The value of field trips

Free image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net Taken by AKARAKINGDOMS

Are field trips worth it? Would they count toward homeschooling?

Museums, zoos, gardens, camping. Endless possibilities to learn and have fun at the same time. Take a break from school work and have fun by going on a field trip. Hands-on learning will also help them likely retain the knowledge. Homeschooling can be fun. Plus your kids will love you for spending fun time with them and learn at the same time.

Going to an art museum can count toward art-imitating/copying the art, history-learn about the timelines of when they were created, physical education-walking around, and writing-describing the art in their own words.
Going to the zoo can count towards physical education-all that walking, occupational education-learning about veterinarians, history-animal history or the history of the zoo, art or writing-drawing the animals or writing facts about them, science-biology, geography-learn where they came from.
Going to any place can help learn about many subjects, just have to think about what they can be taught.

I wrote that back in August and it is still true. There is value in going on field trips. Today for a review we went to the Water Resource Education Center, where there were interactive learning station on water, habitats, conserving, and view birds. They had so much fun running around to all the stations listening to the recordings or pressing buttons or watching the birds. They were able to identify a few birds with help from the viewing station. We went on a walk outside around the building where is is close to the river and were able to view birds and wetlands and animals all the while having fun and talking.

They don’t realize that they were learning even though they were having fun. They have loved going to the zoo, science museum, and other places we have went. Homeschooling doesn’t have to be boring bookwork.

Here’s a few pictures of our day.

And although they may not think they learned much, they will more then likely remember it later and connect the dots between play and learning. Plus they had a fun time with you.

Do you take your kids on field trips? Where have you gone or hope to go one day?

See what my homeschool blogging buddy, Jennifer, has to say about this topic HERE.