best field trips for kindergarten near me

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Field Trip Ideas

Field Trips for Preschool and Kindergarten

Field trips are not only lots of fun but they can also be very valuable learning experiences for young children.

They can help build background knowledge and vocabulary that are important for success in school and life.

Free Field Trip Ideas for Preschool and Kindergarten

Some field trips will require an entrance fee, but others may be free. Check with your local places of business to find out if they would be willing to offer your class a free “tour”.

• Fire Station
• Grocery Store
• Home Improvement Store
• Nursing Home
• Animal Shelter
• Beach (if nearby)

Fun Field Trip Ideas for Preschool

The following are popular places for field trips that usually charge a fee for entrance.

• Apple Orchard
• Children’s Theater
• Pumpkin Patch
• Science Museum (designed for children)
• Ice Skating
• Roller Skating
• Kid-Friendly Bowling Alley

The ice skating, roller rink, and bowling alley trips could all be tied to academic science objectives.

Regional Field Trip Ideas

Different parts of the world may offer unique opportunities for field trips such as:

• Coastal: Beach
• Coastal: Lighthouse
• Southwest: Rodeo
• Wildlife Sanctuary
• Planetarium

Field Trips that May Come to You

Some field trips may even come to your location if travel isn’t possible or in your budget.

• Agricultural Outreach Center (cows or other livestock)
• Rodeo History and Education Center
• Petting Zoo
• Wildlife Outreach Center (exotic animals)
• Animal Shelter, ASPCA, or other animal group to teach about caring for pets

How to Plan a Field Trip

The following are some steps you can follow to help you plan for your field trip.

• Check your school field trip policy and read it thoroughly before scheduling any field trips.
• Determine the educational benefits of this particular field trip.
• Check your school policy on field trip chaperones. The general rule of thumb is, the younger the child, the more chaperones you will need.
• Calculate the distance from your school to the location you would like to visit.
• If a fee is involved, calculate how much the field trip will cost per child. Don’t forget to take into consideration any additional costs such as transportation or meals.
• Ask permission from school administrators to book the field trip
• Notify the parents of the date and cost of the field trip. Also let them know if you need chaperones and the procedure for signing-up.

Field Trip Questions

There are lots of questions to take into consideration when planning a field trip for young children. Here are some of the most common questions to consider.

• What type of travel is allowed? Will you need to hire a school bus or can parents drive?
• Can parents take their children home after the field trip, before returning to the school? (this will happen!)
• What paperwork is needed for parents to volunteer as chaperones?
• How many adults will you need to help chaperone the field trip?
• Will this trip help your students meet academic goals? List the specific academic standards that this trip will help your students meet. Remember, most field trips will help develop vocabulary, which in turn supports reading.
• How long will you be away from school? Calculate the travel time to and from your destination into your final number.
• Will students be eating lunch on the field trip? If so, will they be bringing their own lunches, will the school be providing them, or will they be purchased on-site?
• Do any students in your classroom take medication that will need to be administered on the field trip? If so, provisions will need to be made.
• Can parent chaperones bring their younger or older children along on the field trip? If so, how will those children be transported to and from the location? How will payment be handled- if any?

Field Trip Preparation

While field trips are fun for the students, they often require extraordinary amounts of extra preparation and effort on the teacher’s part. If something goes wrong you need to have a plan in place to occupy your students.

Every single minute of your trip has to be planned out in advance or chaos will reign. Expect the unexpected and prepare for delays such as waiting for a bus, waiting in lines, waiting for others to finish lunch.

As you can see, preparing for the trip in advance is only half the battle!

Preparing for Field Trips

Having something on hand to occupy your students on a field trip is a lifesaver.

Field trip recording sheets or scavenger hunts are a great way to keep your students alert and on-task as they look for the items listed.

You can give these forms to your students to complete during the trip or pass them out when needed.

Field Trip Scavenger Hunt Printables

These activities will provide students with practice paying attention to details, recalling events, and vocabulary development.

Picture cues are provided for non-readers so no reading is necessary to complete the activities.

Volume 1 of the 8 page Field Trip Recording Sheet packet includes scavenger hunts and recording sheets for the following field trips:

More Teaching Tips from Pre-K Pages

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• Grades 6-12
• School Leaders

FREE Poetry Worksheet Bundle! Perfect for National Poetry Month.

260+ Field Trip Ideas for Grades Pre-K Through 12 (In-Person and Virtual)

Get out of the classroom and explore the world!

Field trips are a quintessential school experience. You usually only get one or two a year so it’s important to do it right! Our roundups of unique field trip ideas have something for every age, subject, and interest. We’ve even got resources like permission slip forms and chaperone tips. Get ready to leave the classroom behind to take learning on the road!

Preschool Field Trip Ideas

Early-grade field trips help kids learn about the world and also teach them good field trip behavior. These are our top picks for the pre-K crowd, but many of the options on our kindergarten list are perfect for this age group too.

• Library: Not every student’s parents take them to story time. Schedule your own trip, and show kids that having fun isn’t hard when you have a library card!
• Farm: Whether you learn how vegetables are grown or where milk and eggs come from, the farm is always a hit.
• Grocery store: Go behind the scenes at the supermarket, and use this trip as the foundation for lessons on healthy eating.
• Park: From local playgrounds to majestic national parks, it’s always worth getting kids into the great outdoors.
• Children’s museum: This is the age group most children’s museums were designed for! They’ll love all the hands-on fun and excitement.
• Post office: Learn how mail is sorted and shipped, and teach students about stamps and other mail-related items.
• Bank: Money is a new concept for these kiddos, and they’ll be fascinated to step inside the vault and learn other bank secrets.
• Fire station: There’s just something about a fire truck that gets every little one excited.
• Nursing home: Is there anything sweeter than watching seniors and wee ones spend time together?
• Animal shelter: For kids who don’t have pets at home, this can be a good introduction to animals. Others will just enjoy the time with dogs and cats waiting for their forever homes.

Elementary School Field Trip Ideas

@mjdstoronto

These are the prime field trip years! Here are our favorite trips for every grade.

• 14 Kindergarten Field Trips (Virtual and In-Person)
• 15 First Grade Field Trips (Virtual and In-Person)
• 15 Second Grade Field Trips (Virtual and In-Person)
• 15 Third Grade Field Trips (Virtual and In-Person)
• 23 Fourth Grade Field Trips (Virtual and In-Person)
• 22 Fifth Grade Field Trips (Virtual and In-Person)

Middle and High School Field Trip Ideas

@salinasvalleybasingsa

For this age group, you’ll need to step up your game a bit. (They’ve probably already been to the zoo, the aquarium, and the art museum.) Try some of these locations, which offer educational, social-emotional, and real-life learning opportunities.

• Food bank: Hold a food drive, then arrange a trip to your local soup kitchen or food pantry. Volunteering makes for truly meaningful field trips.
• Recycling facility: In a time when reducing landfill waste is more important than ever, a trip to a recycling facility can help drive home the message.
• Theater: Many theaters offer behind-the-scenes tours for schools and discount pricing when you buy tickets in bulk. (Want to go virtual? Check out the Hamilton Education Program !)
• Community college: Parents sometimes take kids on college visits, but a community college trip offers opportunities for even more students to see themselves getting a higher education.
• TV station: Kids interested in communications or technology will find this completely fascinating.
• Courtroom: There’s no better way to understand the justice system than to see it in action.
• State or county capitol: Every government class should visit a local capitol to meet with officials and see how the government works.
• Local business: This can be a cool way to learn about managing a business, working with customers, or discovering how products are made.
• Wildlife rehab facility: Introduce students to the people who help injured wild animals recover and live free once again.

Virtual Field Trip Ideas

@edtech_tusd

The terrific thing about virtual field trips is that they eliminate so much of the hassle. No need to collect permission slips, arrange for buses, or recruit chaperones. Plus, they’re usually free!

• 40 Amazing Educational Virtual Field Trips
• 20 Terrific Virtual Art Museum Field Trips
• 18 Incredible Virtual Zoo Field Trips
• 15 Fascinating Aquarium Virtual Field Trips
• 3 Science Virtual Field Trips Let Kids Travel the World

Field Trips by Location

If you live in one of these cities, check out some of our favorite spots.

• 16 Cool Field Trips in Houston, Texas
• 21 Terrific Field Trips in Chicago, Illinois
• Top 10 Washington D.C. Field Trip Ideas

Field Trip Tips and Resources

There’s a lot to do when you’re organizing an off-site field trip. These resources are here to help.

• Preparing Parent Chaperones for a Field Trip
• Free Printable Field Trip and School Permission Forms To Make Your Life Easier
• Things To Do Before Taking Your Students on a Major Field Trip
• Mistakes To Avoid When Planning a Field Trip for Students
• Why I Hate Field Trips (And How I Learned To Deal)
• Help! Is There Any Way I Can Get Out of Our End of the Year Field Trip?

Bonus: Looking for a laugh? Check out  Ways School Field Trips Are Like The Wizard of Oz !

What are your favorite field trip ideas? Come share your thoughts in the  We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook !

Plus,  virtual college campus tours to explore from home ..

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The Best In-Person and Virtual First Grade Field Trips

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68 Best Virtual Field Trips for Kids

In the Classroom

Here you will find a list of the best virtual field trips for kids, ranging from preschool and kindergarten to elementary aged children.

These virtual field trips for kids will leave your kiddos learning about animals, history, community helpers, space, national parks, sports arenas, and farms all over the world! The interactive tour with live webcams are a great way to give the kids a closer look at outer space, an animals natural habitat, and our natural world.

Whether for homeschool, preK, kindergarten, first grade, or second grade, you can quickly find great virtual field trips below with the easy-to-find categories. If you’re looking for a middle school and high school appropriate virtual reality field trip, there will be a few to choose from. Otherwise, these are geared towards the younger children. Can’t find what you are looking for? Leave a comment at the end of the post, and I will gladly search for a fun virtual field trip for kids.

