Disclosure of Material Connection:

Some of the links on this blog are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and/or believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Why Should We Take Field Trips? (31 Days of Field Trips Series)

31 days of field trips1

What are the Benefits of Field Trips?

One of the major benefits of Homeschooling is the ability to provide more hands on/real life learning.  Field Trips is one of many ways to make this happen!

Field Trips really allow children to SEE the world from a wide variety of perspectives. There are so many learning opportunities afforded children on field trips that they may not otherwise experience. 

Being in a place previously learned about engages multiple aspects of the brain.  They are engaged in activities that involve walking, talking, seeing and listening.  They are now more able to EXPERIENCE what they are learning about.  Field Trips can appeal to all types of learners, kinesthetic, visual, and auditory.

My children always walk away from a field trip with more understanding, new insights, new ideas, new interests. It’s a win, win!

Field Trips can also be a time for children to spend time with other kids.  The dreaded socialization argument is a HUGE pet peeve of mine.  But one thing I love about field trips is the fact that my kids are able to interact with a wide range of people (older and younger), many of which they have never met before.  I’ve always said that people who feel that Homeschoolers are ‘not socialized’ should attend a Homeschool Days event somewhere!  (It’s also a great way to meet other homeschool mom’s or dad’s and to learn from each other!).

I tried finding studies about field trips and their importance in learning, and while was able to find many articles that have researched and proved such, they were all in regards to classroom learning and field trips.  I am sure the benefits are much higher in those regards, and as homeschoolers many of us do not follow the typical ‘classroom learning regime’.  However, the thought also occurred to me that typically schools take 1-2 field trips a year (that’s it!) and the educational benefits were measurable….how much more measurable are the benefits in homeschooling?  Where we are able to take as many field trips as we see fit, and tailor our learning to be in step with those field trips (when we feel inspired to do so) and at the same time following the interests of our children! 

It really is an amazing opportunity to homeschool our kids, tailor their education and provide for them REAL LIFE learning and experiences!

I Don’t Have A Lot of Money to Spend on Field Trips

I know that money can sometimes be an issue when it comes to field trips, so that will be discussed more in detail during this series as well.  What kind of field trips, planning field trips, field trips near you (though, I am not able to cover every location; I will hit several states) will also be covered.

How Often Should I Take Field Trips?

This really is a personal preference.  I try to take a Field Trip once a week.  I consider a field trip day, a school day…but we also homeschool year round.  As we talk more about field trips, you will see that they don’t have to be huge expensive excursions.  They can be simple, inexpensive….and even in your own yard!  For some field trips come quite naturally, for others they have difficulty working them in. 

The purpose of this series is to help give you the tools to work field trips in as part of your curriculum.  Field Trips can cover a wide array of subjects (History, Science, PE, Art and more).  You can turn them into unit studies, use them as supplements/enhancements to core curriculum, or have them just for fun! 

The point of field trips is to have hand on, life and world experiences to further enhance learning and spark interests.  The more they see and experience, the more they will know and the wider their interests will be.

 

31 days of field tripsWoman lying on grass
You can also join us in our Facebook Group Homeschooling Tips for Moms

No comments:

Post a Comment

Thank you for leaving a comment, I love to hear from my readers!

