

Shereen said...

Thank you so much for sharing this. I will copy this down and save it. I have been wanting to go on more field trips lately. By the way, I have recently been reading a book on Charlotte Mason, and I realized a lot of the things you do are from her teachings, but I don't think I have ever seen a post on that? Do you follow her style of teaching? I know I have seen your children do a lot of drawing, living books, etc. I thought, "hey, Christina does that, and this, and this." lol

HsKubes said...

Amy ~ Thank you for the link. ;o)

Shereen ~ You're welcome. ;o)
lol... Your end comment made me chuckle. I haven't made an "official" post declaring we do "Charlotte Mason" methods. We don't follow any person, per say. In fact, LONG before I ever even heard of Charlotte Mason or her methods, I was already doing many of those things. When I finally read up on her I said to myself, "Wow! Someone else that thinks like me!" lol So I immediately, appreciated what I read about her teaching approach and have been able to use many of her wonderful ideas along with my own. So, yes, in a way we use the "Charlotte Mason" approach but I like to call it our relaxed, living books approach. ;o)
I'm curious what book you are reading. I have enjoyed many books regarding her approach and her own books. ;o)

~ Christina

Shereen said...

Hi Christina, wow this little check box with the email thing is pretty cool. It makes it so much easier to keep track of comments you leave on a blog, to continue the conversation. I am reading Laying Down the Rails, which is written by someone else, but all they did was put all of Miss Mason's writings on habits in one book. It is really good. It's on habits. Amen to not following any method except the Lord's. ;0)

HsKubes said...

I noticed that little check box but haven't used it just yet. What a convenient feature. ;o)
I had to smile at the book you mentioned. I just one a photo contest from simplycharlottemason.com and I picked that particular book for my prize. I haven't read it though.
"A Charlotte Mason Companion" by Karen Andreola is good (but pretty in depth... helpful though).
One that is more 'simplistic' and good to begin with is "A Charlotte Mason Education" by Catherine Levison.
And, yes, we follow no one's methods but the Lord's. ;o)

~ Christina

HsKubes said...

oops... silly me... I meant that I 'won' and got that book as a prize... not 'one'. lol

~ Christina

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