Educational Field Trips for Home School Students

If you are homeschooling your child then you have taken on a great responsibility in teaching your children everything they need to know while matching the state school curriculum requirements. One thing you are going to want to do is add field trips to your child's education. Field trips allow you and your child to explore the subject the field trip pertains to in a more hands on environment. Plus you can easily coordinate the field trip to your child's age and grade level. Younger children will do well with shorter field trips while older children can handle a full day trip.

One thing all homeschooling parents should remember and impress on their child before embarking on the field trip is that is an educational opportunity and not just a day out with mom or dad. Children should understand that they need to pay attention to tour guides or the information their parents are telling them in place of the tour guide. They should be encouraged to ask questions and to participate in the activities and at the end of the day they should be able to clearly articulate to their parents what they learned in a project or report that can be included as an assignment to be graded.

Don't be afraid to make the field trip unusual and unique. There are plenty of subjects in your child's curriculum that can be turned into a field trip. For example, if you are studying the culture of India, why not try to visit a local Ashram or Indian family and experience their culture first hand? Your child could learn how to wrap a sari or taste authentic curry. Make sure they report on what they have learned as proof of their visit.

Here are a few other homeschooling field trip ideas that you could use with your child to give them a hands on environment to enjoy in addition to their studies. Make sure you provide your child with a notebook if they are old enough to write so they can take notes.

Library - one of the first field trips public school students take is to the library where they learn all about what a library does and how they can help the student do research for all manner of school work. This is usually when most students get their library card. Call ahead to the director of the library and discuss with them setting up a field trip to the library for your homeschooled child. Save getting their library card until you do this field trip activity.

Archaeological or historic sites - while an archaeological site might be difficult to find where you live, if there is one nearby, they are a great place to take your child. They will be able to see how historical sites are uncovered and some places allow you to actually participate in the dig. If there are no archaeological digs around, visit a historical location and review with your child the significance of the site.

Hiking - take your child on a nature hike and review with them the flora and fauna that you see while you are there. If you are hiking through a historical area, you can also cover the significance of the trail to the time period you are studying. This is a wonderful destination for a science based field trip concerning nature, vegetation, life cycles, habitats, the list is endless for what can be taught and learned on a simple hike through the forest.

Museums - museums are a great field trip no matter how old your homeschooled child is. You can visit an art museum to study art, the natural history museum to study fossils, bones, and how the earth was formed as well as the earliest days of mankind and other types of specialty museums that teach your children about how things are made or developed.

Emergency Services - field trips and tours to the local fire, police, and ambulance stations are great places for children to learn about careers and how these people help save lives and enforce the law. Many of these offer additional classes for children on subjects like fire safety and CPR, that would benefit you as well as the children.

Sources:

Personal Experience- I home school my children and have to plan field trips as part of their education, the sites listed are a big help.

www.pregnancy.org/article/homeschooling-field-trips-z

www.homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/trips/FieldTrips.htm

www.homeschool-by-design.com/homeschool_field_trips.html