Planning for a Field Trip

Conducting the trip

Conducting a Field Trip
When the day comes for your field trip, be prepared to have a great time! Here are some pointers to make sure that you do:

• Be punctual and expect others to be the same. Whether you are "hosting" a field trip or just participating in one, being on time is always important. Many field trips require that you keep to a schedule, especially one that is supported by the destination.

• Be prepared. Make sure you have everything on hand that you will need to make the field trip a success. If you are going to be outside, bring along sunscreen, bug repellant, or other items you might need. Cameras, still or video, are always a good idea so you can document your field trip. If your students will need to take notes or do other work on the trip, make sure that you bring along any supplies they will need.

• Treat your coordinator well. If you have one, your coordinator will be doing work on your behalf. In addition to just being the right thing to do, treating this person well will often encourage them to go the extra mile for your group.

• Manage the kids in your group. Any group of kids can get "enthusiastic" when on a field trip. It is your responsibility to make sure everyone behaves properly so your group can have a great trip.

If you take field trips to destinations that support them and they have had both homeschool and "regular" school groups participate, don't be surprised if your homeschool group gets special attention. In general, homeschool groups behave much better and are much less work to support than traditional school groups. Plus, homeschool groups generally have a less rigorous schedule to keep. All these factors tend to make homeschool groups much better to work with than those from public or private schools. (For example, most public school groups are woefully unsupervised because they usually have only a teacher and one or two volunteer parents to a large group of kids.)