Children enjoy field trips, and they don’t have to be long excursions. A simple walk can be a wonderful learning experience for young children. Whether you live in the country, the suburbs, or the city, great field trips are all around you.
Take advantage of what is nearby. Go bird watching or rock hunting; both are examples of exciting trips for young children. Children find all kinds of stores interesting, particularly grocery and hardware stores. Dentist or doctor’s offices, botanical gardens, and post offices are good town trips. If you live in an area where someone is building a new house or store, visiting the site from a safe distance is interesting to observe. Children learn best from their everyday surroundings. These simple field trips provide a variety of possibilities for your child care program. Plan activities related to the field trip to encourage and expand children's learning.
Sometimes a field trip can come to you. Many police, fire, and health professionals would welcome a chance to come to your program and teach the children about health and safety. Find out about the professions and hobbies of the children’s families. You might discover beekeepers, gardeners, mail carriers, geologists, and veterinarians. Inviting families to share their knowledge can help build connections with the families in your program.