Free Virtual Field Trips Zoo and Animals

• San Diego Zoo : Live animal cameras and instructional activities
• Butterfly Garden : Learn all about butterlies with this 9 minute video of the most beautiful butterfly habitats in the world.
• Animal Shelter : This 8 minute video shows the Kidvision kids learning about the animal shelter and how to adopt a pet
• Emerald Hills Animal Hospital
• Dinosaur Exhibit
• Conservation Biology Institute and the Smithsonian’s National Zoo

The Best Virtual Field Trips to a Farm

During the Fall, most elementary grades take a field trip to a farm. The most popular guided tour school groups are animal farms, apple orchards, and pumpkin patches. Below are virtual field trip experiences your kids will love!

• Dairy Farm : Complete with a downloadable companion activity to get your kids prepared for the virtual field trip of a dairy farm.
• Animal Farm
• Condee Horse Farm:  Meet Shorty in this 8 minute virtual tour of a horse farm.
• Dutch Hollow Farm : 50 minute tour of a dairy farm
• Tailview Farm : A 47 minute tour of the Tailview Farm recorded in 2020
• Bonnie Plants : Home Depot takes kids on a multi-part virtual field trips to see gardens and plants
• Egg Farm Field Trip

Virtual Field Trips Aquarium

• Seattle Aquarium
• Monterey Bay Aquarium Live Cam
• Mystic Aquarium
• National Aquarium

Community Helpers Virtual Field Trips for Kids

Most elementary social studies curriculum integrates community helpers! These virtual tours will support your lessons by offering an interactive experience.

• Ft. Lauderdale Children’s Theater
• Airport : Sit in a cockpit, learn how to fuel a helicopter, and visit an airplane museum
• Construction Site
• Bank : Visit the SunTrust Bank with the KidVision kids
• Television Station : An 8 minute video touring a TV studio with Penny. Learn about green screens, sound and audio boards, and much more.
• Recycling Center : Here’s an 8 minute video touring a recycling center
• Library : Learn about putting books in alphabetical order, how to check out your favorite books, and all the other fun parts of a library.
• Post Office : Learn how to mail a letter
• Fire Station
• Whole Foods Grocery Store
• Police Station
• Boston Children’s Museum

Virtual Field Trips to Food and Candy Shops

• Ice Cream Parlor : Visit Jaxson’s Ice Cream Parlor and learn how to order from a menu, choose your favorite toppings, and more sweet fun!
• Chocolate Factory : Take this fun tour with the KidVision kids and Ms. Penny to see how chocolate is made – from the bean to the candy
• How M&Ms are made
• Bakery:  A 7 minute video that will take you to a bakeshop and show how cupcakes are made

Virtual Field Trip to Space

The live videos of space exploration are excellent educational activities.

• Visit the Moon : This 23 minute video will take you on a NASA virtual field trip to the moon.
• Kennedy Space Center
• Virtual Tour of Mars (Access Mars)
• Slime in Space
• Google Earth interactive map to get the google street view of any location in the world, such as the Great Lakes, the Liberty Bell, Mexico City, New York City, or the beautiful Yosemite National Park.
• International Space Station

Virtual Field Trips for Learning History

• Pilgrim Life:  Learn about games and chores of pilgrim children in the 1620s
• George Washington’s Mount Vernon
• White House : Take a virtual tour of the white house
• Statue of Liberty
• Railroad Museum : Learn about railroad safety in this 5 minute video by Kid Vision
• Smithsonian National Museum of History :  Click to see different areas of the museum as you and the kids walk through this virtual tour.
• Great Wall of China : Although the history behind this extraordinary exhibit is beyond early childhood curriculum, the kids will love the 360-degree view. This virtual tour of the great wall of china would be great when teaching different cultures.
• Mount Rushmore
• Plimoth Plantation: Perfect for your Thanksgiving activities and lessons for kids
• Empire State Building Live Cam
• Ellis Island

Amazing National Parks Virtual Tours

• Yellowstone National Park
• Grand Canyon
• Amazon Rainforest
• African Safari in Etosha

Sports Virtual Field Trips

• Baseball Stadium : This 6 minute video will take you on a virtual field trip to a Baseball Stadium. Meet the team mascot, throw a pitch, and much more.
• Bowling Alley:  Join the kids as they go to a bowling alley, learn how to pick out the right ball, and have fun with some strikes!
• Play 60 Football Stadium Virtual Field Trip for Kids

Virtual Field Trips to Oceans

• Hawaii : Learn about Hawaiian art, music, and dance.
• Artic : Explore the arctic for kids and learn about arctic animals and climates
• Coral Reef : See sea turtles, octopus, eels, and more as you explore the coral reef.

Virtual Field Trips to Kids Museum

• Children’s Museum of Atlanta : This was rated amongst the top world-famous museum choices for kids
• Explore STEM and STEAM projects at the National Children’s Museum

I hope you’ve enjoyed this collection of these best places for virtual field trips for kids. Be sure to bookmark this page, so you can easily access it throughout the year. If you’d like to join the Little Learning Corner email crew, sign up HERE to get something new, fun, and helpful every week!

Before you go, here are some popular blog posts you may enjoy:

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Virtual Field Trips for Kids

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April 12, 2020 by Where Imagination Grows

40+ Virtual Field Trips for Kids

We are living in a strange time. Never did I think that I would be searching for virtual field trips to take with my daughter and daycare children! But here we are, trying to make the best of the situation we are living in. 

Now you can experience landmarks and museums around the world with your kids from home! Check out our list of 40+ virtual field trips below. These are all interactive virtual tours that I have done with my kids. All kid-approved! 

I’ve spent the last two weeks putting together this list of virtual field trips for kids. These are all links that I have personally checked out with my daughter and daycare kids. 

Animal Virtual Field Trips

-Watch over 10 different animals, from Elephants to Butterflies, in their habitats at the San Diego Zoo with these Live Animal Cams ! We love the tiger cams! Plus they have a whole kids area on their website for fun educational activities. 

-Observe gorillas, rhinos, and even ants on the live webcams from the Houston Zoo . I love the 6 different animal cams at this zoo. Tune in between 7 am and 7 pm CST to see them in action.

– The Georgia Aquarium has some really amazing webcams you can check out. They have beluga whale webcams plus live feeds of the puffins, piranhas, gators and much more! Watch for the whale shark (!) on the Ocean Voyager cam! It’s so cool to see! 

-Learn and explore the farm like never before! Take an inside virtual tour of how farms run and how food is processed from a farm. These are really interesting and well done. My daughter loved the 360 videos on egg processing and egg breaking, the way all the machinery works together blew her mind! You can also view sheep, grain, and mink farms plus milk processing plants.

-Have a shark lover in your house? The live shark cam at the Monterey Bay Aquarium is one of our favorite live cams to view. They also have a really great aviary and coral reef cam that you can view with your kids. We also like the Monterey bay cam, it’s fun to watch the waves! 

-Walk-through the halls of the National Aquarium with this fun and interactive virtual tour. 

-Another informative and fun virtual farm tour for kids. Learn about and tour behind the scenes of a dairy farm. 

-Check-in on some of your favorite animals and don’t miss the baby Cheetahs on the animal cams at the National Zoo. 

Landmarks & Castles

-If you haven’t explored Google Earth I highly recommend that you give it a try. You can explore all kinds of amazing places on Earth. Studying somewhere specific? Check it out on Google Earth. 

-Missing your connection to Mickey and friends? Check out this free virtual field trip to Walt Disney World . 

-Learning about the Empire State Building ? Check out the live webcams perched high above the streets of New York.

-Even wondered what the white house looks like from the inside? Step inside and take a tour of this presidential building from the comfort of your own home.

-Walk the grounds of Scotland’s Edinburgh Castle with this virtual field trip of this ancient castle. 

-Walk along walls of the Great Wall of China with this stunning virtual tour!

-Have you always wanted to see the Effiel Tower ? Well, now you can take your kids on a field trip there in your pajamas! 

-Visit the Palace of Versailles in France. Explore the King’s Chamber, the Hall of Mirrors, art and much more! My kids were in awe of this one! 

-Go onboard and view the inside of Air Force One (a retired model). Explore the cockpit and see where the president sat and slept! 

-Walk-through the halls of the Schönbrunn Palace in Austria . It’s one of the most visited sites in the country and the tour is full of stunning items! 

-Visit an ancient tomb in Egypt. We really enjoyed the virtual tour of The Tomb of Menna . This is one of the most visited and best-preserved of the small 18th Dynasty elite tombs in the Theban necropolis. You can also visit the pyramids while you are “in” Egypt! 

– Head to Mount Vernon and explore the grounds and building. This was the plantation of George Washington, the first President of the United States, and his wife, Martha. 

-Go through the process of arriving at Ellis Island with this interactive tour. 

-Tour inside the state rooms at Buckingham Palace and discover some of the most treasured objects in the Royal Collection

Science & Nature 

-Visit the National Parks in realtime with their NPS Webcams ! 

-View the stunning beauty of Yosemite National Park . This virtual tour is amazing! 

-Take a hike on the Bright Angel Trail in the Grand Canyon from your living room! 

-Looking for something out of this world? Travel into space and visit Mars! That’s right, you can go on a virtual adventure on Mars ! 

-Take a tour of the international space station ! If you are learning about the stars and space this tour is a must! 

-Explore the Atlantic coast of Ireland and the Giants Causeway . This virtual field trip is one I want to take for myself! 

-Go inside Son Doong in Vietnam, it’s the largest cave in the world and even has its own ecosystem. The images are amazing! 

-Want to go on a safari? Check out these African Safari tours to view hyenas, lions, elephants and more! 

-Tour the Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park . Lava tubes and volcanos make this one a favorite.

-Explore the wonder of the Carlsbad Caverns and learn about bats.  

-See the Northern Lights over Sweden with this fabulous virtual tour. 

-Follow explorers from beginning to end as they climb Mt. Everest . The 360° videos are amazing and we learned so much about what it takes to make it to the top.

-Walk around among planes from history with this free virtual field trip for kids from the Frontiers of Flight Museum .

-Get an inside look at the cockpit and interior of planes from history at the National Museum of the United States Air Force. From WWII bombers to helicopters and fighter jets! My daughter has literally spent hours exploring these. 

-Have a car fan? Learning about transportation? Take a tour of the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant , the first Ford plant and the location where the Model T was developed.

-View the largest collection of Van Gogh’s artwork, including letters and drawings, at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.

-Learn about the Battle of the Alamo while you tour the historic Spanish mission and fortress founded in the 18th century.

