The Best Tips For Successful Homeschool Field Trips ~
Written by Jessica Waldock of The Waldock Way
Field trips are the best way to learn! We love the real-world learning experience a field trip can provide. Over the years, we’ve discovered lots of little tips and tricks to get the most out of our homeschool field trips.
A great homeschool field trip can really bring the lesson to life! There are so many amazing opportunities to learn with hands-on activities and experiences via museums, parks, zoos, and more. Follow my best tips for successful homeschool field trips to make the most of your adventures this year.
Plus, discover some of my best resources for planning and executing great field trips in your homeschool this year. There’s a whole big world out there to explore. Let’s make the most of our field trips and see a little more of the world this year.
Field Trips Bring Learning To Life
We love learning through field trips! Field trips are a fantastic way to bring any subject to life in your homeschool. There are many wonderful field trips you can enjoy together as a family.
Field trips extend the lessons you’re teaching at home with real-world experiences and hands-on learning opportunities. These outings also give us a chance to build relationships with other homeschool families in our area. It’s the best way to socialize with other homeschoolers while teaching an only child too.
My Best Tips For Successful Homeschool Field Trips
Field trips are great, but there are some things we do to help make them as successful as possible. Want tips on how to make your homeschool field trips more successful too? Keep reading to discover my top three successful field trip hacks for homeschool moms.
1. Don’t Rush, Take Your Time
My number one tip for successful field trips is to take your time. Don’t try to plan too many things in one day. Instead, go at a pace that works for your family, giving everyone time to experience new things and learn without any pressure to follow an itinerary.
Trying to see and do everything in one field trip can be really overwhelming. Instead, consider taking multiple trips to the same location. You might be surprised to find that you learn something new each time you go!
If you only experience a fraction of what’s available on your first field trip, it’s the perfect excuse to plan another trip! Plus, your kids will get the chance to deep dive into the exhibits, places, or things they are most curious about and that’s a win for everyone.
2. Take Lots of Pictures
Moms love taking pictures! We want to capture everything. Plus, field trip photos are perfect for those homeschool portfolios.
I’m not going to tell you pictures of your field trip will keep it from being a success, but what if instead of you taking the pictures your homeschoolers took them? Give your kids the camera and enjoy seeing the field trip from their perspective. You’re likely to enjoy some unique pictures of moments you might not have thought to photograph.
Letting kids take the photos is a great way to get them involved. You can encourage reluctant kiddos with a photo scavenger hunt that requires them to find various things on your field trip and photograph them. Besides, if your kids are taking the pictures, you’ll actually get to be in them!
3. Don’t Force School
We all want to get as much out of our field trip experiences as we can. It’s tempting to pack more printables and bookwork into our field trip adventures to get more “school” from the experience. Instead, I want to encourage you to make your field trip the most successful it can be by NOT making it “school.”
Learning will happen on your field trip, whether you bring the books and printables or leave them at home. Instead of walking through the park, museum, or zoo with a clipboard, put those papers aside and get engaged.
Enjoy it all together and have a chat about the experience when you get home.
Resources For Field Trips In Your Homeschool
Looking for more resources to help you get the most out of field trips in your homeschool this year? I’ve got lots of field trip tips and tricks you won’t want to miss! Discover how we make the most of field trips below.
- Carschooling: How to Homeschool on the Go
- Top Tips for Your Homeschool Field Trip to SeaWorld
- Homeschooling at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter
- Learning at Disney: How to Cover Every Subject and Have a Blast
I hope that these tips and resources allow for you and your family to enjoy more successful homeschool field trips!
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Weekend homeschool links: September 22nd
