Child care center staff are often hesitant to take their children on field trips. Field trips can be stressful if the provider is not prepared. Parents are occasionally hesitant to allow their children to take field trips. However, the benefits are enormous and the field trip experience can be wonderful for both the child and the provider. Summer is a great time to explore the world around you. Trips provide learning opportunities that cannot be duplicated in any other way. Field trips do not need to be complicated or expensive. Nor do they need to involve miles of travel.
First of all, make sure that you have written permission from the parents for to take the children on field trips. Sending a note home about every outing and how the children will benefit is always a good idea. You can start out with a walking trip. If you live in a city, you may be able to walk to the library or the park. Sometimes I would take my children on a walk around the block when our day had been particularly stressful. If you live in a rural area, take a walk into the woods and look for leaves, rocks, and other natural materials. Talk to the children about safety and that they must listen and follow the rules before taking the trip. Always discuss the trip with the children and what they will do before you leave home. Read books that relate to the trip. Make sure that you take a basic first aid kit and any necessary medication required by specific children (for example, allergy medication). Also, take a card or sheet of paper with each child's emergency contacts. A cellular telephone could be handy if a crisis should occur. Carry these materials in a fanny pack. I found that this was the easiest way to be prepared, and I carried this even out on the playground for emergencies. Make sure that children hold hands with a partner, stay off the road, and follow basic traffic safety rules. Remember safety precautions specific to the location. Be aware of broken glass on a sidewalk or poison ivy in the woods. School-age children can help push strollers. Sing songs along the way. Discuss various buildings, signs, birds, trees, etc. as you walk.
Next, try to plan a trip that is conveniently located but requires transportation. Try to plan this trip in relation to a topic the children are learning. Have you been or will be learning about the grocery store, the post office, or fire safety? Call the store manager, postmaster, fire marshal, etc., to set up a time and agenda. Find out if there are any expenses and make arrangements to collect the money if necessary. Many community businesses allow and plan for visits from field trip groups free of charge. Our class took field trips to our local fire station and to a nearby major department store.
Plan the trip several weeks in advance so that you can arrange for lunch and transportation. On our department store trip, the bakery gave each child a cookie and the McDonald's inside provided the children with a free lunch. A van might be appropriate for a small group of children. If you have several children, your assistant, family members, or staff may need to transport the children in their vehicles. You may need to ask parents if they can contribute by taking a few hours off work to help. Assign a group of children to every adult. Each adult can be responsible for keeping count and ensuring safety of his or her group. You can have the children all wear the same color T-shirt or make T-shirts so that they can be recognized easily. You can make a tag or a necklace with each child's name and the name and telephone number of the provider on the back. I always laminated or covered our tags with Contact paper so that we could use them several times. Make sure that every driver has liability insurance. Have someone for every child needing a car seat leave one the morning of the trip. Also keep in mind that this type of field trip may not be appropriate for infants and toddlers.
Now you are ready for a major field trip. These occur once in a great while. Perhaps a trip to a farm, to the circus, or a performance would be an interesting adventure. A trip to Sesame Street Live in a nearby town was an annual event at our preschool. Plan this trip well in advance and remind parents several times beforehand. There may be a charge and you will need to collect the money and keep payment records.
When you return, make sure all the children are safe. Discuss the field trip and what they learned. Create books about the children's adventures or make a chart with each child telling something he or she did or saw. However, keep in mind that young children will often be very tired and ready for a nap after the trip. Field trips are well worth the effort. Even if a major field trip isn't possible because of transportation or other issues, take a chance and explore around the block or in the woods near your house or center. You might just discover something wonderful out there.