-Head to the National Museum of Natural History to learn about the history of the planet and the humans. 

-View the incredible exhibits at the Louvre , the largest art museum in the world. 

-Explore The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s website for kids! The Met Kids lets kids explore an interactive cartoon map of the Met to learn more about the artwork and visitor spaces in the museum

-See all the fun to be had at the Boston Children’s Museum ! View three floors of fun children’s exhibits. 

-Virtually tour The British Museum and discover hundreds of artifacts in the museum.

–Step inside the Sistine Chapel and get an up-close and personal view of the amazing art that covers the space, including The Last Judgment  by Michelangelo.

Your turn! 

Have a favorite virtual field trip for kids that’s not listed above? Leave a link in the comments! I’m always looking for fun new options to explore with my kids. 

Looking for more crafts and activities? Check out our  index for 100+ plus kids activities ! Find activities by theme, materials, skills, age and much more!

Sharing is caring!

April 28, 2020 at 7:25 am

Thank you for sharing this list! It’s great that we can still have field trips even if we can’t leave our homes.

• Homeschool 101
• Plan and Organize
• Grade Levels
• All Categories

42 Homeschool Field Trip Ideas + Planning Tips & Printable Log

Are you looking to get out of the field trip rut of zoo and science museum? This article has unique field trip ideas to add zest back into your day trips! 

Not sure how to get started with field trips for preschoolers, how often to take field trips, how to plan them, or where to get a printable homeschool field trip log? This article has you covered! 

Are field trips good for students? 

Field trips are great for students! They are an extension of learning and one of the biggest perks of being a homeschooler. After all, how many field trips can a public school class have each year? Maybe two at best, right? They take an inordinate amount of planning for a school: boxed lunches, buses, permission forms, chaperones, etc. But as a homeschool family , you can pick up and go with much less preparation. In fact, many homeschoolers take a field trip nearly every week! 

What are the benefits of a field trip?

Since you’re reading this article, you probably don’t need convincing, but here are eight concrete advantages that field trips offer your children (and you). Yes, they’re fun, and that’s reason enough! But they offer additional perks, too!

1. Real Life Learning Beyond the Books

Books are great! They are the foundation of the literature-based Sonlight curriculum . But there’s an entire world out there that can be experienced firsthand— beyond the books. While books make far off cultures and distant histories accessible to our children, there are many topics we can see, touch, and hear for ourselves either instead of (or in addition to) a book. 

• So don’t only read about Native Americans. Visit an Indian mound museum and go deeper! Attend a public pow wow to observe and ask questions. 
• Don’t just read about plant root systems. Visit a local nursery or botanical gardens and get pointers from the professional gardeners who serve there.

2. Socialization

One of the best parts of homeschooling is being able to open our front door and use our community as a classroom. So much for the stereotype of unsocialized homeschoolers ! No way! Homeschoolers are out and about in the community, going on field trips, and interacting with all kinds of people . 

3. Motivation

Getting outside the house, exploring new places, and immersing yourself physically in a topic is an ideal way to erase monotony. When you find you’re falling into a boring rut with your homeschool schedule or attitudes are getting prickly, take a field trip! Mix things up! Take an adventure with your kids and experience the wonder of the larger world alongside them. 

Field trips raise spirits, renew zest for learning, and give kids a break from the challenging tasks of pencil-to-paper work.

Field trips can be used as a culminating activity after a unit of study—a reward after a period of challenging academic work .

4. Retention

The more senses that are engaged when learning something, the more likely it is to be retained. Field trips are memorable , so kids tend to retain what they soak up on these outings.

5. Family Bonding

Field trips can smooth over the normal annoyances of homeschool family life. Instead of fussing about folding laundry, leave the chores and go explore the zoo! You’ll laugh at the antics of the animals instead of crying over math. 

You and your children will create lasting memories of shared moments . When they are adults, these field trips (no matter how simple) are the things they will remember and cherish! So make more happy memories by taking more field trips.

6. Exercise

Many field trips involve quite a bit of walking. Some may even include climbing, leaping, and other physical exertion. In our tech-driven world, let’s not forget that we have bodies that need to move for optimum health! Field trips provide an ideal catalyst for meaningful movement . 

Experiencing a sense of awe is a remedy to depression and anxiety. What a gift for our children, and one that we parents need as well! 

God’s creation is amazing! So the potential for awe awaits you at any nature-focused field trip destination. Go! And then look, smell, listen, and feel. Let your senses absorb the wonder of God’s creation. The mindfulness and delight will lift your spirits ! 

8. Small Steps of Career Exploration

In some cases, a field trip gives kids a window into possible career fields. They can get a feel for workplaces and ask questions of the professionals who work there. 

What are the disadvantages of a field trip?

The advantages of field trips practically negate the possible downsides, so don’t let these discourage you! But field trips can be a disruption to your normal routine (a feature , not a bug!). 

There are field trip logistics that can be possibly annoying: driving distance, parking, where to eat a picnic on premises, rough terrain that makes pushing a stroller a challenge, finding diaper changing facilities, etc. Again, pushing to find solutions is worth the benefit your family gets from the outing!

Some field trip destinations can be pricey, but free homeschool field trips exist! Be sure to ask your desired venues about family passes, special discount days, or community events that are free of charge. Alternate free homeschool field trips with paid field trips to keep costs low, and carpool with another homeschool family to save on gas. Skip the gift shop and take a picnic instead of eating at the kiosks. There are ways to make field trips doable even with a tiny budget. 

Bad weather can ruin an outside field trip, but you have the flexibility to move that trip to a prettier day! 

There aren’t really any disadvantages inherent in field trips for homeschoolers. But there are small irritations of life that come along with any kind of day trip. 

What are good field trip ideas?

The sky's the limit, but here are forty-two suggestions to get you started with homeschool field trips for all ages and grades. Start with lower cost local field trips, and then expand out to more distant destinations as your children mature. 

• theater, opera, or ballet performances
• local house of worship, especially of a faith that is not your own (Muslim mosque, Hindu temple, Jewish synagogue, Greek Orthodox church, etc.)
• factories (like a bakery or an automotive factory)
• fish hatchery
• orchard, farm, or farmers market
• local power plant
• bike trails, hiking trails, or river canoeing
• space centers
• water treatment facility
• cemetery tours
• city capitol or state capitol, including the courthouse
• historic landmarks like battlefields or birthplace museums (think famous artists, musicians, athletes, writers, presidents, etc.)
• archaeological dig
• fire station, ambulance, or police station
• the post office
• historic reenactments
• Native American pow wows
• festivals 
• county fairs
• science museums
• college tours
• science lab tours (could be industry or educational)
• planetarium
• observatory
• dams and bridges
• arboretum, botanic gardens, or greenhouse
• aquarium, zoo, or wild animal park
• local or county parks
• state parks and forests
• national parks
• recycling center
• animal shelter or veterinarian’s office
• food bank, homeless shelter, or other charity organization
• semi-professional sporting events
• amusement parks
• military bases
• TV station or radio station
• music recording studios

What are the types of field trips?

The weather will influence your choice between indoor field trips and outdoor field trip s. Your budget impacts your decision between free field trips and trips that cost money. 

And your own preferences for planning will affect whether you go for easy field trips or those that take more advance preparation. For example, venues like zoos, galleries, and museums are already optimized for easy field trips. But there are a myriad of other locales that can make for a great field trip when you connect with someone who can arrange it for you—think local newspaper, the fire station, a historic house of worship, or a local factory. 

There are local field trips and more distant trips . Typically a field trip is a day trip —you return home the same day and sleep in your own bed.

Free Family Travel Guides from Sonlight

But some field trips expand into complete family vacations like these two East Coast destinations for American history buffs. 

A Family Travel Guide to Historic Williamsburg

One ticket. Five parks. Seven days. An unforgettable trip. Virginia is home to some of the greatest historical landmarks of colonial America. The Historic Triangle provides a peek into America's journey from English settlement to the independence of a new nation. When you are ready to visit, make the most of your time with these practical, tried-and-true tips.

Navigating Thomas Jefferson's Monticello

Enjoy a day or a long weekend exploring Monticello and the surrounding area.   Visiting this estate can be a wonderful addition as you study American History. Download this full-color free digital travel guide today to help you navigate Monticello and all the additional historical locations surrounding Monticello.

What are the most popular field trips?

The most popular homeschool field trips are those locations that are already set up for large groups with ample parking, pre-designed tours, clearly defined hours, and even amenities like picnic areas or shuttles/trains. 

These family pleasers have rotating exhibits or frequent workshops/events that deliberately cater to homeschool families. Examples are 

• nature preserves
• botanic gardens
• art galleries
• history museums
• historic sites
• and national or state parks

These locales are typically large and well-established. Visit their websites to see what they offer. Sign up for their email newsletters so you’re always in the know about special events, bargain days, and new exhibits.

Field Trip Planning, Preparation, and Printables

Some field trippers spontaneously jump in the car and head off for an unscripted adventure. But most moms probably prefer to set the stage with some basic groundwork. In fact, field trip planning can be part of your annual curriculum shopping as you lay out a course for your school year.  

Free printable homeschool field trip log

A homeschool field trip log can pull double duty as a place to record your plans beforehand and/or a place to document the trips you took afterwards. If you’re required to keep a homeschool portfolio or verify a certain number of school days, a homeschool field trip log is essential! (Don’t rely on your memory alone. Record those field trips!)

Download a free homeschool field trip form here to use as you work through the seven steps below.

(This free page is taken from the larger Sonlight Planner .) 

PRO TIP : Print multiple copies (or sets)—one for planning and one for recordkeeping. 

How do you plan an educational field trip?

For those of you who like to plan ahead, here are seven steps for making a comprehensive field trip plan for your homeschool.

1. Brainstorm fun homeschool field trip ideas

This is the fun part! Looking at the list of 42 suggestions above, jot down the ones that seem appealing to you and your children. 

Alternatively, consider your curriculum . What are you studying this term or year? What field trips can you plan to go along with the science and history topics you’ll be covering? What Readers and Read-Alouds have field trip tie-ins?

