Field Trips

History & Government

  • Spend the day at a historical site significant to your lessons. There are thousands of historical sites in the United States and it's likely that there are at least one or two close to where you live. Spend the day exploring one to bring the history in your lessons to life.
  • Walk through your state or city capital. This is a valuable chance to learn about government and the history of your state or city.
  • Take a walk through a notable cemetery. It might seem morbid but touring the cemetery will give you an excuse to talk about the well-known people who are buried there and the history behind them.
  • Learn more about ancient history by visiting an archaeological site. In America, there are a wide range of archaeological sites to visit, most related to Native American culture, that can let your kids get a window to the past as see how archaeologists work.
  • Find out more about presidents, thinkers and important people at historic birthplace museums. Do you live near the birthplace of a famous person? Take your kids along and spend the day learning about the impact this person made on the world.
  • Ask to show your students around a local fire or police station. This way, they can learn more about these municipal workers and how they respond to emergencies.
  • Walk in the footsteps of the past on a historic trail. Travel the same roads as people did hundreds of years ago with an education bike or hike on a historical trail.
  • Learn how mail works at the post office. Let your students write letters and visit the post office to mail them to gain a better understanding of how our US mail system works.
  • See the past in action by visiting a historical reenactment. A Civil War reenactment or a trip to a historical town like Williamsburg can help bring American history to life for your students.
  • Learn about Native American culture at a historical site or museum. These sites will help you to teach your kids more about the people who have called America home for thousands of years.

Science & Nature

  • Plan a visit to a science center or museum. You'll be able to engage in all kinds of interactive learning experiences and hopefully get your students excited about science.
  • Get a laboratory tour. Are your little learners intrigued by how scientists work? Take a tour of a laboratory to see how tests are performed and how real science works.
  • Get a greater understanding of the night sky through a show at a planetarium. There are usually a wide range of fun programs you can take students to that will help them understand the constellations and the solar system.
  • Take an afternoon to study animals and their habitats at the zoo. Taking a trip to the zoo can be a great way to not only learn about animals but the environments they call home as well.
  • See what natural wonders a natural history museum holds. From dinosaur bones to artifacts from people living long ago, these museums offer a chance for your learners to discover the history of our planet and our people.
  • Study the names and appearance of trees at an arboretum. Give your kids a course in botany by visiting an arboretum, studying the trees and learning about plant biology.
  • Get a chance to see the wonders of the world's oceans at an aquarium. Aquariums offer young learners a chance to get up close and personal with all kinds of sea creatures. If you don't have an aquarium near you, consider a local shop that sells tropical fish as an alternative to study fish and corals.
  • Go for a hike in a nearby park or woods. It'll give you a chance to learn about local plants and animals as well as more general science topics.
  • Learn how plants grow at a greenhouse. Taking a trip to a commercial greenhouse is a great way to learn about the life cycle of plants.
  • Camp out in the woods (or your backyard) for a night. You'll get to experience nature firsthand, learn how hard it might have been for early settlers and spend some time looking at the night sky.
  • Delve into the depths with a trip to a cave. Caves are a natural formation that can not only teach kids about water and earth cycles but are a great way to appreciate the natural beauty of the world.
  • Study your local biome with an environmental tour. If you're studying biomes why not go outside and find evidence of what your local biome is?
  • Study the skies at an observatory. If there is a nearby observatory at a research institution or college, use a tour as a way to learn more about how scientists study the skies.
  • Go bird watching to see the birds that call your area home. Learn more about the types, habits and calls of the birds in your neighborhood.
  • Explore the natural world in a national or state park. National and state parks are full of educational experiences that range from the scientific to the historical.

Culture

  • Take in some culture by taking your kids on one of these field trips.
  • Study a play performed in a theater. If you've been reading Shakespeare, take the time to go see it performed live for a better understanding of what drama is.
  • Learn more about famous artists at an museum. Learn about the artists who shaped culture and history through their works at a local art museum.
  • Plan a trip to a local religious facility. Study a religion or belief system outside of your own by visiting a church, mosque, synagogue or Hindu temple.
  • See artists in action at an art studio. If you're teaching budding young artists, consider taking them to an art studio to see how real artists make and prepare their works.
  • Take in a local festival. There are local festivals of all varieties but these will give you a chance to celebrate products and people important to your local community.
  • Listen up at a local concert or orchestral performance. Seeing an orchestra or band live can help inspire your kids to pick up an instrument and play, or can provide the foundation for lessons on music.
  • Teach your students about photography with their own photo shoots. Let your kids take photographs on their own photo shoot to help them learn about the power and pleasure of documenting the world around them. Add some text to the photos and have your students create their own newspaper about their travels.
  • Visit a make-your-own pottery studio. Get your hands dirty and learn more about pottery making, and it's history, by making your own.
  • Learn more about famous authors by visiting their cities or places they wrote about. Study up on famous writers, their works and their time period by visiting an artist's home or the settings for their books.
  • Make arts and crafts at a local store or studio. Help your kids embrace their artistic side with classes at a local studio or craft store where they can learn everything from sewing to painting.

