I live 20 miles from a National Park. I work in an elementary school. You would be amazed at how many of the kids there have never been into the park until we take them. Just last week I went on a field trip to the park with second graders. They learned about habitat, the animals that live here, a bit about plants and something about the national park system as a whole. One valuable lesson they learned is not to remove anything from the park. It is exciting to see the light come on in the faces of the kids as they begin to understand the natural world they live in and the importance of protecting the environment and the impact they can have.

You have to remember that some children are never given the benefit of leaving their towns/cities. In rural areas, you would be amazed at the number of students who have never been on an elevator or been in a mall. Field trips offer them the opportunity to see and learn things that otherwise they may not get to experience. The educational benefits are dependent upon where the field trip takes place and also how good of a job the guides do. Most parents would never take their children to museums or plays so this is an extremely important part of a child’s education.

The first benefit for my students going on a field trip is that they actually get to go places that they may not *probably would not ever* get to go. One good example is a petting zoo type place where students can touch animals, this not only broadens their relations with animals, but also works with sensory integration which is a big deal. Also the Discovery Place is in driving distance to my school, and the students get to go there and discover all kinds of neat things dealing with science. Field trips are wonderful hands on teaching tools that should be used in all classrooms where possible.

Since Gardner’s book on the different intelligences, we all know people learn in different ways. Well many kids are experiential learners. They learn best when they experience something. Going to the capitol, the zoo, the farm, the mountains, etc makes the learning experience real and memorable.

My most memorable was the outdoor education trip for 5th graders. I remember everything about it 40 yrs later. I also grew up in Revolutionary War territory and frequent trips to see George Washington’s headquarters, especially his wooden teeth left an indelible impression.

I used to work in a very urban poor city. One of the field trips we did, every year, was take the kids for 2 days out to a program at the local park at the south end of the city. The park was huge, with 2 lakes, lots of woods, ducks, and paths to go on. We had teachers who worked with the program exclusively, and designed lessons that went along with the science curriculum. I think my favorite one, for the kids, was the “survival” days we did in 6th grade. We did it in early/late winter (Nov/Dec, March) so there might be snow. They had to find a way to make a shelter, make a fire, and signal to others as to where they were. This was definitely not something they learned in their neighborhoods!

As for me, my favorite field trip would have to be the school trip we took to Mexico. There were only 12 of us, but it truly was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Havent’ been back yet, it’s been 20 years, how sad!

Of course field trips broaden the child’s outlook. There are some kids who never get to do things like that, and it gives them an interest in things they never would have had otherwise. It makes them feel important & brave to have ventured out into the big world. They are all in a group together and it gives them a feeling of belonging. It is totally a good thing.