Don’t rule out field trips for teens! Advanced courses mesh well with learning excursions! Here are some examples:

• Biology field trip ideas : a butterfly vivarium, an Audubon Center , a wolf preserve
• Chemistry field trip ideas : a manufacturing laboratory, a college research lab, fire department, wastewater treatment plant

2. Look for specific locations

Head to Google and input your desired type of field trip. For example, when you search TV station tour , your local station will likely pop up with contact information to get started! Or search for planetariums near me . Yelp and Tripadvisor are two great apps for reading user reviews of many field trip destinations. 

3. Outline the logistics

Once you have specific venues in mind, start charting out the details like hours of operation, ticket costs, special tours/exhibits/workshops, etc.

4. Contact the specific venue for insider information

Don’t be nervous to send an email or pick up the phone to inquire about details. Even established venues like museums and zoos may be able to offer you special accommodations or workshops as long as you let them know you’re coming. 

Directly ask for insider tips: “Is there anything else that I should know before we come? Anything that’s not on the website?” 

5. Make a field trip calendar for the year 

Now you have the information you need to start filling out an annual field trip calendar. Pencil in your ideas based on your curriculum , the weather, and other family events. It’s common to have a monthly field trip, but you may want excursions more or less frequently.

6. Consider providing structure to the trip—or not!

There are different approaches to taking a field trip. Some families drop all the academics and simply enjoy the experience, letting the fun unfold naturally. 

Other families read about the place beforehand and assign homeschool field trip activities . These activities provide structure to the trip by giving kids a task to focus their exploration:

• a worksheet to fill out
• a journal for sketching
• a scavenger hunt

If your children tend to race through an exhibit without truly appreciating anything, an on-site assignment can help slow them down and center their attention on key facts. 

Check with the venue ahead of time because many of them already offer these activities either in hardcopy when you enter the destination or in digital format for you to print at home. 

P RO TIP : If you expect your child to do a written activity at the field trip, bring clipboards or bring homeschool field trip journals with a cardboard backing.

There’s no right or wrong here, but realize that you don’t have to add anything school-ish to justify a field trip. It’s enough to simply soak in great works of art or wander around an arboretum. Your kids are learning! 

7. Consider review or documentation—or not!

Once you’re back home, you may want to document the trip or review what you experienced. Again, this step is optional and doesn’t have to be formal or burdensome. 

How to write a homeschool field trip report

For upper elementary ages, middle schoolers, and high schoolers, it’s appropriate to assign a written project. This homeschool field trip report can take the format of a notebooking page, a journal entry, a scrapbook page , or a short composition. 

Here are the basics to include in a field trip report:

• the date of the trip
• the full name and address/location of the destination
• the significance of the location (if historic)
• the primary places/exhibits/topics that were experienced along with a brief description of each
• insights, opinions, and reflections

Add these extras to add to the field trip report to make it more of a homeschool field trip journal:

• diagrams and sketches made at the venue
• photographs or postcards
• actual items from the site (where allowed, of course) such as leaves, moss, feathers, etc.

You could help your kids write a review of the location to post on Google, Yelp, or Tripadvisor. 

Or maybe you simply have a discussion about what you experienced. Here are a few discussion starters:

• What was your favorite part of today? Why?
• What surprised you today?
• If we do that field trip again, what would you like to spend more time doing?
• Tell me 3 facts about [topic, person, place].
• Imagine you have to convince someone to go on a field trip to that place. What would you say to them?
• Quiz me/your sibling by asking me three questions I should have the answer to after our field trip today.

What to carry with you on a field trip?

If you’re not sure what to take along on your field trip, call the venue and ask! Find out what kinds of amenities they offer and what they suggest.

Aside from that, you already know the basics: snacks, wipes, a few adhesive bandages, drinking water, sunscreen, hats, etc. 

Unique field trip ideas

Because field trips have the potential to be so powerful, and because we have such an abundance of resources in our communities, it’s important to think beyond the norm to get our kids—and ourselves—out there, gaining fresh experiences and better understanding. Nearly any place that’s not unsafe for kids has the potential to be a field trip destination.

Any process, any job, any business has fascinating aspects to uncover on a family field trip for homeschool. Simply drive around your community with an open mind. Nearly every business you see is potential fodder for a field trip! 

• That locally owned coffee shop? Yep! 
• The beauty parlor? Why not? 
• The dentist’s office. For sure.
• That manufacturing plant? Probably!

Start with your connections. Ask friends about their place of work, their family businesses, their connections. Having a contact smooths the path to set up a family tour and an unlikely field trip destination. Most folks are thrilled to show off what they do to a handful of kids (and an interested parent). So don’t be afraid to ask! 

Your community is full of experiences, and those experiences can easily be tied to your curriculum. Here are four examples to get you started with fun homeschool field trip ideas:

1. Small Engine Repair Shop Field Trip

Kids (and adults) of all ages will be fascinated to see what goes into maintaining and repairing the many machines we use every day. Lawnmowers, chainsaws, generators, and scooters all fall under the small engine category.

The history of these machines is intriguing, and it’s a great introduction to more complex engines, too! This field trip ties in nicely with any of these books (or programs):

• Richard Scarry’s What Do People Do All Day
• Sonlight’s Science H- Technology
• A History of US
• The Story of Eli Whitney

2. General Aviation Airport Field Trip

Even better than flying on a commercial airliner is the experience of walking and talking with the pilot of a General Aviation (GA) plane. These smaller models operate under the same principles, and are in much wider use than the jumbo jets we board to fly cross country. You may be able to arrange to tour the actual facility or even take a short flight! If you’re reading these books, a field trip to an airport fits well:

• The Wright Brothers
• Around the World in 80 Days
• Catching Their Talk in a Box

3. Ethnic Food Market Field Trip

Pick a country, and find a shop! From the delicacies of Asia to the exotic (to us) foods of the Middle East, chances are excellent that you’ll have a market hidden somewhere in your community that specializes in foods of other lands. While you can order individual items online, nothing beats walking the aisles, smelling the smells, and seeing what’s on offer on the shelves.

There are so many Sonlight books that tie in to this field trip, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that HBL F: Eastern Hemisphere is crying out for a whole year of such outings!

4. Radio Station Field Trip

If you’re reading Catching Their Talk in a Box or Window on the World , or your child is studying physics, definitely make time for a trip to a local radio station . Choosing a smaller, local station to tour means the chance to walk into booths and likely get an up close and personal glance of the inner workings of a broadcast in progress. Missionaries of the past and present have utilized radio as an evangelism tool, and the science behind it is fascinating.

Where to get the best homeschool field trip ideas

Need inspiration for field trip ideas for kids? Marry books and field trips as often as you can to cultivate an adventurous learning environment. Here are examples: 

• Visit an aquarium after Dolphin Adventure .
• Tour an art museum after From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler .
• Trek to a farm after Mountain Born , Thimble Summer , or The Year at Maple Hill Farm .

Getting out and seeing firsthand the elements of a story or work of nonfiction cements it in our understanding. Not only do children hear how the mail system works in Richard Scarry’s What Do People Do All Day , but then they see it in action when they visit the post office. All the senses are engaged!

The details that may have escaped them in the book are suddenly prominent and yes, maybe even a door is opened to a new occupational calling. You just never know!

Suggested Field Trips by Age

The list of 42 ideas above are for all ages, stages, and grades, but admittedly some destinations are more suitable for younger or older students. Here’s how to work out your field trip decisions based on ages or grades.  

Field trips for toddlers & preschoolers

Since toddlers and preschoolers are probably still napping, you want local field trip ideas that won’t require lots of driving. Thanks to the mid-day pause for nap time, you’ll choose trips that can be done in the morning or afternoon but don’t demand a full day.

Avoid stodgy venues where quiet is expected and children can’t touch things. Instead opt for field trips with lots of hands-on, active exploration and frequently changing things to observe. 

Your best bets are anything related to animals:

• animal shelters and preserves
• butterfly gardens

Or any venue that has a nature or science slant:

• children’s museum
• arboretum or botanic gardens
• science museum

Call ahead or scour the website to find programs or exhibits especially designed for very young children to touch and physically experience the content. 

Children at this age are still developing vocabulary, so exposing them to new experiences and talking about what you see is invaluable. 

Outdoor or large open spaces where it’s okay to run are ideal for little kids. And you’ll want to consider field trip spots where strollers can drive easily when little legs finally tire. 

Keep field trips short in duration and leave while everyone is still happy!

Homeschool kindergarten field trip list

Although some parents consider kindergarten their first year of formal schooling , there’s no need to restrict yourself to learning at the kitchen table with books, pencil, and paper. Field trips are rich learning experiences for 5-year-olds since so much of the world is brand new to them! 

During grades K-2, think of field trips as opportunities to expose your child to the larger world and don’t worry about retention or academic tie-ins. Just get out there and immerse yourself in the joy and awe of all the field trip options in your local area. 

Save the elaborate, far-off destinations for later years when your child has more maturity and physical stamina. At the kindergarten through second grade level, you’re still enjoying repeat visits to the places you frequented during the toddler and preschool years: 

Now your visits may last a bit longer (no need for that daily nap!) and may include more actual academic material. For example, you may stand and listen to a zoologist give a short talk or show your child key facts on a display board. 

You’ll want field trips at this stage to still be very tangible. For example, touring a cave where a child can touch the damp stone, smell the wet air, and hear water dripping is more age appropriate than an opera, a tour of a house of worship, visiting the county courthouse, or a science lab excursion where the experience is more abstract or passive.

Opt for trips where you can get your kindergartener involved:

• picking strawberries at a farm
• making gravestone rubbings in a cemetery
• making a sculpture in a special kids room at the art museum 

How often should you do field trips in kindergarten homeschool? As often as you and your kindergartener would like to! Aim for at least monthly at this age, giving yourself a few mulligans to skip a month here or there depending on other family dynamics, health concerns, etc. Your kindergarten field trips could be as often as weekly if your family is up to it! 

Field trip ideas for elementary students

Grades 3-5 are a sweet spot for homeschool field trips! These children have the physical stamina for full day trips and are growing in the mental maturity to appreciate more abstract types of experiences. They generally have the self-control not to touch what shouldn’t be touched. They are curious and can ask great questions of docents and guides. You’ll see children at this stage start to make connections between their book-based lessons and what they experience on field trips. 

So basically, anything from the 42-item list above that interests your elementary students is fair game! Even if some of the content goes over their heads, it’s still exposure to new ideas! If a field trip seems a bit too advanced for your elementary student, just cut it short or inject additional context to make it more understandable for them. 

