One of the things I look forward to the most since withdrawing my kids from public school is homeschool field trips. As a kid, field trips were never frequent enough and they were always surrounded by the stress of getting that permission slip back to school–or else!
It is a big problem for any school to set up a field trip, and a big expense, so they are few and far between. However, the learning benefits of field trips are so great that we like to do them as often as possible. I have compiled a huge list of homeschool field trip ideas to help you incorporate field trips into your regular curriculum and boost learning and relationships.
When we go on field trips, my kids are engaged the whole time. Unlike school at the kitchen table where it is easy, and often more enjoyable, to get distracted, on a field trip my kids are excited and absorbed in the experience. I remember so much more from field trips I went on than what I learned in the classroom, and I’m sure my kids do too.
So how do we incorporate field trips, you ask? Well, I would love to share that with you!
Homeschool Groups
One of the best ways to do field trips is with a homeschooling group. The first benefit, you don’t even have to do the planning. You just have to sign up and pay (if applicable)! Talk about taking the stress out of a field trip. I checked out a homeschool group before I even withdrew the kids from school- I was a little excited. The group meeting place is a little farther than I would like but they are such a lovely group of people and have so much homeschool experience, that it is worth it!
This group plans some amazing field trips for us. And the best benefit of all (perhaps I should have led with this), by going with a large homeschool field trip group, you can get the discount facilities offered to schools. Yup! We got into a zoo and an expensive aquarium for less than half the admission price. These were places on our wish list to visit but just couldn’t justify the cost–even with a group.
A large homeschool field trip group isn’t the only way to go. Many places will also give a discount specifically to homeschoolers. There is a smaller aquarium in our area that just requires a group of 10 and proof. You can show proof with either your homeschool affidavit or you can create a school ID on the Homeschool Buyers Co-op website.
Field Trip Ideas
So a zoo and an aquarium are obvious choices for field trips, but they also usually have the most cost. However, you don’t have to spend a lot of money on a field trip. Yes, the big things may wow the kids, but there are some ways around this. It rests a matter of finding purpose with your homeschool field trip. For example, a trip to the park for a nature walk. Make it into a scavenger hunt and you are now learning about the animals and plants found in your area. You can then take those objects home and learn more about them at the library. We even have a park with an observatory. That is an amazing learning experience.
That are just a few ideas. Below is a huge list of ideas or you can download a printable with the whole list here. I would love to hear about your favorite homeschool field trips in the comments below! Let’s learn from each other.
Culture
- Cultural Festival
- Orchestral Concert
- Musical Instrument Museum
- Visit an Art Studio
- Visit a nearby Fort
- See a play
- Sport Museum
- Art Museum
History
- Mint Facility
- Historical Mansion
- Pioneer Villages
- Renaissance Festival
- Walking tour of a town or cemetery
- Old Prisons
- Mining Town
- Historical Homes
- Rashtrapati Bhavan
- Ghost Town
- Family History/Genealogy Centers
- Historical Town
- Monuments
Agriculture
- Food Forestry
- Natural Building
- Permaculture Sites
- Organic Agriculture
Nature
- Nature Scavenger Hunt
- Fish Hatchery
- Bird Watching
- Caves
- Aquarium
- Riparian Preserves
- National Parks
- Creek
- Gardens
- Schedule a tour at a local state park with a park ranger
STEM
- University Farms -Technology Used on Farms
- Planetarium
- Science Center
- Archeological Park like Rakhigarhi
- STEM Festivals
- Tour a lab
- Observatory
- Air and Space Museum
- Train/Railroad Museum
- Frank Lloyd Wright House
- Architecture Tour of your city
- Craters
- Skate Ring
- Visit a bridge and talk about how it is engineered
- Natural History Museum
- Air Show at an Air Base
Commerce & Industry
- Radio Station
- TV Station
- Water Treatment Plant
- Automobile Museum
- Dairy Manufacturing
- Farm
- Small Airport
Community
- Fire Station
- A nearby Gurukul
- Rodeo
- Children’s Museum
- Curiosity/Idea Museum
- City/County History Museum