How to run first-rate field trips

Instructor, March, 1998

Field trips provide unique experiences for learning. Here's help in preparing for and making the most of them.

When Lindy Miller, a teacher in Sugar Land, Texas, took her first graders to a farm, they had an incredible handson learning experience. "The children petted the animals, helped milk the cows, and took a hayride. Each child also got to pick and take home a pumpkin." It was a perfect way for kids to feel, see, hear, and smell what life on a farm is like.

Many of Maria Castano's third graders never leave their New York City neighborhood. But this year, after learning about George Washington's inauguration in 1789, they visited Federal Hall, where he took his oath. They were especially thrilled to stand on the steps, knowing that they were following in Washington's footsteps.

As Maria and Lindy have discovered, field trips needn't be far afield. The key is to keep your mind, and your eyes, open to the possibilities. Here you'll find tips for getting the most out of your trips, suggestions for rallying parent support, and a listing of sites you might not have thought of. Teacher Lyn Cohen says field trips - especially those in the community - serve three purposes.

* They strengthen observation skills. Field trips provide firsthand experiences that books, pictures, and discussions alone cannot provide.

* They broaden knowledge of the community. Field trips give children an opportunity to meet different people who live and work in their neighborhood. This increases respect and understanding.

* They extend learning. Field trips reinforce what children already know, expand their world, and provide a framework for learning more.

TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL FIELD TRIPS

Maria Castano Lyn Cohen, and Lindy Miller suggest the following:

* Choose a trip that ties in with kids' needs and interests, or the curriculum you're covering. Studying food? Visit a supermarker or restaurant. If you're studying the ocean and live near a coast, low tide brings with it a wealth of artifacts.

* Before your trip, visit the location. Take along a child so you can see it from a student's viewpoint. Check out bathroom and eating facilities, unsafe areas, and special accommodations.

* Plan the trip for a morning, midweek. Children will be more alert. And you'll have time for follow-up classroom activities.

* Focus on places with hands-on opportunities. When Lyn Cohen's class visited a shoe-repair shop, each child got to stitch a scrap of leather.

* Prepare students. Make maps of your route. Share brochures of the site. Read books that take place in a similar spot. Suggest that children write down questions to take along.

* Keep trip logs. The children can make their own. Keep a diary, as well, in which you can jot down reminders to yourself for future trips.

* Refer to the trip as often as you can during the school days that follow it.

* Allow children to write about or draw their impressions and post their creations.

* Send a thank-you note. One student can write the note, but everyone should sign it.

* Take pictures! For tips on using cameras with your class, visit the Polaroid Web site at www. polaroid.com/edu/index.html.

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: PERMISSION SLIPS

Do you have parents who resist signing permission slips Try these well-tested tips to get the ball rolling.

1 At parent conferences, mention how important field trips are. "We have a parent-teacher Get Acquainted Day at which I introduce the idea of field trips," says Maria Castano, who teaches in an urban bilingual school. "I deal with misconceptions about field trips right from the start."

2 Lyn Cohen suggests, at the beginning of the year, asking parents or guardians to sign general permission slips for spontaneous walking trips.

3 Ask parents to suggest places they'd like their children to see. And if any of the parents own businesses, they may be willing to host the class.

4 Cost may be a deterrent. Choose free places to visit - at least for your first trips.

5 Send home short notes describing upcoming trips and their educational value. If necessary, have the notes written in the parents' native languages.

6 Phone homes. A one-on-one approach can work magic with parents.

7 Send home brochures about the place you're visiting. That takes the mystery out of the trip - specially for parents who are new to or unfamiliar with the area.

8 An age-appropriate video about the place you're visiting may be available. Allow children to take turns watching it at home with their families.

9 Have children draw maps showing where the school is and where they're going on the trip. Augment primary students' drawings with details.

10 Invite parents to join the class on your trip. Make them honorary class members; give them name badges and information packets.

11 Share photos of past class trips. If you don't have any, another teacher might lend you hers. Start taking your own. Ask a student to make a class field-trip scrapbook that you can use in the future.

12 As a final resort, bring in the big guns. Ask your principal to speak to resistant parents.