October is national field trip month! It is a perfect time to plan your classroom field trips for the school year. Experiential learning makes a big impact on student learning and helps students connect with their community. There are several resources for discovering new field trips that compliment your lessons in science, social studies, health, and more!
Field Trip Factory
Field Trip Factory offers free hands-on, real-world learning experiences for students in grades PreK-12, that increase academic achievement, teach important life-skills, and help students develop stronger ties to their community. Experiences range from topics of nutrition, recycling, and the future of energy. More than 12 million students have participated in Field Trips Factory’s experiences and teachers love the ease of booking a trip across the United States and Canada.
At markets like Schnucks, HEB, Giant Eagle, and Lion Foods just to name a few, students can earn about nutrition, the farm-to-table chain, and what makes a balanced meal, right in the aisles of the stores. Students will use their decision-making and communication skills during each trip to make healthy food choices and learn about these important neighbors in their communities.
Check out the Field Trip Factory website to learn more about these exciting learning opportunities and book a trip in minutes.
Local Cultural Centers
Local museums, zoos, theaters, and environmental centers are all wonderful opportunities for field trips for elementary, middle school, and high school students. Exploring these unique places open students’ minds and give a different perspective of the world. Typically, there are representatives at these various organizations that can help you plan and organize experiences and focus the content specifically for your classroom needs.
Local Community Services
Visiting local police and fire stations, farmer’s markets, banks, libraries, and grocery stores introduce these important services and the people who provide them to young citizens who will also learn about possible future careers. Students also connect the things they talk about in the classroom with the real world, seeing how concepts can actually lead to solving real problems. This is powerful.
We hope you take some time in the month of October to celebrate the power of experiential learning, either by taking a field trip or planning a field trip or more later in the school year. It will be an experience your students never forget!