Field trips in elementary school are a great way to enhance learning outside the classroom, allowing students to experience real-world activities and be challenged at the same time. But in many schools, elementary field trips are being eliminated due to budget cuts in districts across the country. However, there are many field trips for elementary students that are free, requiring only the cost of buses (or, if you live in a city like mine, the kids can walk to these destinations). Use one or more of these ideas to get students excited about learning beyond the classroom and having a great time.
Public Library
While elementary students spend a good deal of time at the school library, many are probably less familiar with your town’s public library. Because a public library is so much bigger and has so much more to offer, this can be a great way to educate kids about how a library works, what you can take out (Puppets! CDs! DVDs!), and what programs are offered (storytime, crafts, special reading nights out, etc.). Ask for a tour of the whole library, not just the kids’ section, and explain what people do there. Show the students the behind-the-scenes work that must be done each day to keep the books and other materials on the shelves and in order, and cap it off with a special storytime and a craft. Students can even pack a lunch and picnic outside on the grounds. This is a great way to show students some of the community resources available not only to them, but to their whole family as well.
Police Station
Many police forces already come into schools with programs on safety, drugs, and some even hand out free books. This is great to let students know that the police are here to help us, but going to an actual police station can help students understand just what the local law enforcement really does, and demystify some urban myths about crime-fighting. Ask if elementary students can tour the station, meet personnel, get up close to a police car, see what a police dog does, and even tour a jail cell. Have a small program set up ahead of time to teach about safety, what to do in an emergency, and how and when to find a policeman and ask for help. Many stations also offer free fingerprinting kits; with parents’ permission, each child can be printed and have his information and picture on record in case of an emergency. If you’re fortunate enough to have a mounted police force in your city, see if the kids can meet the horses as well.
Fire House
Just like the police station, fire safety is serious business and something all elementary students should learn about each year. Touring a real fire house is exciting for kids, and a great way to help them understand just how fireman can help in the case of a true emergency. Not only can kids tour the garage, living quarters, and fire engines, they can try on fire safety suits and helmets to understand the true dangers of what a fire can do and how you must be protected against one. Have a program arranged for kids to learn about dialing 911, what to do in the case of a real fire, and how to set up an emergency fire plan at home. Explain how things like smoke detectors and fire extinguishers work, and what other types of emergencies firemen respond to besides just actual fires. You can even have this free elementary field trip be a service project as well; your class can make thank you cards for the firemen, or maybe even prepare a treat for them to enjoy. This is a great way to teach kids about the important people who serve our communities every day.
Grocery Store
Nutrition is becoming the focus of many elementary schools, as childhood obesity is on the rise. While addressing this issue in the school cafeteria is a great start, students eat the majority of their meals at home with their families, and the grocery store is where that food comes from. Many grocery chains offer free elementary field trips to teach kids about where our food comes from, what good nutrition is, and how a grocery store works. Kids will have a great time touring behind-the-scenes of the store, seeing how the food is shipped and then put on the shelves. If your store has a café, kids can also learn a bit about food preparation. Set up a small program in which kids learn about how to make good nutritional choices when shopping and how to read a food label. If you have parental chaperones, you can break kids up into small groups and go on a scavenger hunt to find unusual foods throughout the store. This is a fun and free field trip that elementary students will love.
Middle or High School Play or Concert
Exposing elementary students to the arts is a wonderful thing, but taking them to a play or concert can get costly. Fortunately, most school districts have middle and high schools that put on plays and concerts throughout the year. Arrange a matinee performance as a field trip so kids can not only be exposed to a great show, they can see what opportunities they have to look forward to as they move up the grades in school. This is fun for the elementary students and great practice for the older kids as well, as the show can serve as a dress rehearsal. If time permits, allow the students to tour the backstage area so that they can learn what it really takes to put on a production, from sets to costumes. See if they can tour the music and drama rooms and compare them to the ones in elementary school. Not only is this a free and fun way to boost school spirit, some students may be inspired to learn an instrument or join the chorus in anticipation of what they’ll be able to do with those skills in a few years.
