Often days seem too long when there are too many restless and bored children to handle. Maybe they get bored of the routine and want to get out and explore. A healthy attitude to get some new perspectives on life is through an outside activity. Here are some of the ideas for your next field trip.
1. A walk in the park: Take your class on a trip to the local park, which has a lot of trees. Ask them to bring a pencil and notebook. Tell them to each pick a tree of their own and draw it in their notebook. Ask them to notice (not pick/tear) the leaves, flowers, buds, trunk, etc. of the tree and encourage a question-answer session. Tell them informative and interesting facts about trees such as how trees purify the air and how flowers grow.
2. Visit the library: Library has many interesting programs for children like story reading sessions and special feature of the month. You can borrow some of the books for reading at your class/day care.
3. A trip to the zoo/aquarium: Take children to the zoo or aquarium and ask to them to make notes in their book about the animals that they see like name, color, etc. and ask them to vote on their favorite animal, fish or bird.
4. Visit to a local museum: The children can make notes for their friends and family about what they saw at the museum. Read the museum literature beforehand and do some research on the items kept there. That way you will be able to answer the children’s queries and even share a few interesting info with them.
5. Visit to the post office: Divide the children in pairs and ask each of them to write a letter addressed to the other one. Provide them with an envelope and a stamp and show them how to seal, address and stamp an envelope. Take them to the post office, show them various departments and inform them how the post office works. At the end of the trip, ask the children to drop off their envelopes in the post box and wait for them to receive the mails.
6. A picnic in the park: Take along watermelon and finger food and you are ready to go! Also bring Frisbee and some story books in case the children get bored. Click a group photograph and make multiple copies. Back at class, ask the children to make a cardboard photo frame and decorate it with glitter, lace and buttons. Ask them to affix their copy of the photograph and take it with them as their own personal picnic memory.
Some of the great places to find interesting field trips are through your parks department, fish and game department and chambers of commerce. All these organizations put on different activities that the children can participate in. With a group you can also take advantage of discounted admission fees. Subscribe to local newspapers and magazines and look for interesting festivals, exhibitions or shows in your area. Field trips can be fun and rewarding, provided you organize the trips well in advance.
Copyright 2001, 2004. All rights reserved. Any reproduction of this article in whole or in part without written or verbal permission is strictly prohibited. For information about reprinting this article, contact the copyright owner: Vanessa Rasmussen, Ph.D, Starting a Day Care Center,http://www.startingadaycarecenter.com.