Industry

  • Find a local factory and take a tour.
  • Learn more about transportation at a railway station or take a train ride of your own. You can learn about the importance of the railroad through a tour of a station or take to the rails yourself to experience rail travel firsthand. Ask your students to compare it to other forms of travel.
  • Plan a trip to a farm to learn where food comes from. Your kids might know food comes from somewhere but they might not be aware of how much work it takes to get it to the supermarket. A trip to a farm will help them learn about farming, environmental issues and eating right.
  • Take in the sights at an aviation museum. Flight changed how we interact with the world. Learn more about the history of it at a local museum or airport.
  • Spend an afternoon at a fish hatchery, learning about the life cycle and production of fish. Your students will get a chance to see biology first-hand and learn where their food comes from.
  • Go to a bakery to see how breads, pastries and other baked goods are made. Baking bread can be a lesson in chemistry, and watching it made on a large scale can be an educational and delicious trip.
  • See just how items are really recycled at a recycling collection plant. Help encourage your kids to recycle by showing them just what happens to those materials at a recycling plant.
  • Pick fruits and vegetables at a local orchard or farm. Your kids will get to enjoy a day working, but also understand how farming works and learn about plant reproduction.
  • Visit a ghost town. Ghost towns are more common than you think so look around your area for one to see to teach your students about industry and the economy.
  • Find out about where power comes from at a local power plant. We often take for granted that we have power when we need it, so show your kids just where it comes from with a power plant tour– a great lesson for chemistry and science studies as well.

