Planning a field trip for primary school students doesn’t have to be stressful if you start early and stay organized. The key to avoiding disaster is to act like a boy scout and be prepared – touring a public venue with 30 students is not the time to wing it. If you keep the trip details simple and focus on the quality of the experience and the students will have a notable encounter they will remember long after the day is done.
Find a Field Trip Location
Begin the planning process by brainstorming field trip ideas. Review the school’s curriculum and make a list of potential places in your area that are age appropriate for your students. Choose an educational outing that complements a topic that the students will be studying.
After you’ve narrowed the list you need to determine the field trip budget. Talk to you principal or fellow teachers to find out if there is field trip money set aside in the school budget. If not, or if that will not cover your planned trip, you need to make arrangements for fundraisers to cover the cost.
Organize the Outing
Just as you would create a detailed lesson plan for a new topic or backward map a new math skill you are teaching you need to create an outline of the day of the field trip. Become familiar with the location and the sights and activities the students with be doing. Visit it yourself prior to the trip and ask questions of your contact at the venue until you can visualize what the students will be experiencing. Make sure to include travel time, bathroom breaks, and time for lunch or snacks. As Karyn Montano, a chaperone from Cedar Knolls, NJ puts it, “Peeing is like yawning with kids – it spreads like an epidemic.”
As close to the beginning of the school year as possible enlist adult help for the trip. Depending on school policy your helpers can be other faculty or staff members, classroom parents, or older students. Get help with the planning as well of the day of the field trip. Follow the guidelines of your building for obtaining permission in writing to take the students off-campus. Include a medical release form for distributing medication and for treatment in the event of an emergency.
Tips for the Trip
The day of the field trip can get quite crazy; transportation, a public place, and lots of excited kids could easily spell trouble for the unprepared. The best way to prepare yourself for your first field trip is to get the advice of veterans and learn from the successes and mistakes of others.
Rebecca Sheakoski, a third grade teacher in Norfolk, VA, swears by reusable name badges. She has lanyards with name badges that have her school’s name, address, mascot, and phone number. Then she uses dry erase markers to write the students’ first names on the plastic badge holder. Best of all as she puts it, “They’re cute, I can reuse them every year, and the kids love them!”
Kindergarten teacher Ashley Thompson, of Callahan, FL has had great success using spreadsheets to organize all of the information she needs for the field trip. She modified a field trip spreadsheet she found online to fit the needs of her outing and students. Mrs. Thompson has one sheet for the students and another for the chaperones.
Donna Thornton, a veteran chaperone from Mountaintop, PA, recommends comfortable running shoes and carrying a bag with first aid items. She includes the standard first aid supplies, like Band-Aids, along with extra tissues and wet wipes, cough drops, and some change. She knows that, “kids always need something!” and being prepared makes her day easier for everyone.
Another idea that has been successful is dressing all the students in the same shirt for easy recognition, a bright color or tie-dye pattern helps the kids stand out from the crowd and builds team spirit and excitement for the trip. Teachers can also prepare and interactive guide for the students to complete during the trip to enhance their experience. The guide can consist of questions to answer, exhibits to sketch, or opinions to record. No one idea will work for every teacher or every venue, the trick is to find the ones that will work for your group – so everyone can have fun and enjoy the day.
Teachers on a limited budget may also be interested in reading How to Plan a Virtual Field Trip to a Museum.
Megan Sheakoski - Megan Sheakoski is a teacher, mom and writer whose ideas have been featured in college text books, graduate courses, on websites and on ...
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