Labels

31 (2) 31 Days of Field Trips (31) 5 senses (6) abcmouse.com (1) adult education (1) advent (1) all about me (1) Alpha-Phonics (1) Alphabet Box (1) amphibians (1) animal trackers (10) ants (3) Artist Study (9) arts and crafts (16) Australia (2) award (4) baby (5) baby bird (2) baby food jar crafts (1) Back to Homeschool (6) balance (1) banyan tree (1) beach (1) bees (3) Being a Mom (2) birds (5) Birthdays (2) Blogging the Alphabet (28) bloom (1) boats (2) Book List (3) Book Nook (1) Book review (62) book sneeze (3) Boost your blog (1) Brag Time Hop (31) Broccoli (1) butterflies (5) butterfly (3) Butternut Squash (1) Campus Book Rental (2) Capybara (1) Capyboppy (1) Charlotte Mason (1) Cherry Tomatoes (1) Chestnut Grove Curriculum (22) Chinese Language (7) Chinese New Year (1) Chinese Worksheets (1) Chore Chart (4) Christmas (28) classical approach (3) cleaning schedule (1) close to my heart (7) co-op (2) Color Tablets (2) computer games (2) Continent Boxes (5) crabs (2) cricut (2) CSA (4) Cub Scouts (1) culture swap (2) currclick (2) curriculum (23) cursive (1) daily schedule (3) Deep Covered Baker (1) Digital Scrapbooking (5) dinosaurs (18) Dissection (1) diswasher detergent (1) dolphins (2) donuts (1) Earth Science (5) Easter (8) Easy Readers (1) education cubes (7) educents (2) Eggplant (1) Emeals (5) emotions (2) exploring Hawaii (127) fairy tales (1) fall (15) family (1) Family Home Evening (5) farm (3) Father's Day (1) feelings (2) felt board (1) FHE (5) field trip (278) Fifth Grade (1) first grade (37) fish (3) flowers (4) Free Printables (13) freezer meals (1) frogs (3) Fundraiser (1) games (5) garden (1) General Conference (9) geocaching (3) Geography (37) Getting crafty (20) gift ideas (4) Giveaway (101) guest blogger (13) HALLELUJAH (3) Halloween (14) handwriting (2) hanukkah (2) Health (6) health curriculum (2) Heart (1) heart parenting (1) hermit crabs (2) History (48) Holidays (26) Home School (55) Home school mother's journal (7) Home School Room (10) Homemaking (15) homeschool (1) Homeschool Blogging Network (5) Homeschool Swap (1) How to (1) Human Body (5) ice cream (2) informal learning (2) insects (6) IPAD (37) Japan (2) jellyfish (3) Jesus Christ (1) karate (1) Kauai (2) kids in the kitchen (16) kindergarten (36) kindle (11) Kwanzaa (1) ladybugs (2) Language Arts (6) Language Program (2) lap books (5) Latter Day Homeschool Blog Posts (3) lds (18) lego (3) lego club (3) lesson help (1) letter a (2) letter b (4) letter c (3) letter d (1) letter f (2) letter I (4) letter j (2) letter n (1) letter o (2) letter p (1) letter s (2) letter t (1) letter u (1) Library (1) Light box (4) Lighthouses (7) Little Passports (22) Mamapedia (1) mammals (2) Mango (1) Map Display (1) Marriage (1) Massachusetts (1) Math (44) meal planning (1) Memorial Day (1) Mexico (1) minecraft (1) Montessori (145) Montessori At Home Book (2) Montessori Print Shop (24) Monthly Subscription Program (1) Mormon (32) morning routine (1) Music (9) My Father's Dragon (1) My Groovy Planet (1) My Memories (8) Nature (23) nests (2) New Year (1) New Years Resolutions (1) Ocean (15) octopus (2) olympics (1) Operation Smile (2) Organization (14) Owl Pellets (1) P.E. (3) Paleo (5) Pancake Day (1) pandia press (23) parenting (1) Patterns (1) penguins (2) phonics (7) physical education (1) Picasso (1) pinterest (4) pirates (4) playdough (6) Pollock (1) pond animals (3) popcorn balls (1) Poppins Book Nook (35) pornography (1) preschool (95) President's Day (2) puffins (1) pumpkin (3) pumpkins (2) rain forest (1) Read Alouds (3) Reading (14) Real Life (1) Recipe (34) reptiles (1) Reverence (1) review (239) road trip (1) rockets (2) Sacrament Bag (2) safety (2) Saturday Adventure (1) schedule (3) scholastic books (1) Science (63) scissors (1) Scriptures (1) sea urchins (1) seasons (6) Second Grade (7) seed (1) sensory bin (5) Share it Saturday (84) ships (2) SimplyFun (3) skin care (2) snow (1) snow globe (1) Space (11) spelling (16) spiders (4) spineless sea urchins (1) sponsor (9) starfish (3) stitch fix (9) stocking stuffers (3) Summer Fun (2) Tell me more (1) Thankful (5) Thanksgiving (5) The Friend Magazine (1) The Giggler Treatment (1) The Road Not Taken (1) Third Grade (6) Thirty-one (2) thumbsucking (1) Titanic (1) tools (1) Top 10 (2) TOS Blog Cruise (83) TOS Review Crew (136) tot school (65) Totsy (1) Traditions (1) turtles (1) Unit study (18) unschooling (2) Usborne Books (21) Valentine's Day (8) virtual book club (1) We choose virtues (1) Week 1 (2) week 2 (2) week 3 (2) week 4 (1) week in review (62) Well Trained Mind (1) whales (3) What my child is reading (48) Whole 30 (9) why we homeschool (5) winter (3) Word (1) wordless wednesday (7) work boxes (104) Workbox Wednesday (49) world as classroom (3) worms (3) Wrap-up (3) writing (4) young women (8) Zero Grandparents (1) zoo (2)