Virtual field trips for homeschoolers

What can you do instead of field trips? The pandemic has taught us all the value (and yes, limitations ) of virtual experiences as a substitute for in-person events. Sometimes a field trip is simply out of reach. In those situations, turn to virtual field trips to meet the need.

How does a virtual field trip work?

With a virtual field trip, you use the magic of the internet to explore a place you can’t visit in person. You rely on live cams, 360° virtual tours, virtual reality tours, and even live online video conferencing sessions held on-site. 

If these tools are new to you, here are fun homeschool field trip ideas that are totally online:

• Old Faithful Geyser live webcam
• The giraffe cam at the San Diego Zoo
• The Louvre online tour
• National Museum of Natural History virtual tours
• California State Parks Home Learning Programs
• Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration programs

What are the best virtual field trips for students?

Large and well-known zoos, science museums, art galleries, and history museums make for the best virtual field trips simply because they tend to have top-notch websites with the video tours and live webcams you’ll want to access. State and national park systems are good options as well. Smaller venues, while fascinating in person, often don’t have the digital resources to provide a great virtual field trip experience to online users.

Here’s a list of virtual field trip favorites:

• Virtual Tour of the Great Wall of China
• San Diego Zoo
• Mars (via NASA)
• Monterey Bay Aquarium live cams
• Farm Food 360
• Boston Children’s Museum virtual tour
• Paris Catacombs virtual visit
• The Vatican virtual tour
• Virtual tours: Buckingham Palace
• Anne Frank House
• The White House 360 virtual tour
• Virtual Field Trip to the Butterfly Conservatory
• Metropolitan Museum interactive map

How do I create a virtual field trip for students?

1. Choose a website (or a series of related ones). 

The education departments of zoos, museums, and parks strive to make their facilities accessible to the maximum number of users, so scan their websites first for all the resources they have to offer: curriculum, printables, videos, virtual tours, live web cams, live and recorded workshops, lesson plans, etc. 

2. Set your child loose on the website to freely explore.

You will likely want to be nearby to enjoy the discovery process alongside them.

3. Or give your child an activity to do while exploring.

This step is totally optional. But if you feel the need to document the learning , there are plenty of ways to do it! Provide more structure with printables, worksheets, scavenger hunts, or notebooking pages. 

Choose a curriculum that does the planning for you so you can spend more time on field trips with your kids. 

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30+ Virtual Field Trips for Kids

Want to explore our world? Here are 30+ great Virtual Field Trips for early learners to explore from your home. From zoos and landmarks to famous museums, you can explore the world with your child with over a month of virtual field trips!

Animal Virtual Tours for Kid

Us history virtual tours, us landmarks virtual tours, us national parks virtual tours, museum virtual tours, virtual tours around the world, fall virtual field trips for kids, winter virtual field trips for kids, spring virtual field trips for kids, summer virtual field trips for kids, virtual tours of space, live webcams around the world.

One thing that the recent global quarantine has made us all realize very clearly is that we’re all part of one earth. We all have many commonalities and many things that are unique to where we live.

As we are at home, working from home and spending more time with the kids, I’d love to suggest we spend a little more time exploring this amazing planet that we’ve been gifted to during our lifetime.

Google Earth is such an amazing tool to use with your child to encourage them to explore the world. You can be at home on your sofa or at our desk and be transported to anywhere on the earth(virtually).

Where would you want to go?

With your child start with where you live. Then go to their school and where you shop near you and then find where family and friends live. Next, explore some of their favorite spots you’ve vacationed and now it’s time to explore where you’ve never been. But where do you start?

Let’s start by exploring some amazing popular travel destinations that also happen to have webcams for you to step inside and explore.

Google’s Art and Culture is a great resource to kick-start your global search too. Did you know that Google’s “World Wonders” project offers virtual tours of 132 famous sites? So many amazing virtual tours of museums for kids!!

30 Virtual Field Trips for Kids

I’ve put together a collection of locations for virtual field trips that I believe as a teacher and a mom that are appropriate for the kid to watch online. I’d encourage you though to talk about these locations as a family.

You can track your virtual tours with our Printable Virtual Field Trip Log !

Perhaps start working on a travel bucket list together and a virtual travel bucket list. That way your child can make their own itinerary too.

Where do you think your child wants to go to?

• Monterey Bay Aquarium
• Georgia Aquarium
• Houston Zoo
• Atlanta Zoo – Pandas
• San Diego Zoo
• Smithsonian National Zoo
• The Tundra with Discovery Education
• Virtual Farm Tours
• Penguin Virtual Field Trips
• Polar Bear Virtual Field Trips
• Rainforest Virtual Field Trips
• Everglades Virtual Field Trips

Here’s a list of all the zoos with webcams to explore.

For a little movement, try this zoo themed yoga

• Washington, D.C. Virtual Field Trip for Kids
• The White House
• A Virtual Tour by the Obamas
• Mount Vernon
• Colonial Williamsburg
• Mount Rushmore
• Liberty Bell

Grab our Washington DC Unit for Kids . Create your own Living History Museum at home after your virtual tour!

• Empire State Building
• Ellis Island
• Monument Valley

• Mighty 5 National Parks Virtual Field Trip
• Yellowstone National Park
• The Grand Canyon
• Hidden World of National Parks by Google Art and Culture
• National Parks Foundation: Electronic Field Trip
• NPS Webcams at the National Parks
• Virtual Hikes at Rocky Mountain National Park
• Virtual Hike from Rim to River at Grand Canyon
• Glacier National Park
• Yosemite Park
• Smoky Mountain National Park
• Dry Tortugas National Park
• Everglades National Park
• Carlsbad Caverns National Park
• Bryce Canyon National Park
• Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park
• Kenai Fjords National Park
• Carlsbad Caverns

Take our Virtual Tour of Utah’s Mighty 5 National Parks

Find Your Virtual Park – Connect with national parks from a distance through digital opportunities and activities to do in your own home or neighborhood.

• Smithsonian Museum
• Van Gogh Museum
• 12 Famous Museums Offer Virtual Tours 
• Google Art and Culture: Top 10 Museums you Can Explore

Coloring Pages From Over 100 Museums

• Great Wall of China
• Buckingham Palace
• Red Square in Russia
• Largest Flower Garden, Keukenhof 
• Ukraine Virtual Field Trip Guide

Recreate a famous landmark with math, art and sidewalk chalk

Get ready to explore these Fall Virtual Field Trips for Kids with these kid friendly fall virtual tours.

• Pumpkin patches
• Fall leaves
• Apple orchards
• Turkey farms

Try these Leaf Activities for hands-on fun in fall.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Explore 60+ Winter themed virtual field trips for kids .

• Winter Virtual Field Trips to National Parks
• Ice Castle Virtual Field Trips
• Natural Wonders of Winters : Snow, Frozen Lakes, Waterfalls & Glaciers
• Winter Sports: Ice Skating, Skiing, Sledding and Tubing
• Christmas Around the World Virtually: Lights, Tree Farms, Reindeers
• Christmas Virtual Field Trips for Kids

Once you take a few winter virtual tours, explore these Winter Activities for Kids .

Explore the best spring virtual field trips for kids . Explore moments in nature of spring flowers blooming and experience flower-covered trees, baby animals, and the animal life cycles of spring with this ultimate collection of spring virtual field trips for kids.

• Spring Flowers Virtual Field Trips
• Trees Blooming in Spring Virtual Field Trips
• Spring in National Parks Virtual Field Trips
• Baby Animals on Farms Virtual Field Trips
• Bird Nests and Eggs in Spring Virtual Field Trips
• Frog Themed Virtual Field Trips
• Butterfly Themed Virtual Field Trips

Ready for Spring? Try this hands-on Spring STEM Challenge !

Get ready to explore these Summer Virtual Field Trips for Kids ! Explore the ocean, amusement parks, outdoor adventures, watermelon farms, and more with these kid-friendly summer virtual tours.

• Coral Reefs
• Ocean Animals
• Boat Adventures
• Amusement Parks Rides
• Rock Slides
• Natural Springs
• Watermelon Farms
• International Space Station
• Space Shuttle Discovery
• Worldcam.eu: WebCams from Around the World
• Explore.org: Live webcams throughout the world

Virtual Field Trip Activities for Home

Looking for ways to expand the virtual tour?

Once you’ve viewed one of the Virtual tours, you can…

• Write up about what you learned
• Draw a picture of your favorite part
• Create a version with legos, building blocks or playdough
• Find a book online to learn more about the location
• Create a themed craft based on where you took a virtual tour
• Recreate it with sidewalk chalk
• Cook a dish from that region

DOWNLOAD OUR VIRTUAL FIELD TRIP LOG

There are so many amazing resources to explore virtually to learn about our amazing planet and the treasures and history within it.

One resource that I found to be the most amazing was Google Art and Culture resource. I high recommend exploring it as a family during this time.

Virtual Tours for Kids

Take this time to explore the world virtually and help us work together to protect and learn about these treasures around the world.

Want more ideas for home Parents! Check out our…

50+ STEM Activities for Kids

Ball Games Your Kids will LOVE

JOIN our free Virtual Book Club for Kids

Do you have a favorite virtual tour that you love? Please share with me in the comments.

Like this idea? Pin for later or share now with a friend!

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About Kim Vij

Early childhood teacher, author, speaker and mom of 3. Kim shares ways to make learning fun and parenting an adventure by sharing developmentally appropriate activities.

March 27, 2020 at 1:55 pm

Thank you this is cool not as cool as google earth

March 28, 2020 at 10:00 am

THANK YOU THIS IS AN AMAZING RESOURCE

April 20, 2020 at 2:06 pm

Thanks for letting me know about this! It sounds cool!

April 30, 2020 at 6:01 pm

that was very cool

May 6, 2020 at 11:20 am

You could do a virtual tour on Paris

May 7, 2020 at 4:18 pm

You definitely could, I’ll try to put one together for you and share very soon on the site!

June 13, 2020 at 6:21 am

September 2, 2020 at 8:54 am

Is there a cost associated with these virtual field trips?

September 3, 2020 at 7:03 pm

Most of these Virtual Field Trips are simply links to either the specific museums or locations offering a video of their facility or using Google Earth to explore a specific region such as our national parks. They are free to view at your convenience.

