Class Trips You Will Love

Visiting your local library with your class is an exciting trip for the students.  They will enjoy perusing through books with their classmates and sharing books of interest.  Shopping for free books to read or books for family read alouds creates excitement and eagerness within each student.  I highly recommend this trip because it is free, local and  kids truly love it.  So call your children's librarian to arrange a beginning of the year, a mid year and an end of the year trip to keep your students passionate about reading!

A trip to the zoo is a must for most classes.  We study non fiction in class about animals we can find at our local zoo.  Kids LOVE when classroom knowledge meets real life experiences.  Seeing animals up close and watching them in a simulated natural habitat combines and strengthens the knowledge that will always be remembered.  I highly recommend this trip because most zoos are free for schools and students find their experiences meaningful if it is with a focus.

A trip to the Botanical Gardens can be quite boring if you are just going to look at plants, flowers, and trees.  The students lose interest very easy after 10 minutes of seeing the same things but a different colors and shapes.  However, the Botanical Gardens can be an exciting trip for the class if you create a focus that is relatable for the students,  So a good idea is to look into classroom programs through the botanical gardens that teaches about botany.

Who doesn't love the movies or the theatre?  Students love watching plays and movies with their friends.  Sometimes it can be curriculum based or sometimes it can be just for a good bonding experience that can be help students build their friendships.  A show that is based on a book is more meaningful if the students are familiar with the story.  Prepare your students by reading the book before the show, checkout YouTube for animated storytelling of the book and/or read more books by the same author.

Ahhh, a visit to the aquarium is a really lovely class trip.  Aquariums tend to be small but there are a lot of different species of fish that you can observe in small, medium and large tanks.  The aquarium is a nice culminating activity for the class because researching an animal before observing it in its simulated natural habitat creates a stronger learning experience that builds a deeper understanding of the subject matter.

Scheduling a trip to a local restaurant is a great way to tie social studies and science together.  The students will learn about community jobs that provide a service, career paths, and the food we eat.  This trip can be scheduled at any time of the year but around Thanksgiving would be a great way to come together to have a nice lunch as a class family.

How can we forget the museums?  Hands on Hands off, the museum is a great educational place for learning.  Just don't plan a trip to the museum to get your class out of the building.  That can be a total bore for the class because there isn't a purpose and you will roam aimless around the museum sightseeing artifacts that looks like someone personal collection.  If the museum is big pick a section that has meaning for the class.  If it is small museum plan plan plan to keep your class entertained for the duration of the trip.

The most important trip that every class should take each year is a trip to the local firehouse.  Every moment is a teachable moment and all children should learn about the dangers and the causes of fires.  They will also learn about safety tip and family action plans.  Finally, they will get to meet the firemen and women who risk their lives on a daily basis to save families from burning buildings.

The Hall of Science is a total hands on experience that is a playground for curious kids that love learning about science.  The indoor and outdoor experience is an eye opening adventure that allows children to feed their curious mind through play.  For students it is a fun day out with toys that are not seen on a daily basis but they are learning about science through exploration.

A trip to the farm is like no other field trip.  At the farm, students get up close and personal with livestock as they maneuver around the grounds.  There is so much for the student to experience that the entire field trip is memorable.  There is no other field trip like the farm.  Students of all ages enjoy a day out at the farm because classroom knowledge is strengthen with real life experiences.

You should invite the Fire Safety Department into your school to give fire prevention and fire safety presentations to every class.  These professional men and women are retired fire fighters who dedicate their time to go from school to school teaching students and adults about fire presentation and fire safety.  They are well prepared with an engaging presentation that teaches and reminds everyone that fires are dangerous.  During their presentation they have props, booklets, and a video that teaches about the ABCs for fires.  This is a highly recommended program that should be brought into schools every year to remind and teach about fires.

Schedule a fire safety presentation

Tips from the Red Cross 

  You have just saved a life of children because you have educated them on fire prevention and fire safety.