Field trips are an amazing opportunity for a hands-on learning experience in whatever topic you’d like to focus on. You can use this field trip journal for any field trip you attend this year.
If you’re studying animals, you can visit the zoo, if you’re studying history, you can visit a local historical site.
If you’re studying dinosaurs, visit the museum. Nothing can replace the excitement of being in those places and seeing it in real life. You get a real life-size comparison for dinosaurs and a visit back into time at a historical site that is hard to imagine just from books.
While we’re always on the go during a field trip and chasing kids around making sure we don’t lose anyone. I do like to capture what they’ve learned afterward to see what the kids took away from the experience.
Make certain to check out my Ontario Science Centre Field Trip for a fun example of a super cool field trip for kids!
Field Trip Journal
Each child has their own interests and they’ll take away what intrigued them. This is what makes field trips so great! The idea of a field trip is fun but seeing what the kids get excited about is awesome.
When we visited the art museum, my boys were very interested in the war and battle theme artwork while my daughter really enjoyed the dog ones.
By asking for their written narration or drawing, you’ll see what they learned and what caught their interests. These always make for wonderful keepsakes.
If you’re homeschooling, having a field trip journal is a great thing to have. This really has the kids paying attention and looking for items that draw in their focus. They can easily draw or write about their favorite things that they saw during the field trip which is a great way for them to work on their communication skills.
To extend this activity, find some books that are relevant to the time period or the topic that you’ll be studying during the field trip. Planning a visit to the local library and picking out some new books is a great idea or you can easily order some online, too.
Read ahead of time so they know and recognize the terms and items you’ll find on your trip. This gets them more excited and more engaged during the trip. Plan a topic that you’re wanting them to research before the trip so that they can really have a good idea of something to look forward to.
Science museums or any museums, in general, can be hectic and crazy so if you can learn about their favorite topics ahead of time. they’ll be able to make those connections during the trip.
Recommended Field Trip Books for Kids
Before or after you’ve returned from the field trip, you can always dive even deeper. Ask them what they’d like to learn more about and just jump in. It doesn’t have to be planned or structured but you can follow their lead.
The best part about books is that it helps to really dive into the topics that you might be exploring on your field trip. With so many great book options for kids, there’s no doubt that they can have a huge amount of knowledge in their minds before you even leave for the trip.
There are always a ton of book ideas that the kids can easily dive in and start reading as well. I’ve found that when I have books in the house handy, the kids love to pick them up and read them.
You can even pick out a handful of books before the field trip so that the kids prepare and are ready for the day. Make certain to choose a good mixture of factual books and story books so that it keeps their minds open to learning.
Below is just a small sampling of fun books that the kids might enjoy. They’re all quite different from one another but that doesn’t make them any less fun!
Keena Ford and the Field Trip Mix-Up
The Magic School Bus And The Electric Field TripField Trip Mad LibsMiss Bindergarten Takes a Field Trip with Kindergarten (Miss Bindergarten Books (Paperback))
Ask each of your kids the same question and you can get all different answers. They will remember things that stuck out to them or that they found really interesting.
I have a child who loves history and one who is more science minded and loves animals. When we go to the museum their favorite things and the things they stopped to read more about are different.
They’ll take away different things and I love seeing what lit up their eyes. It’s really a lot of fun to stop and see what each person remembers loving from the field trip.
You can even tell them or write down your own ideas so that they’re active in that as well. Use this part of the packet to start conversations also. If the kids have a favorite thing that they learned, ask a few questions digging deeper into it to talk about what they really loved.
Make certain to have these handy the next time that you’re planning a field trip. It’s a great way for the kids to get a little bit of independence mixed in with some critical thinking as well.
More Homeschool Printables
Make certain that you check out some of our other great homeschooling printables. You can mix and match and add them to your lesson planning. Homeschooling is so much fun when you can have themed learning or fun printable ideas for the kids!
See the other Summer Learning Printables here and stay tuned for the new ones. I love adding new ideas to all the fun summer learning options for kids!
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