Field Trip Ideas to Integrate Outdoor Play into Early Childhood Education
Field trips are the most amazing and fun part of school! First, kids get to spend time away from the traditional classroom and learn fun stuff in the process. What’s more, teachers will have a much easier time teaching them.
However, you must plan right and prepare properly for a fun and safe trip. Here are some field trip ideas that will make your experience educational, engaging, and fun!
Nurseries & Botanical Gardens
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that children can be interested in plants since they themselves are also growing. Preschoolers can learn so much by visiting gardens including how various plants grow, how the sun helps in their growth, the importance of water, and so on. Like most farm field trips for preschoolers, visiting botanical gardens can also be interesting.
Visiting a botanical garden offers multiple opportunities to teach kids how different plants, flowers, and even fruits grow, along with the different flower species; some of which they might never get the chance to see again.
If a plant nursery or botanical garden is simply too far for your group to reach, you may also consider a farm like Hellerick’s Family Farm. At Hellerick’s, we have about 2 acres of gardens with over 100 different plant species to enjoy. The height of bloom season is in mid-summer when 25 varieties of hardy hibiscus, 200 varieties of daylily, 15 varieties of Rose of Sharon and 15 varieties of hydrangea are in full bloom. The hibiscus blooms are over 12 inches across and are a sight to behold!
Farms
Visiting farms for school trips isn’t just fun, it’s educational! Bucks County farms like Hellerick’s Family Farm allow you to introduce your students to more experiential learning opportunities while having a blast!
Every farm will have something different to offer. Some may teach your students about milk production and the process of raising cows while others might introduce them to chickens, ducks, or horses. But the best farms will give your students a farm education while helping them play and develop their motor skills.
For groups of children 7 years or older, Hellerick’s has great farm field trip activities like the Aerial Adventure. It’s a ropes course that teaches your students to work together while 30 feet in the air!
There’s also the Silo Climbing Wall, perfect for kids ages 5 and up, which helps students test their endurance and learn to compete in a friendly way.
Kids ages 1 to 101 are welcome to enjoy a fun and informative day at the all-age Adventure Farm! It’s an 18-acre area with over 50 activities for young students to let their imaginations run wild and play, all while working on their motor and social skills.
All in all, a trip to Hellerick’s Family Farm would be perfect if you had covered related topics in school or had recently finished reading a story about farm animals. There are so many farm field trip ideas you can come up with to keep your group interested and happy!
Museums
Museums have a rich history; therefore, they offer a connection to it, which is something a classroom might overlook. Besides, visiting a children’s museum is something the kids will always remember.
Whether you take them to an art gallery, children’s museum, or science museum, history has a huge effect on the inventions they will witness in such places.
On top of that, the kids will get the chance to choose what they like, and what’s more important to them, which boosts critical thinking.
Lastly, museums cause kids to question, dream, and imagine the many possibilities life has to offer.
The Fire Department
Kids love to see society heroes in action, and what better place to do this than the fire department. What’s more, they will learn a lot about fire safety.
Imagine the joy on their faces when they get to touch and learn about the equipment that firefighters use. Moreover, they’ll see the fire truck’s flashing lights and maybe even get to sit in one. They will finally get to know what a day at the fire department is like.
Kitchens & Restaurants
From the farm field trip and gardens, it’s now time to let the kids see what happens in the kitchen.
Most kids don’t necessarily know where food comes from. Even though this sounds like something simple, the cooking and food preparation process can be a mystery to small kids, particularly if the food comes from restaurants.
A short kitchen or restaurant tour will not only show them how food is prepared, but they will also see the difference between home-cooked and restaurant meals. On top of that, restaurant field trips will also provide a different setting for the kids to eat and allow them to eat new foods and learn about healthy eating.
Train Station
The last field trip idea is the train station. Children love trains! These swift, rail-bound cars have something special that keeps kids interested, which is why it’s a good idea to take them here.
As one of the best early childhood education field trips ideas, going to the train station will help teach the children about the rich history behind these magnificent machines.
Trains will also initiate discussions about different scientific workings including how they work, and how each train engine is unique. Besides, visiting the train station is an exciting way for kids to see the trains, and better understand how they run.
Benefits of Outdoor Play
Field trips for children in preschool are always an excellent idea and a great form of outdoor play integration into normal education. Here are some of its benefits:
It Promotes Creativity & Imagination
The importance of field trips in early childhood education cannot be emphasized enough. As they play, kids will build their imagination and creativity. They will also come up with make-believe games, which they eventually get lost in; but they have a lot of fun!
Besides, for most make-up games, the kids will create their own rules, and if need be, change them. This skill is one they will find useful in relationships and life.
It Boosts Social Skills
Some kids are shy and might fear talking to their classmates. However, outdoor play allows everyone to contribute, and, in turn, socialize. For instance, for group activities like the Hellerick’s Family Farm Aerial Adventure Park, Silo Climb, or Adventure Farm, kids will have to help each other out as they go through the adventure, so everyone will participate; including the shy kids in class.
It Improves Literacy
There is an interesting relationship between outdoor playtime and learning to read. Kids are eager to learn, but almost always find the learning process more interesting if games and other playful interactions are involved. This is where outdoor play comes in handy; kids get to interact with other kids outdoors, have conversations with them, and as such, improve their communication skills.
In Conclusion
Visiting places like gardens, farms, museums, fire stations, kitchens, and train stations isn’t just fun – it’s also helpful for learning and growing. Field trips make learning exciting! They make kids curious and help them use their imaginations.
At Hellerick’s Family Farm, you can plan a trip for school groups of all ages easily. Plan your visit to our farm today to help engage young minds through outdoor play and hands-on learning experiences!