September 4, 2020 at 8:02 am

This is still fun! definitely helping their learning 🙂 easier to visit destinations from the comfort of their couch!

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Let’s connect.

24 Best Ideas for Field Trips for Schools for All Ages

Leah Nguyen • 08 Aug 2023 • 6 min read

The best part of when you’re a student is probably going on a school field trip (no homework, no sitting around waiting for recess, who doesn’t like it?)

That’s why as a teacher, coming up with a field trip that ensures the students are having the time of their life but also educative has been the top priority.

Here are 24 awesome ideas for field trips for schools that offer tons of fun and great lessons!

Table of Contents

The importance of field trips in education, kindergarten field trips ideas, primary school field trips ideas, middle and high school field trip ideas, homeschool field trip ideas, bottom line, frequently asked questions.

Field trips for schools provide many positive aspects to students’ learning pathways. They can:

• Provide hands-on, experiential learning: Students learn best when they have opportunities to directly experience and interact with what they are studying. Field trips allow students to make real-world connections to classroom concepts, for example, a field trip to the science museum will let students interact with real experiments that they only have seen through textbooks.

• Supplement the curriculum: Field trips can complement and reinforce what students are learning in the classroom. Visiting places related to curricular topics brings lessons to life.

• Develop real-world skills: Field trips provide opportunities for students to practice skills like observation, critical thinking, collaboration and communication in authentic settings outside of school.

• Inspire continuous learning: Experiencing new places can spark students’ curiosity and motivation to learn more about related topics when they return to the classroom. Field trips ignite students’ imagination and natural sense of wonder.

• Foster social and emotional growth: Field trips for schools in groups give students opportunities for social interaction, teamwork, responsibility and independence – skills that contribute to social-emotional learning and development.

• Expose students to new people and places: Field trips broaden students’ experiences and exposure to the world, helping them build background knowledge and vocabulary. This can be especially valuable for underserved students.

What are Good Ideas for a Field Trip?

From homeschooling to high school, these field trips for schools will bring great memories to students and enrich their experience with the outer world.

#1. Zoo – Kids love seeing and learning about different animals at the zoo. Focus on the smaller animals and insect exhibits. You can collaborate with the zoo to have tour guides talk about wildlife and animal behaviours.

#2. Farm – Seeing farm animals up close like fluffy sheep and cute rabbits will surely enchant all the young kids. They can also pick produce, and experience rural life firsthand. Petting zoos are especially fun for kindergarteners.

#3. Botanical garden – Colourful flowers, plants and outdoor spaces make botanical gardens a sensory-rich experience for kindergarteners. Consider a children-friendly space if available.

#4. Fire station – Seeing a firefighter in real life is like observing a superhero on missions, and your little ones sure are fond of that! Kids love seeing a real fire truck, meeting firefighters and learning basic fire safety. Many stations offer station tours and demonstrations.

#5. Orchard – Picking and tasting fresh produces in an orchard connects kids to the cycle of nature while engaging multiple senses. You can contact a local orchard and plant out in advance, but be aware if there’s any kid that is allergic to the fruit.

#6. Cooking class – A hands-on cooking or baking lesson allows kindergartners to develop early math, literacy and fine motor skills through food prep and following recipes.

#7. Nature centre – Field trips to nature centres provide opportunities for kids to experience and learn about the outdoors through guided hikes, activities and exhibits.

#8. Nursing home – Intergenerational field trips for schools give kids a chance to talk with and learn from seniors while bringing joy to residents. Kids this age often connect easily with the elderly.

#9. Aquarium – Tanks full of fish, turtles, rays and other aquatic creatures inspire wonder in primary school students. Many aquariums have interactive programs and touch pools.

#10. Theatre – Watching a live performance designed for children gives students an introduction to the performing arts in an interactive and engaging way.

#11. Camping – A 1-day outdoor camping provides plenty of activities. Nature observation, outdoor cooking (don’t forget the S’mores), campfire programs and games will bring the camping experience to life for students.

#12. Virtual museum visit – Can’t organise this year’s field trip? Not a problem because there are plenty of exciting virtual museum tours that you can show students in the class. You can triple the engagement and discussion by organising an interactive quiz to test students’ knowledge after that.

Host fun quiz games with AhaSlides

Lessons can be learned in a fun way. Make engaging quizzes for students with our free education templates❗️

#13. College campus – Visiting a local college campus can inspire and expose students to future possibilities as well as provide an engaging learning experience.

#14. Art museum – Art museums offer exhibitions and programs tailored for teens that expose them to new artists and develop their visual literacy and critical thinking skills.

#15. Science museum – Hands-on exhibits and interactive activities at science museums bring concepts to life in engaging ways that capture teenagers’ interests.

#16. Community service project – Volunteering as a class for a community service project teaches valuable skills while engaging students in important social issues and causes. You can choose an animal shelter, a food bank, or a community shelter. The choices are endless, depending on what your learning objective is.

#17. Business/industry tour – Touring a local business or area of industry relevant to student’s interests can provide real-world connections and potential career exposure. It also encourages students to know the importance of small businesses in supporting the local economy.

#18. Indoor recreational areas – These areas are often equipped with exciting activities such as indoor rock climbing, zipline and adventure games that will bring the adrenaline rush to the young blood. They also have team-building activities that are perfect for bonding and learning the spirit of teamwork.

#19. Farmers market – Bring your kids to a local farmers market to learn about produce, talk to farmers, and get ideas for meals. Kids can help pick out fresh items to cook at home, making this a nice bonding lesson.

#20. Artisan workshop – Sign up for group knitting or crocheting lessons just for kids. It’s a great hands-on way to learn a useful life skill.

#21. Trampoline park – Great for all ages, trampoline parks are a unique indoor field trip option for physical education and socialising during homeschooling. Kids get lots of exercise too.

#22. Working studio – Artisans like ceramicists, glassblowers, woodworkers and more may welcome student groups to observe and learn from their creative process. Kids come away inspired.

#23. World cultures VR – In the age of technology, we can tour around the world from the comfort of our houses. Equip the kid with a VR headset and let them explore different locations around the world to learn about each distinctive culture immersively.

#24. Performing arts venue – Theaters, orchestra halls, opera houses and dance companies offer backstage tours, workshops and lectures for students of all ages. Kids can get inspired by the creative process.

With proper planning, guidance and age-appropriate structure, field trips for schools can provide students opportunities for hands-on learning, team building, developing responsibility and independence, and unplugging in the outside world – all valuable educational benefits. Just be sure safety, preparedness and educational goals are prioritised in your planning.

What is a field trip in the classroom?

A field trip in the classroom is an excursion outside of the school that has an educational purpose.

What is the purpose of a field trip?

The primary purpose of field trips for schools is to provide students with educational experiences beyond textbooks and classrooms that complement and reinforce curricular aims while developing important skills and social tendencies in students. Field trips offer “invisible” benefits that transcend direct academic goals.

How do you organise a school field trip?

Here are the key steps to organise a successful school field trip: · Identify learning objectives · Get administrative approval · Coordinate logistics · Plan pre-trip lessons · Prepare chaperones · Conduct the field trip · Conduct post-trip debrief · Evaluate and improve.

Leah Nguyen

Words that convert, stories that stick. I turn complex ideas into engaging narratives - helping audiences learn, remember, and take action.

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20 Engaging and Educational Field Trip Ideas for Preschoolers

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Field trips are momentous times in a preschooler’s life. Preschool field trips allow children to enjoy a change of scenery and spend time outside the classroom doing more hands-on learning.

In addition to the memories children create on field trips, they’re a valuable opportunity for educators to reinforce lessons. With the right planning and preparation, field trips for children can be an engaging, educational day for all involved.

Why are preschool field trips important?

Field trips are more than extra-curricular activities. They can be an integral part of a child’s early education. Preschool field trips afford many substantial benefits for children:

Broadens their education

Children are exposed to only so much in a classroom setting. Field trips allow children to get a richer picture of educational subjects by observing them outside of books, lessons, or videos.

Exposure to real-life experiences

In preschool, children are developing their understanding of life and the world around them. Field trips expose them to everyday life in a setting where their teacher can help them connect what they’re learning to what happens in the real places in their community. Experiential learning (authentic, first-hand, sensory-based learning) through field trips is a way for children to reflect on and apply their new knowledge.

Research shows academic improvement

Studies support the idea that field trips have real effects on a child’s education. Field trips are linked to improvements in academic performance. According to a study on youth educational trips by the Wagner Group and the U.S. Travel Association, adults who took educational trips when they were younger…

• Had better grades (59% of study respondents)
• Graduated from high school at a higher rate (95% of study respondents)
• Reported that educational trips had a positive impact on their education (89% of study respondents)

Expands their world

Field trips allow all children to experience more of the world. Whether they live in a busy city or a rural town, field trips introduce children to experiences and environments they may not have access to otherwise. Preschool teachers have the opportunity to make a child’s world a little larger with each field trip and show them new places, people, and adventures.

How to plan and prepare for preschool field trips

A lot of preparation goes into a successful field trip. For teachers and administrators, there are people, places, and schedules to coordinate weeks or months in advance.

Consider the below areas as you plan your trip:

Teaching moments

Sometimes preschool field trips are planned around a specific topic the class has been covering. Sometimes trips are simply a good learning opportunity that you’ll weave a lesson into. No matter which scenario you’re in as a teacher, it’s helpful to have your notes and activities prepared in advance.

How many adult chaperones will you need for the field trip? When you’re planning field trips for kids, it’s crucial to have a confirmed, appropriate number of chaperones based on the number of children attending. 

You can request family volunteers or set up a rotating schedule so families can plan ahead. Consider offering incentives like free lunches or gift cards and remind them it’s a great opportunity to have a meaningful experience with their child and get to know the other children and families in your program.

Plan to bring extra snacks in case meal times run late. Prepare to answer questions from parents about whether to pack a lunch or work out an eating arrangement at the field trip location. If you'll be serving meals on the field trip, prepare the food before and determine how you will transport it. Consider packing a cooler for any perishable foods that need to be kept cold, and pack plenty of water if there is no water available at your destination.

