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Foolproof Field Trips

Field trips are wonderful opportunities to use the community as a learning device and expand teaching resources.

An excursion outside the classroom can add realism to an area of study. A history lesson on the Civil War can become real in a student’s imagination during a visit to a battleground or fort. Kansas is a wealth of experiences waiting to be explored! (Do you have ideas and websites worth exploring for a field trip or day trip? Send your suggestions to kneanews@knea.org!)

Don’t let yourself get so excited about the trip, however, that you race through critical preparations and overlook key elements that provide an educational and safe experience for both the students and yourself.

First check with the other teachers in your grade level or subject area to review district and building policies. In some instances you may find that the parent/teacher organization does all the field trip planning. In addition to checking on the rules, ask what other teachers in your building have done in the past or are planning to do this year.

If the fifth graders always go to the museum and you preempt the experience by taking your fourth graders, it may be your first and last field trip.

You’ll want to develop your own checklist to meet your specific requirements. Here is a starter checklist.