Planning the Perfect Homeschool Field Trip
Opening New Possibilities for Your Kids
Planning the Perfect Field Trip
There is no such thing as “perfect”: Tailored to your own kids’ needs, goals as a
family, group goals
There are many such things as ideal: University of Arkansas study found that a single
field trip to a museum increased historical empathy and other measures of emotional intelligence
Students retained a great deal of the art knowledge they learned
Field trips create great opportunities, especially for homeschool
Some Background-What Is EdTrips?
Getting Started
Curriculum, Goals, and Planning
Set Goals
Tied to one or all:
Curriculum area: Math, Art, History
Personal growth: Emotional intelligence, problem-solving
Family time
Fill gaps: Child’s interest
Your knowledge
Curriculum
Fun is a goal, too!
Logistics are Key to Content
Ask:
As a family or with group?
All ages, or just younger, older child(ren)?
When in the year? What will we be covering then?
Integrating with Curriculum
Look at what you are learning this year Base on one subject—studying the ocean
for instance
Integrate several subjects—add language arts, math
Make sure it’s something that works will all ages if whole family is going
Get different ages to work together
Find the Right Program
Subjects: holistic or specific
Age/Grade: only a guideline, part of the freedom of homeschooling is you can tailor to what’s appropriate for your kids
Challenge is finding materials for each age child Contact venue
Go by content
Get Ready
Pre-learning is essential
Review the venue and program
Create lesson plans for each child Age-appropriate take on content
Get them ready to learn
Provide context
Get started about a month out
More Getting Ready
Venues may have lessons and materials specifically for homeschoolers
You can also find related resources online
So much is out there, you can tailor to learning style/intelligence type: verbal, visual, kinetic
Use multiple media: video, worksheets, apps, books
During the Trip: Self-Guided
Keep kids engaged:
Asking questions
Integrating lessons such as sketching, photography, journaling
Use resources:
Venue provided gallery guides
Toolkits such as Museum of Fine Arts Family Activities
Know venue policies:
Understand rules on photography, sketching
Tailor easily:
Length, content tailored by choosing different routes with parent/older
siblings
During the Trip: Venue-Organized
Understands needs of multi-age groups
Need to understand homeschooling is a “learning lifestyle” so kids are not getting a break from highly-structured classroom Often surprised at how well-behaved
kids are
Often have more advanced social skills and will ask more questions, do well with less-structured tours
Lesson Plans
Ideal lessons:
Language Arts: Write essay before on background, after on learning
Visual: Draw pictures on what you expect, sketch on-site, draw what you learned
Media: Record a video after trip or create a Prezi, write a song about trip
Online: Use HSTRY, share with family and friends
Coordinating with a Group
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