Transportation

Some preschool policies require that school vehicles are used for field trips. Before the trip, determine transportation needs, such as how many vans or buses will be needed and if parents are permitted to drive.

If there’s a cost associated with the trip, how will you secure funds from the school or handle payments from parents? Use your communication platforms to alert parents of any expenses they’ll need to cover as far in advance as possible.

Sometimes drop-off and pick-up schedules can be impacted by field trips. Create an agenda and itinerary that shows where the class will be and breaks down how long you’ll be at each location. This helps parents plan their day and gives school administration information they would need in an emergency. 

If any children have medication, medical equipment, or anything else that needs to be on hand for them, it needs to be accounted for in field trip planning. Bring any health and safety documents such as an accurate roster to count the children and emergency contact information. Teachers should also pack first aid kits and antibacterial hand wipes if there is no access to clean running water on your trip. 

Families' participation on field trips is a great way to include them in the curriculum and share a day in the life of the class. Check out our calendar template to keep families up-to-date with all major school events and spark new ideas for family engagement year-round. 

Field trip safety tips

Taking young children on a field trip can be an overwhelming experience without the right preparation. Field trips are very exciting, so be aware that the children may have extra energy or be more distracted. To have a fun, safe, and smooth trip, focus on safety measures before and during the excursion.

Before the field trip

• Review the schedule with the children and tell them what to expect 
• Give children safety guidelines and procedures to follow
• Assign pairs or small groups for headcount checks
• Involve children in checking the field trip supply checklist
• Instruct children to wear bright clothes or a certain color to make them easy to spot
• Prepare and bring a first aid kit

  During the field trip

• Do headcount checks frequently and always before leaving or entering any location
• Follow pedestrian rules carefully when walking such as using sidewalks and crosswalks and only crossing the street when traffic signals say it is safe
• For traveling by bus or van, check every seat before exiting
• Ensure children understand and follow the security and safety measures of the field trip location
• Continue practicing basic hygiene, such as washing hands or using hand wipes before eating
• Keep a copy of emergency contact lists with you at all times
• Take bathroom breaks together as a group

Field trip ideas for preschoolers

Choosing where to take the children in your preschool class is one of the most exciting parts of field trip planning. Here are 20 engaging and educational field trip ideas for preschoolers:

Apple orchards and pumpkin patches can show children how these foods are grown and offer a truly hands-on education as they pick their own.

Nature walk

Nature walks are an educational adventure that allow children to discover various plants, leaves, critters, and trees. It’s also great physical activity!

Farmer’s markets

A field trip to the local farmer’s market or grocery store can be an opportunity to teach children lessons about nutrition and where their food comes from.

Many children’s books are full of stories and illustrations of sea creatures, so the aquarium is sure to be a hit with preschoolers. They’ll get a chance to see these creatures up close and learn more about them.

A local bakery is another food-focused field trip that supports a small business and allows children to see how some of their favorite sweet treats are created.

Zoos are a common preschool class favorite! Children can visit and hear facts about a wide variety of animals, including birds, mammals, and reptiles.

Local library

Libraries are often a familiar place for young children, but a preschool field trip to the library gives children a chance to learn details about what a librarian does and the many types of books available to them.

Fire station

Preschoolers tend to love fire trucks. Use a field trip to a fire station to teach them about the work that happens behind the scenes and age-appropriate fire safety tips.

Local events

Sometimes the best educational events don’t need to be booked—they’re already happening in your community! From holiday celebrations and parades to the annual fair, local events can provide children with a wealth of learning opportunities.

Farmers have so much they can teach young children, from lessons about the way food is grown to how the animals are raised.

Children’s museum

Museums that cater specifically to young children are educational and interactive places that are ideal for preschool field trips. They also tend to change exhibits regularly, which means they’re a great choice for multiple trips.

Home improvement store

Show children how chairs, tables, and other items they use on a daily basis are built. Another way to do this is to find a local builder with a small shop who’s willing to give a workshop tour and demonstration.

If you have a child-friendly state park nearby, they make excellent field trip destinations. State parks are a beautiful place to teach about the great outdoors and ways to protect and respect our planet. 

Recycling center

Teach children the importance of recycling and how everyday items like plastic water bottles and aluminum soda cans are recycled. 

Local ponds are perfect for a low-cost, science and nature focused field trip. They’re often home to frogs, ducks, and aquatic plants, making great lesson topics for preschool children.

Around town scavenger hunt

Teach children about where they live with a scavenger hunt in your community. Downtown areas are usually ideal locations for this field trip activity.

Expose children to the performing arts with a preschool field trip to the local theater. This trip can teach them about storytelling on the stage, theater etiquette, and stage acting as a career.

Train station

Learning about different types of transportation expands children’s minds and view of the world. Add in a train ride to make it both engaging and educational!

Botanical garden

Botanical gardens are a stunning environment to teach children about the beauty of nature and various types of plant life.

Historic monuments

A field trip to an age-appropriate historic site can provide early lessons on important historical figures and events.

Post-field trip actions and education

Get the most out of your day away from the classroom by following up with children and their families after your field trip. Parents will appreciate knowing what their children learned and children will get a chance to relive the best moments of their trip.

To update families, consider including a brief summary of your field trip in your preschool newsletter . Ask children to share their favorite parts of the trip and include photos! 

Plan a memorable outing

There are plenty of details to consider and plan when it comes to executing preschool field trips. Taking a trip is a great opportunity for educators to build upon everything their children are learning in the classroom and engage them in hands-on, memorable experiences. 

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14 Exciting Preschool Field Trips

As a preschool teacher, we want to bring as many first hand, exciting experiences to our students as we can. One way to do this is by taking field trips! There is no better way for a child to experience things than to get real live exposure. There are so many exciting things to see and do in each of our communities. Here are a few ideas for field trips that you may consider for your class.

GO ON THESE 14 EXCITING PRESCHOOL FIELD TRIPS

• Zoo/Petting Zoo/Aquarium
• Science Center or Children’s Museum (Hands-on experiences are key)
• History Museum
• An apple orchard or pumpkin farm
• A restaurant or bakery (ex. making their own pizzas)
• Ice Cream Shop
• Dairy Farm or Working Farm
• TV or Radio Station
• Bicycle Repair Shop
• Police or Fire station
• Ice/Roller Skating/bowling
• Nature Center/Local State Park

These are just a few ideas that come to mind when planning curriculum and bringing things we talk about in the classroom to life for our students. Preschoolers love learning new things and being allowed to touch, feel, taste, hear and see the world around them. They remember these experiences and take them back to the classroom to enhance their learning.

GIVE EXPERIENCES THAT LAST A LIFETIME

Imagine if you were a preschooler and had been learning about farms but you had never been to a farm. Being able to see all of the animals, hear the sounds they make, see how they are fed, where they sleep and what they sleep on, touch their fur/skin/feathers is a sensory experience that won’t be forgotten. Learning where some of our everyday products come from is exciting. For example, milk we buy at the store comes from dairy cows on a farm.

Preschoolers love to help prepare food. Taking them to a pizza restaurant and making their own pizza, being able to bake and eat it is exciting! Students can learn how pizzas are made and then they can make their own pizza adding the toppings of their choice. The employees can bake the pizzas and everyone gets to eat their creation at the end of the trip. This is a fabulous hands on experience that tastes great too! Who knows, you may even have the next Top Chef in your class!

IGNITE PASSION FOR THE FUTURE

By giving students hands on, real world experiences you can ignite a spark that leads students on a path to their passion. A museum field trip to see dinosaur bones may ignite a passion for a preschooler to eventually become a paleontologist. Visiting a park may spark interest in becoming a conservationist. These trips can also help students understand others around them, encourage team building skills, show responsibility, experience life skills, and create memories that will last a lifetime. Sharing exciting preschool field trips is a great way for your students to experience the exciting world around them.

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Pre-K-Kindergarten Field Trips

Hands-On Workshops for Field Trips or Outreach

All of the following workshops are available to be booked as a field trip or outreach to your school (unless otherwise noted).

Pre-K/Kindergarten 20 minimum/30 maximum. Additional sessions will be scheduled for groups larger than 30. Duration: approximately 30 minutes.

Engineering Challenge: The Three Little Pigs Field trip - $5 per student Outreach - $7 per student Students will listen to this classic story and become engineers as they perform hands-on experiments exploring which materials can withstand the big, bad wolf.   

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12 Amazing Field Trips Every Idahoan Took As A Kid (And Should Retake Now)

Super-rad musician, scholar, photographer, and traveler. The Mountain West and larger PNW = home, but can be found wherever there's adventure.

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As just about any kid will tell you, the best days of the schoolyear are field trip days – a distant second would be the occasional movie day (even those monotone documentaries were better than endless worksheets!) Whether to the zoo, the local museum, or to somewhere a little more exotic, getting out and learning a few new tidbits while seeing old sights is always worth it! But, I’ll let you in on a little secret… you don’t have to be eight years old to take a field trip or enjoy your state from a new perspective. In fact, if you cast your adult-hat aside and step back into childhood for a day, you might just find yourself caught up in awe of our historic and diverse state. Take the time to explore all those places you explored as a child, and you might just be surprised at how little (or much) things have changed. For a day of fun reliving your childhood rediscovering the joy of discovery, here are 12 places you’ve probably already visited, but should definitely take a second look at:

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Ah, nostalgia! Where was your favorite field trip as a child? Let us know!

What other epic things are there to do in Idaho during the summer?

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Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers

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10 Fantastic Field Trip Ideas for Preschoolers

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Preschoolers are so much fun. Everything is new and exciting, and simple outings can provide the basis for amazing hands-on learning opportunities. Many of these field trip suggestions are fun things you’d probably do with your preschooler anyway, but we’re homeschooling parents. That means we get to call them field trips.

Besides, the big kids shouldn’t get to have all the fun. So, check out these 10 field trips for preschoolers that I hope your little ones will love as much as mine did when they were still little.

1. Apple orchard. Apple orchards are so much fun because they typically have activities geared toward younger kids. Plan a visit in September and borrow some books from the library about Johnny Appleseed. Plan some apple-themed snacks and activities, and maybe even bake a pie together. Fun!

2. Pumpkin patch. Like apple orchards, pumpkin patches generally feature activities for younger kids. Head to a pumpkin patch in October to select your own. Then, come home and enjoy a pumpkin-themed learning activity . If you love Little Critter as much as I do, read Trick or Treat, Little Critter , in which Little Critter and his family visit a pumpkin patch.

