Field trips are an important part of our homeschool plans. Field trips allow you time out of the house, a chance to experience something hands on, as well as to allow for fun social times.  Homeschool field trip ideas can vary by location, season, preference, age ranges, and the amount of time and money available to you.

Some of us plan field trips based on what we are learning at the time, or vice versa plan what you are learning based on the current field trip options.  For example maybe you know that there will be a Civil War reenactment happening near you in the springtime so you engage your children and a unit on the Civil War to prepare them.  You may be studying a certain type of animal or habitat and decide to seek that out at a local zoo, aquarium, farm, or nature center to enhance the learning with a hands on experience.

On the flip side of this, some of us just take field trips when the whim suits, when something fun and interesting comes up, etc.  Sometimes it is best to keep the learning natural and spontaneous, often that is when the most fun and learning can happen simultaneously.  Either way, field trips are not only great hands on learning experiences, they are also lots of fun!

General Homeschool Field Trip Ideas:

• Nature hikes/Nature Centers
• Farms (dairy, horse, crop)
• Zoo
• Aquarium
• Theater Productions
• Museums (science, art, play, historical)
• Sporting Events
• Local Groups and Organizations
• Historical Sites
• Family Owned Businesses
• Nursing Homes
• Food Shelves
• Amusement Parks
• Local Fun Places (jump clubs, roller skating, ice skating, laser tag

Ways To Document Field Trips:

• Take photos, pick up brochures and make a scrapbook
• Use a notebooking approach with pictures, lines, and boxes to create a fun memory page
• Write a brief paper about something you saw or learned
• Draw a picture of something from the trip

Save Money on Field Trips:

• Purchase a Membership – to the museum, park, zoo etc. Often the money you spend on that can be made up in just a couple of visits. Often these memberships are also reciperacal to other parks, museums, zoos, etc.
• Organize a Homeschool Group Discount – often places offer group discounts and will also work with you in organizing a homeschool group discount
• Visit Local Organizations – Police, Fire, Ambulance core, Recycling Plant, Water Treatment Plant, Dentist, Supermarket, Veterinarian, Humane Society, Food Pantry
• Gift Memberships – ask for memberships to local attractions as Christmas or Birthday gifts from relatives
• Go at “Off” Hours – For instance some places offer discounts for certain times of the day. Our local stage theater groups off seats at the daytime school shows to homeschoolers for a significantly reduced rate.

iHomeschool Hangout : Field Trips for Homeschool

Hangout Timeline:

3:16 – Why are Field Trips Important?
6:30 – Saving Money on Field Trips
18:00 – Scheduling Field Trips (planned vs. unplanned)
23:40 – How Do You Prepare For Field Trips?
38:05 – How Do You Fit Field Trips in With Your Homeschool Schedule?
43:10 – Field Trips & High School
51:10 – What is the Hardest Part of Homeschool Field Trips?
58:50 – Getting Ready Can be Hard, Consider Sharing the Responsibility of Planning Field Trips

Find Other Field Trip Ideas:

• Field Trip Posts Here at Starts At Eight
• Pinterest Board – Field Trips ~ Physical & Virtual
• Ohio Field Trip Options

Homeschool Field Trip Series:

• Part I – Rochester New York  Field Trip Ideas Part I – This part covers Museums, Historical Locations, Environmental Sites, Local Theater Opportunities, Indoor Physical Activities, and Community Resources.
• Part II – Rochester New York Field Trip Ideas Part II – This part covers Nature Centers, Farm/Animal Related, Berry Picking, Outdoor Fun, and Local Sports Teams
• Part III – Homeschool Field Trip Ideas & Tips {This Post}
• Part IV – Advantages of Virtual Field Trips – Talks about the positives of using virtual field trips in your homeschool, especially for older kids.

Finally if there are great sites to see or things to do that you would like to add, please leave a comment and share with us!

More Field Trip Ideas

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