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Creatively
Frugal Field Trips
What are your ideas for class field trips that are educational as well as fun
and frugal?
"In my spare time, I butterfly farm.
I recently had a conversation with my mother where I shared an idea
that had come to my mind: I have been butterfly gardening for several
years now. I have read books and free literature on the Internet.
I have also attended free seminars about native butterfly gardens in
my area. I told my mother that I would be delighted to have groups of
children visit my yard. I could show them the caterpillars, the pupa
and they could obviously see the 12 species of butterflies that
flutter by. They would likely find the bugs fascinating, plus they
could learn about native plants that are crucial for butterfly
survival in our area. I am not a super-skilled lepidopterist, but I
certainly have some insight that the children could benefit from. So
my idea for low cost field trips is to find people who have
educational hobbies that may be willing to have children come visit
their home or workplace for some 'real life' living lessons." ~
Jessica
"In my small town, kids can tour
the grocery store, including 'behind the scenes' stuff like the
loading dock and the big, big freezer, he newspaper press area, the
local radio station; and Domino's Pizza where they get to help make
pizza which the group then eats! Call or e-mail local businesses and ask
if they allow such field trips -- most will work with you if it is
planned well ahead of time. They may require that you break large groups
into several smaller groups, so be sure you have enough adult chaperones
along to cover multiple groups. This works for school classes, scout
troops, etc. Oh -- almost forgot the fire department!" ~ Cassie
"I took our VBS kids to Dauset Trails in Jackson, GA. There was
no cost; they just asked for a donation. The church provided that. We
had a picnic lunch at the picnic tables and then walked the trails.
There were animals and stepping stones other children had made to see
along the trails. Just walking and talking to the children and
discussing what they think of what they see is such a blessing! And to
bring God into the conversation was so easy. Usually you can look up
'things to do in.....' on the Internet. Pick a city and sometimes
they will list free things to do. Visit a farm, a farmer's market, a
place of business to see how things work. Think about it. There are so
many free things to do that children would be interested in. They
haven't been around as long as we have they don't take for granted what
we do." ~ Brenda
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"We homeschool so we often take field trips to restaurants to
see how they work. Krispy Kreme is a good one! We then go home and
look at the process and draw flow charts of the order of events and
even create our own new doughnut flavors! Another fun one is just a
trip to the park. Collect some nature items, do a collage, and enjoy
some time for creative play. My girls pretend they are running a
restaurant. The pine needles become noodles, the moss becomes
spaghetti sauce, etc." ~ Leslie
"A tour
of the local fire station is fun, educational and free. The
fire fighters teach the kids about fire safety and the kids
love seeing the inside of the fire house and the fire engines.
As a thank you, the class could make cards or drawing for the
fire fighters." ~ Anonymous
"Here
are a few ideas from my homeschool co-op, things we have done together
or others have done in another group:
Fire
station
Dairy
(may have a small cost)
Chicken
farm (we live in GA where this is an option)
Pizza
Hut (free tour of kitchen, make own pizza)
Olive
Garden (free tour of kitchen, samples)
Petco
(free, 1 1/2 hr tour & discussion time of animals they keep)
Any
packing plant (ie: Ft. Worth has a great tour of Mrs. Bairds bread
factory; Atlanta area has Wrigley's gum factory, Mayfield Creamery,
etc.)
State
Parks - Ranger program
State
Forestry Dept - some wonderful speakers available to groups, various
ecology topics" ~ Susan
"When my daughter was in first grade, one of the other
student's dad worked at the garbage company and organized
a field trip to the recycling center. It was educational
and interesting. The kids loved it and it was free.
Try calling your local garbage company and see if they'll
set up a tour (spring might be a better time than fall,
though). We also toured a pizza place and a community
college's fish hatchery. I believe they were free,
also." ~ Terri
Editor's Note: Thanks to these readers for taking time to share
their ideas!
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