Community

  • Explore your own community for learning experiences with these ideas.
  • Study distinctive homes in your community. It's a great way to learn more about architecture and the history of your community.
  • Plan out a tour on foot or on bike of your city. You'll be able to hit the major landmarks that define the past and present of your city.
  • Learn respect for all creatures with a trip to a local animal shelter. By learning about animals, your students will be more inclined to treat them with respect and work to protect them.
  • Get valuable business lessons from a local entrepreneur. Want your kids to learn more about business? Get a local entrepreneur or business to show your kids the ropes.
  • See where your water comes from at a water treatment facility. Do your kids wonder where the water they drink comes from? A tour of a treatment plant can show them how it gets to the tap and what a valuable resource water can be.
Right in your own community, there are likely many field trip opportunities that you could take your kids to, either by organizing it with your local home school group or going just as a family.  Many offer hands-on learning opportunities and most are at no charge.  Field trips are a great addition to your homeschooling as they offer a change of scenery, kids are more likely to retain what they learn at such an opportunity, and they offer the chance to get together with other home schools.
-Fire hall – We have gone on two fire hall field trips over the years with a group of other home schoolers.  The kids were able to sit in a firetruck and in the back of an ambulance, try on the gear, hold a hose, look through a special heat detection camera, see the equipment that the rescue trucks have on board, get a tour of the fire hall, and ask questions of the firemen.
-Museum – our small community museum offers guided tours to groups, complete with activities.  The larger museum in the big city near us offers special home school days four times a year where they set up a room with hands-on activities related to a certain topic such as Prehistoric Animals or Farming and run a two hour session for the kids to attend.  My kids have really enjoyed these.  Call your local museum to see if they offer similar programs.  If they don’t, they may be willing to arrange something if you are able to put together a group of interested families.
-Re-use Center or Recycling Facility – our community started a large recycling program through the Utilities board a few years ago.  They offer free tours to school groups or home school groups.  The Re-use center has many items that are great for use in craft projects for a very small fee.
-Nature Center – There are two nature centers close to where we live.  Both offer day programs that home schoolers can take advantage of.  Also, natural areas, provincial or national parks, and hiking areas offer an opportunity to spend a day bird-watching, making nature journals or studying animal prints.
-Treasure Hunt – one great field trip that we went on was a photo scavenger hunt at a large park area.  The mom who organized it had printed off lists of things to be found (something yellow) or do (pose like an animal).  She had made two lists, one for younger kids and one for older ones.  Then the kids set off in groups with one digital camera per group and took photos of things that were on the list.  This was fun and some of the list items really required them to use their imaginations.  Other treasure hunt or scavenger hunt ideas are geo caching, riddles giving clues to a final location or themed treasure hunts.
-Government offices – most government offices will accommodate groups at no cost.  Some give a very comprehensive educational tour and even offer the opportunity to meet the politician and ask questions, while others are less exciting. Our hamlet, the city near us and our province offer home school tours.
-Art gallery or studio – some galleries charge to get in the door, but some smaller galleries do not charge a fee.  Some galleries offer hands-on field trips or the opportunity to meet and interview an artist.
-Library – the library is great for resources such as books and movies, but libraries can also be a field trip opportunity.  Our library does offer a short field trip teaching kids how to get the most out of the library, but they also bring in authors and speakers occasionally for our home school group.  They do not charge us for this.
-Farms, Zoos or Habitats – are great when doing studies of animals or agriculture and are especially popular among younger children.
-Restaurants – many restaurants offer tours of their kitchens to small groups.  I took my kids to a family owned pizzeria where the kids were welcomed into the back, given a tour, allowed to make their own pizzas (including gluten free for one of our sons!), shown how the large pizza oven works, and then got to eat their pizzas. Not only was the field trip free, so was lunch!
-Grocery Stores – many grocery stores offer tours to groups and included in the tour is valuable information about nutrition and making healthy food choices.  There is usually no charge for this tour.
-Other museums – aviation museums, telephone museums, war museums, memorials
-Space and Science Center – this one tends to be on the expensive side, but there is a wealth of information just inside these doors.  The one near us offers home school days where they do presentations and offer additional hands-on activities geared at different age levels. Be sure to ask about discounts or coupons that may be available.
-Community or Recreation Centers - though some charge a fee for admission, some do not and many offer mid-week discounts.
-Local Businesses – visiting different businesses will teach your children a lot about their community and also introduce them to careers they may someday want to pursue.  Of course there are the usual ones such as doctors, dentists, accountants, and lawyers, but consider visiting an assembly plant, a bottle depot, a graphic design studio, a mushroom farm, a retail store, a warehouse, an auto mechanics, a plumber, a beekeeper, dance studios, bakery, churches, pet store, physiotherapist, optometrist, bank, or anywhere else that catches your eye or your children’s interest!
-Hardware Store – many hardware stores such as Home Depot or Rona offer classes for kids on building things such as bird houses or shelves.
-Farms – Phone some of the farms in your area. They may offer tours, hands-on learning, demonstrations, or even fruit or vegetable picking.
-Craft or Scrapbook Store – some of these stores offer classes for kids or free project days.
-Police station - This was a memorable field trip for my kids when they were younger.
-Hospital or Senior Center – you may be able to turn this field trip into a service project if your kids are able to visit with the residents.  Imagine the knowledge your children could gain by talking to a senior who has served their country in a war or lived through the Depression!
-Historical Centers – instead of just visiting (which still is a great way for kids to learn), call ahead and see if they offer any special days or field trips.  Most do and then your child may be able to make bannock or dress in period clothes or see a reenactment.  This will make the experience that much more memorable!
-Sports Teams or Arenas - It may not be possible to visit a professional sports team in your area, but farm teams are often willing to meet with groups of kids and answer questions or allow the kids to watch one of their practices.
-Landmarks - Visit the Information and Tourism Center in your town or check out the tourism website for your area to discover what landmarks there are near you.
-The Theatre – taking your children to a live performance of an opera, ballet or play is an experience they will likely never forget, but tickets are expensive.  Many theatres, especially the smaller ones, offer huge discounts for school groups.  If you are able to get together a large enough group of home schoolers, not only might you be able to afford to take your kids to a special matinee performance, sometimes they will give a backstage tour! There are also theatre groups that will allow you to come to their dress rehearsal for little to no cost. High school performances are another great way to give your kids the experience of live theatre without the exorbitant cost.
-Car Shows – Our community hosts an annual Show and Shine featuring vintage and specialty cars and admission is free. They also have safety information for kids including the chance to practice road rules on little motorized bikes as well as a craft station and entertainment.