For kids, it is a break from the monotony of everyday school life, and a chance for them to explore a thing or place that sparks their interest in something new or maybe keeps them engaged in a subject that they already love.
And for teachers, it’s a chance to inspire their pupils into trying something new as well, and to get them to engage with course material that they otherwise wouldn’t.
Of course, there’s all the necessary paperwork that needs to go into a well-planned and authorized field trip, but that’s a hill you cross when you have to!
If you’re looking for field trip ideas to get that interest kicking into high gear, whether it’s in school or out, this is the guide for you!
1. Local Manufacturing
When it comes to a child’s hometown or the one that they are living in, there’s often a lot that kids aren’t aware of.
It’s hard to have much of an interest in a place that is such a vital part of everyday life, after all!
Still, this means that there are a lot of interesting things going on around your local towns that your students might not be aware of, which is why this field trip idea is a great way to help them appreciate their home a little more.
The local center could be in pretty much any field, too.
Whether it’s packaging, cars, making toys, shipping vital machine components, tech engineering, or so much more.
Take a moment to check the local industries in your area, and you might be surprised at what is still made in your local community.
And with it being a local service, it also shouldn’t take nearly as much planning or logistics to get everything for a visit for your students and the center.
No need to hire cross-country coaches or flights to get this one out of the planning stage!
2. Theater Performance/Show
This is one for anyone who has a passion or love of the arts.
Most kids will have their favorite movies or shows by this point. But you might be surprised at just how few kids have seen a live performance at a theater.
Even grown-ups often miss just how impactful a live show can be sometimes.
This makes it the perfect place for a field trip with your students.
Despite physical theaters not being as popular as they once were, many places across the country, towns, or cities, still have one or two theater spaces where shows are being run from.
Not only that, but a theater show can cover just about any subject or story. If you’re a history teacher, chances are there’s going to be a story about it.
A science topic such as physics or biology? There are even shows for those too. Theater trips aren’t just for art and literature kids!
Plus, there are theater shows for pretty much any age group, so there’s no excuse not to find your local theater, and bring your students to enjoy a show.
3. Art Museum
Art Museums are probably one of the most popular places for both individuals and groups alike. So, as you can imagine, they are also great places to take your students on a field trip!
These collections of both paintings and renditions of both stories and the past are a great gateway to help kids learn about history, a topic that many can often struggle to understand or visualize.
These physical interpretations are the perfect way for kids to sink their teeth into this often difficult subject.
In recent years, art has expanded out of the old perceptions of just paintings and statues.
These days, you’ll find a ton of different kinds of artworks that employ a range of skills and techniques to create artwork.
Models demonstrating high-level understandings of both engineering and physics that are often explained as part of the exhibit.
4. Zoos
Who doesn’t love a good zoo? They’re practically the gold standard that all other field trips have to meet!
There is the entertainment factor that comes with visiting a zoo. You get to see animals and wildlife that you otherwise wouldn’t get the chance to see.
Perfect for engaging young minds that want to watch and wonder at the natural beauty of animals from around the world!
If you’re a teacher of biology or animal studies, then these visits are the perfect way to combine both an entertaining day trip with a little real-world application of what your pupils have been learning in the classroom.
It can be about physical adaptations that they can spot in animals. How different species they see are related to one another if they’re learning about evolution.
It’s also a great place to talk about and discuss conservation science too, which many modern zoos are often involved in.
5. Recycling Plants
Similar to the local manufacturing plant, there are a lot of services and infrastructural work that is carried out in and around towns.
And, unlike with manufacturing, pretty much every town out there needs these infrastructures, making them a reliable place to contact to organize a field trip!
Your students might first groan at the thought of going to a recycling plant, of all places. (which at first is fair. It’s not quite a trip to the zoo, is it
However, there are a lot of interesting science and technical processes that take place at a recycling or waste plant, so there’s a surprising amount of activities for students to get to grips with at one of these places.
Recycling/waste disposal plants are a key feature of modern infrastructure around the country and world, so shining a light on them for students is a great way of showing modern engineering works and skills put into practical use.
These aren’t just vague concepts that you’ll never use in the classroom, these are real-world skills being put into effect!
6. College Campus Visits
This is a field trip that is ideally meant for older students, but one that could be very informative for kids at the right age.
Getting a guided tour of potential educational institutions that many of your students might one day go to themselves as college students can be an enlightening experience.
It’s a great way to get kids to start thinking about potential future career paths and what they want to do as adults, something that many children will benefit from.
7. Fire Department Visit
One of the job roles that we learn about from a young age is the job of a fire department responder or firefighter.
So naturally, it’s going to be a place that many kids will want to visit at some point in their lives, making it the perfect place for an amazing day field trip!
Not only do you get to fulfill many kids’ dreams, but there are a ton of other things that you can get up to with a fire department visit.
You can learn more about the jobs that firefighters are expected to do, outside of the obvious firefighting, as well as what the average day looks like for a respondent, and the kind of gear that they usually carry.
Plus, many fire departments also provide lots of fire safety courses for both kids and adults alike.
The dos and don’ts of household appliances, what to do in a fire emergency, and how you can stay safe around sources of heat or home accidents are all vital skills that every child should be taught at some point.
8. Aquarium
Like with zoos, aquariums are just amazing places to visit, even at the worst of times.
Plus, they offer views of animals that even the best zoos can struggle to compete with. Sure, a lion or a zebra is an amazing sight.
But how easy it is to get a clear view of a tiger shark in the wild, without a boat and scuba gear?
And, like with zoos, aquariums are also the perfect place to go into greater detail about biology and animal preservation, two professions and subjects that are only going to get more popular in the years to come.
9. Local Expert
This is an idea or aspect that can be applied to pretty much every other idea that we’ve covered on this list. Instead of taking your class to these experts and locations, why not bring the experts to your class?
If you have a local historical site or point of interest, why not bring an expert from that site for a history Q and A?
If you’re studying the conservation of wildlife and habitats, why not invite a local conservationist into the classroom, or organize a joint day out into that wilderness?
Do you know a local chef or restaurant owner? Invite them in for a cooking class, and talk about the business and what running/working entails.
This is arguably stretching the concept of what you might consider a ‘field trip’ (i.e. getting out of the classroom and into the real world), but it’s an idea that should be considered!
Final Notes
So, hopefully, this list that we’ve compiled is useful for your next planned field trips!
Hi, my name is Helena Waters and I was a teacher for 40 years before retiring last year.
During my time as a teacher I dedicated the majority of it to making classrooms as fun as possible, with educational parties, fun activities, and low cost entertainment that made the children excited about learning.
I taught children of all ages, from preschoolers to high school students. Now, with the pandemic having uprooted everything that children once knew about school and learning, I think that the need for my ideas is bigger than ever.
That is why I created School Sparks, a place in which I can write down and share all of my ideas on how to get students excited about going to school again. I hope that you’ll find some useful within a school setting, even at home too!
