How to fit in Field Trips?

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One of the things I love to do is visit museums and places around my province (or anywhere actually).  🙂   If I’m out and about, I want to stop in and see what’s around me.  There is so much to see and do.  The question is though: How to fit in field trips when there is so much course work that needs to be done.  How do you justify the time away?  Do you need to look for a way to make it fit your curricula? Should you make your children do a photo journal, answer questions, or just let them explore? 

Let’s talk shall we?

What are field trips?

Just what are field trips?   Can a trip to your local grocery store be a field trip?   For sure… as long as you aren’t going there just to buy groceries.   You could talk the store manager and see if he’d do a tour to explain why products are put out as they are, how do shelves get stocked, and how do you keep waste costs down?  Then your local grocery store becomes a field trip… and probably a really informative one at that.  

Where can you go?

Any place you can think of can become a field trip if you take the time to turn it into a informational tour. I’ve been to a Toyota plant, home hardware packing facility, mushroom growers and Belgian Nursery.   Not places you might think of for a tour, but absolutely fascinating. 

We have toured tons of museums, both large and small, as a family, with friends, or with other homeschoolers.

The zoo, parks, aquariums and even the science center. Places of learning, with or without a tour guide. Hands on, experiential, and fun times to remember. Just make a plan and go.

But what about school?

The way I think of it is this.  School take field trips.  They just take a day and go out with their students.  Do they expect the kids to learn something?  Yup. Do they always?  Nope.   Same thing.  Go out, have fun, experience the world, ask questions, you never know what might inspire your children if you don’t give them the opportunity.  That’s what field trips are.  Opportunities to see something new or different or old… and it all helps our children see things differently.  It might inspire them to do art, make a career, decide on something they don’t want to do, and so forth.  

Take the time.  The school work will get completed.  But without the outside world being seen, and questioned, and looked at, what the point of it?

How to Fit in Field trips

There are a number of different ways you can fit them.

You can ask your children what things they would like to see or learn about.  You could sit down with your hubby and say “what place are you interested in?”  Look around and see what might coincide with something you are learning about.  For instance if you have just learned about the war of 1812 take in a re-enactment.

Then

• once a month have a field trip day
• make a plan with your co-op group
• have a week of field trips (maybe coincide when public school is out and maybe invite some non-homeschooling friends along).
• plan a summer of stay-cations where you do field trips instead of your annual camping/hiking/vacationing away trip
• take a weekend off and go away as a family to a further destination
• Take an afternoon and stop in at the local museum

There’s all kinds of ways to make field trips work.  Don’t miss out on the benefits of field trips over school work. 

Benefits of Field trips

Field trips are so beneficial.  I urge you to not miss out on them.

They

• break up the school cycle.  
• provide real world learning.  
• provide access to areas you might not normally see.
• help develop critical thinking skills.
• have an academic impact not always readily measured.
• can have an emotional impact.

How to fit in Field Trips?  You decide.  It’s your household. 🙂

Hey!  Follow The crew through this Annual Not Going Back to School homeschool blog hop!  Links of participants below

CREW @ Homeschool Review Crew – 2019 Annual Not Back to School Homeschool Blog Hop  
Chareen @ Every Bed of Roses – ABC of Homeschooling
Dawn @ Schoolin’ Swag – Adding Fun to Your Homeschool Day
Erin @ For Him and My Family – Large Family Homeschooling 
Lori @ At Home Where Life Happens – Learning Life Skills
Monique @ Mountain of Grace Homeschooling – Homeschooling the High School Years
Monique D. @ Early Learning Mom – Homeschooling With Autism
Yvie @ Homeschool On the Range – 5 Days of Upper Grades Homeschooling
Abby @ Making Room 4 One More – Time Management for Homeschool Moms 
Amanda @ Hopkins Homeschool – 5 Days of Homeschool Questions
Amy @ the WRITE Balance – Year-Round Schooling 
Annette @ A Net in Time – Homeschooling. 
Betty @ Lets Get Real – Homeschooling High School 
Cassandra @ My Blessed Mess – Eclectic Homeschooling