3. Zoo. Who doesn’t love animals? This can be a particularly fun outing if your zoo features a petting zoo. Consider making up a simple scavenger hunt to add an extra element of excitement to the visit.

4. Children’s museums. My kids used to love going to our city’s children’s museum. An annual membership was one of our splurges when they were younger. One of the nice things about children’s museums is that most rotate their exhibits several times a year, so there’s always something new to explore.

5. Farm.  Domesticated animals are just as much fun to visit and learn about as wild ones. Plus, young kids can learn about how farmers provide food for the rest of us. Granted, much of what most of us eat is commercially processed, but it’s good for kids to learn about other options and discover how to support local farmers.

6. Fire or police station. Young kids tend to be fascinated by fire trucks and police cars, but they can often be intimated by firefighters and police officers in full gear. That can be a bad situation in the event of an emergency. Make arrangements to visit a local station and let your kids meet some of the men and women in uniform and learn some safety tips. I highly recommend reading Officer Buckle and Gloria in conjunction with a visit to the police station.

7. Aquarium. So, we’ve visited wild and domestic animals, we can’t leave out marine animals. Take your little ones to learn about fresh- and salt-water creatures.

8. Recycling facility. My kids and I went to a recycling center when they were young. It was fascinating to see how the facility operated and all the products that can be made from recycled plastic – everything from park benches to clothing! If you don’t already recycle, find out how to do so where you live and let your preschoolers start helping sort your recyclables at home.

9. A pond. A pond can be fascinating, particularly in the spring when you may be able to spot tadpoles, goslings, or ducklings. Borrow some books from the library about pond life before you go, and take along your camera to photo-journal what you find (at the pond, not the library!).

10. Your town. Often we overlook the things we see every day, but your own town can be a fascinating place to explore. Consider visiting the tourist attractions that you never visit because you aren’t tourists. Visit historical sites, local eateries, or small businesses. Stop by city hall or the chamber of commerce to learn more about your city’s history and what it has to offer.

What are some of your favorite field trip spots for preschoolers?

This post is linked to Top Ten Tuesday and the Hip Homeschool Hop .

Kris Bales is a newly-retired homeschool mom and the quirky, Christ-following, painfully honest founder (and former owner) of Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers. She has a pretty serious addiction to sweet tea and Words with Friends. Kris and her husband of over 30 years are parents to three amazing homeschool grads. They share their home with three dogs, two cats, a ball python, a bearded dragon, and seven birds.

• Kris Bales https://www.weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com/author/kris_wuhsmom/ 16+ Ways a Homeschool Homestead Provides the Ultimate Education
• Kris Bales https://www.weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com/author/kris_wuhsmom/ Make the Most of Winter Homeschooling
• Kris Bales https://www.weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com/author/kris_wuhsmom/ Homeschool Clutter: Why It's a Problem and How to Fix It
• Kris Bales https://www.weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com/author/kris_wuhsmom/ Top 10 Ways to Schedule Your Homeschool Calendar

Our kids love to go to the fish hatchery to feed the fish. The food is only a couple of dollars a bag, and we all have so much fun. 🙂

My kids always enjoyed factory tours too; seeing how things were made was just fascinating.

We have an arboretum about 15 minutes away. We like to take walks and spend time in the nature center. They have lots of classes for preschoolers, too, which is wonderful.

That sounds fabulous!

Pumpkin picking at our local farm is one of the highlights of our fall! In the summer, we also enjoy the county fairs which provide lots of opportunities for talking about farm animals. (Not sure I would consider it a field trip, but it is fun!)

Oh, that sounds like fun!

Can anyone tell me about good field trips for a preschooler during quarantine? I have no idea where to take my 2 year old…

My niece loves to go on trips to the zoo. Will definitely take her to another zoo sometime.

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PENNSYLVANIA Field Trips

To help plan APRIL curriculum focused classroom activities, field trips and school assembly programs, these April themed celebrations might be a helpful focus. MONTHLY : Keep America Beautiful. National Gardens. National Humor. National Poetry. Stress Awareness. DAILY : Apr. 2: International Children’s Book Day. Apr. 3: National Geologists Day. Apr. 4: School Librarians’ Day. Apr. 5: Read a Road May Day. Apr. 7: World Health Day. Apr. 8: Draw a Picture of a Bird Day. Zoo Lovers Day. Apr. 10: National Farm Animals Day. Apr. 18: National Scrabble Day. Apr. 15: World Art Day. Apr. 22: Earth Day. Apr. 25: World Penguin Day. CLICK on the ACTIVITY FILTER below for activity type of field trips to learn about. For those unable to travel to these locations, have the fun come to you. Check out the Outreach Field Trips & School Assembly Programs  section.    

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Amish Farm and House

Explore Lancaster’s living heritage in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch Country at The Amish Farm and House is located on a historic property dating to the days of William Penn. Nestled where the hustle and bustle of today’s world touches history; experience a simpler culture.

Awbury Arboretum

Awbury Arboretum combines nature and history through preservation of its historic landscape. Groups will have opportunities to explore environmental education, see animals, and more.

Carnegie Science Center

Carnegie Science Center connects people and science through interactive exhibits, fostering curiosity, ideal for enriching field trips with hands-on learning experiences.

Crystal Cave

Visit Crystal Cave—Pennsylvania’s greatest natural wonder! Discovered by William Merkel and John Gehret in 1871, the cave features flowstone, stalactites, stalagmites, aragonite crystals, and more.

Dave and Buster’s Philadelphia

Groups will have a blast at Dave & Buster’s Philadelphia! Start out with a delicious meal in the group-friendly restaurant and then move on to some games—billiards, shuffleboard, air hockey, and more—in Dave’s Arcade.

Dutch Wonderland

With over 35 rides, attractions, and shows, Dutch Wonderland is the perfect place for your next group outing or event. Cool off in Duke’s Lagoon water play area* and make discoveries at Exploration Island, where dinosaurs come to life.

Eastern State Penitentiary

Eastern State Penitentiary was once the most famous and expensive prison in the world. Today, Eastern State is a modern ruin and museum that interprets the legacy of American criminal justice reform.

Eisenhower National Historic Site

At the Eisenhower National Historic Site, groups will have the chance to tour the place where 34th President of the US, Dwight Eisenhower and his wife, Mamie, lived before and after his presidency.

Erie County Historical Society

The Erie County Historical Society is an organization dedicated to the preservation, interpretation and presentation of the rich history of Erie and adjacent regions including Lake Erie and its maritime traditions.

Erie Zoo and Botanical Gardens

The Erie Zoo & Botanical Gardens encompass a comprehensive zoo with animal exhibits including African black-footed penguins, white rhinoceroses, Amur tigers, sacred Ibis, black and white ruffled lemurs, reticulated giraffes, and many others!

FieldTripdirectory.com offers enriching experiences for Pennsylvania school groups, scout groups, homeschool groups, camp groups and families at Pennsylvania Museums.

Pennsylvania Museums offer field trips that offer hands-on exhibits, guided tours and guided activities for early childhood through high school grades. Pennsylvania Art Museums , Science Museums , History Museums , Multicultural Museums and Children’s Museums offers educational experiences that support classroom curriculum and scout badge achievement. Beside museums, you can search for other learning experiences at Botanical Gardens, Planetariums, Living History Programs, STEM & STEAM, Planetariums, Farms, Zoos and Aquariums, Theaters and Concerts, Service Learning and more.

Can’t go on a field trip to a museum, your students, scouts, and families can still experience these fun enriching experience by scheduling a  Museum Virtual Field Trip  anywhere and at anytime.

Want the fun to come to you- book a  School Assembly Programs, Outreach Field Trips or Residency  at your school, homeschool association or scout council. They support and enhance a school’s curriculum, offers opportunities for scout badge achievement and enriches a camp program. There are mobile museum exhibits, traveling planetariums and classroom and grade level workshops and residencies.

To help fund field trips, virtual programs and school assembly programs visit our section on  Grants  and  Fundraising Programs .

FieldTripDirectory.com (formerly ClassTrips.com and CampDirectorsResources.com) offers field trip ideas for class trips, scout group trips, camp group field trips, and homeschool group field trips in Pennsylvania—early childhood through college. Search for class trips in Pennsylvania by by group type, cost, activity/curriculum type, grade level, distance, and venue name or keyword. Day class trips are divided by curriculum and subject area:

• ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Find Pennsylvania art museums, theater, dance, and music concert field trips.
• EARLY CHILDHOOD Find Pennsylvania class trips to children’s museums, petting zoos, and kids’ shows.
• HISTORY/SOCIAL STUDIES View Pennsylvania history museums, government & civics, historic sites, living history museums, and multicultural field trip ideas.
• LIFE SKILLS Find Pennsylvania team building field trips, health & safety exhibits, and character education experiences.
• SCIENCE & NATURE Find Pennsylvania aquariums, botanical gardens, environmental studies & nature centers, farms & mazes, planetariums, science museums, STEAM & STEM field trips, dinosaur exhibits, and zoos.
• RECREATION Find Pennsylvania field trip ideas for adventure parks, ropes courses, ziplines, boat excursions, amusement parks, waterparks, kayaking, rafting, tubing, laser tag paintball, roller skating rinks, ice-skating rinks, mini-golf attractions, indoor amusement & recreation centers, and outdoor amusement & recreation centers.

Overnight field trips include trips to NYC, trips to Boston, trips to Philadelphia, trips to Washington, DC, trips to Chicago, trips to Atlanta, trips to Austin, and other historic cities throughout the US. Retreats are available for environmental education, team building, and recreation. We created field trip lesson plans to help teachers, scout leaders, camp counselors, and homeschool parents provide an enriching experience for their groups. We know funds for class trips are limited, so we’ve included grants for field trips that cover admission, transportation, and more. It’s important that students and youth explore new environments, learn about other cultures, and develop an understanding of inclusivity as part of the educational process. People learn in different ways—through hearing, seeing, touching, talking, or doing. Class trips can provide a multi-dimensional learning experience. FieldTripDirectory.com can help you find the right trip for your group. A world of experiences is just a click away at FieldTripDirectory.com.