Homeschool Field Trips

My children learn almost as much on homeschool field trips as they do from their studies at home.

Homeschooling field trips are a treasured part of our home school experience. Here are some tips for making the most of these activities:

• Choose outings that relate to subjects you are studying. Read fiction and non-fiction books, or watch videos to spark your child's interest. Have older children make lists of questions to ask their tour guide.


• Help your child connect new information to information she already knows. Ask questions like, "What does this remind you of?" or "Why do you think this happened?" Encourage your child to ask questions and make an effort to find out the answers. Bring along a study guide, if available.


• Follow your child's lead, and linger or move on according to his interests. Don't rush through the displays in an attempt to see everything that is available. With older children, you may want to take a break for lunch and return to the field trip location.


• Browse the gift shop for educational books and activities. You may also want to purchase postcards to mail to family members or place in a scrapbook.


• Keep a field trip notebook, journal or scrapbook where your child can write about what she has learned. Include photos, drawings, ticket stubs and post cards. As a related writing activity, have your child send a thank you note to company personnel.


• For younger children, print or draw a Bingo card. In each square, draw a picture or write the name of something your child may encounter on the field trip. Have your child cross out or place a sticker on each item as he spots it.

Field Trip Journals

Field trip jounrals are wonderful tools for improving understanding and retention of information your children learn on their outings, building writing and narration skills, and documenting activities for record-keeping purposes.

Here are some field trip journals you can print for your children, and add to their notebooks or portfolios:

Homeschool Field Trip Journal - This journal contains space for your child to draw or paste a postcard or souvenier, as well as questions that serve as writing prompts for your child.

Homeschooling Field Trip Report 1 - This report contains space for your child to draw or paste souveniers from the trip, as well as blank lines where your child can write about his or her experience.

Homeschooling Field Trip Report 2 - This form contains blank lines your child can use to write about the field trip and the information learned.

Here are some tips on choosing and preparing for homeschooling field trips, along with a free, printable field trip checklist.