in a field trip of 80 learners

The Ultimate Field Trip List for Teachers

• By Mandy Neal
• Holiday/Seasonal , Organization , Uncategorized

Field trips are the highlight of our students’ school year and offer them a change of scenery. But behind the scenes, we are the conductors juggling various factors to ensure a smooth and successful field trip. Preparing for the field trip, executing it, and culminating the experience takes a lot of organization! After years of experience, I’ve compiled a list of tips to help you plan a successful field trip.

Pre-Trip Preparation

1. research your destination.

Understanding the goals of your trip and how you can incorporate an educational component is essential. This includes researching the venue’s educational value and potential safety concerns. Contact the site to confirm availability and any rules or requirements for visitors.

2. Permission Slips

Compile and distribute permission slips with clear instructions. Ensure all necessary contact and medical information is included and that parents fully understand the nature of the trip.

3.  Keeping Track of Permission Slips and Money

After permission slips are sent home, they will begin to trickle back in. 

Use a student checklist to track who has returned their permission slip and money. Keep the money and permission slips in a safe place. 

4.  Transportation Arrangements

Book transportation well in advance with your school district. Determine how many buses are needed to transport all the students and teachers. Take into consideration how many students you will have per seat.

Will students bring their lunch, have a school lunch, or eat at a destination? 

Once lunch has been determined, if students bring their own lunch, you will need to devise a plan to transport the lunches. Taking a cooler to keep food and drinks cold may be required. 

6.  Emergency Protocols

Develop a comprehensive plan for potential emergencies, including a schedule for check-ins and contacts. If you have parents attending who are serving as chaperones, share the plan with them and ensure everyone carries a list of important contacts.

Packing and Preparing for Success

7.  teacher essentials.

A bag or backpack to carry all your stuff, a whistle, and contact numbers for the school secretary and principal nurse. 

8.  First Aid Kit

Carry a well-stocked first aid kit. Be prepared to handle common field trip injuries and ensure someone on the team is trained in basic first aid.

9.  Medication Documentation

Bring a list of students with medical needs, along with their medications and instructions. You may need to administer medication during the trip, so have a clear protocol in place.

10.  Dietary Requirements

Collect information on any student dietary restrictions and plan meals accordingly. Bring non-perishable snacks in case of delays.

11.  Clothing Considerations

Remind students to dress appropriately for the weather and terrain of the destination.

12.  Communication Devices

Carry fully charged cell phones or walkie-talkies for easy communication. If you are going to an area with poor reception, consider using other forms of communication, such as whistles.

13.  Roll Call Sheet

Prepare a roll call sheet with the names of all students. Do a roll call before leaving the school and leaving the field trip destination to ensure everyone is accounted for.

14.  Field Trip Itinerary

Have a detailed itinerary outlining the trip’s timing—from departure to return. Share this with students, parents, and administration, and review it before and during the trip to maintain schedule adherence.

On the Day of the Trip

15.  grouping plans.

Decide on the group sizes and designate leaders for each. Ensure each group has a chaperone and has received the necessary materials and guidance.

16.  Student Expectations

Review behavioral expectations with the students, emphasizing the importance of respecting the venue, abiding by the safety rules, and listening to the instructions of their teachers and chaperones.

17.  Bus Ride

On the bus ride to and from your destination, monitor your students’ behavior and voice levels so that the bus driver can safely transport them.

18.  Sign-out sheet

If your school allows students to leave the field trip destination with parents, have a sign-out sheet prepared for parents to sign their students out.

19. Thank-You Notes

Show appreciation to the chaperones and any staff or guides at the field trip site. This strengthens the school’s relationship with community partners and sets an example for students to express gratitude.

Optional Items to Consider

• Name tags/lanyards for students
• Matching school shirts
• Remind students they can bring spending money.
• For you, get a good night’s sleep the night before!!

Conducting a successful field trip takes time, effort, and a lot of planning. With this checklist, you’re well-equipped to lead your students on an adventure that will impact their learning and memories. 

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5 Tips for Creating an Effective Virtual Field Trip

Students can connect what’s happening in the classroom to real-world locations by using digital tools to gain new perspectives.

When you can’t bring your students to the place, bring the place to your students.

During the pandemic, places that provided in-person educational experiences for students were forced to shutter, but the need for what they provided didn’t disappear. In fact, they were more important than ever because they reminded students cloistered at home that the wider world was still out there and that there were still ways for them to experience it.

As a result, distance learning programs offered by informal educational organizations like museums and zoos grew in number. And when in-person learning resumed, many continued to offer these popular programs because the infrastructure essential to creating them remained in place.

There are many groups that offer distance learning programs, but those offered by the National Park Service are among the highest quality. This is due in large part to their design, but also to how they suggest classroom teachers integrate them into their units and projects. Having had the opportunity to work alongside many providers of distance learning, I discovered that there are a number of things teachers can do to improve the effectiveness of these programs.

How to Structure a Distance Learning Experience

1. Make clear connections to the curriculum. It’s important that programs make clear connections to real learning goals or standards that teachers are expected to address. Aligning the program to the learning goals and framing specific projects or units within your curriculum ensure that distance learning is a relevant and meaningful experience. Make sure to look for programs with strong curricular connections.

Some places anticipate this need, like the programs offered at Channel Islands National Park , which clearly outline the standards that are addressed. But if you find an opportunity that doesn’t clearly list the standards, just ask. Sometimes the facilitator can adjust their plan to accommodate a specific request.

Also, be sure not to judge a book by its cover. Sometimes, the title of the program might not be a good indicator of the content. For example, Hot Springs National Park offers “Bathtub Time Machine”—a very creative title that belies the program’s strong historic and equity content .

2. There is power in a phone call. Thanks to the widespread adoption of videoconferencing technology during the pandemic, more and more places have the capability to deliver distance learning programs. If you find a museum or park that would be a good fit for your next unit, call and ask if they would be willing to talk with your students for 30 minutes, even if they don’t have an official offering.

Sometimes, you’ll find a willing educator or curator who will offer to conduct a video chat on their personal phone in a gallery or exhibit that fits your needs (shout-out to the rangers at Ninety-Six National Historic Site who did this for my students in the middle of a hurricane!).

3. A bit of prework is key. Since most distance learning programs online are less than an hour long, it’s not always possible for the person hosting them to include background information that’s sufficient for every student. For that reason, it’s important to create some sort of activity that introduces the topic, gives students a chance to build a little background knowledge, and also contextualizes the program within the larger learning sequence. A short research sprint, a reading followed by a discussion, or a video are all possibilities.

In many cases, you don’t even need to come up with this activity by yourself. Sometimes, the organizations that host distance learning activities have suggested free activities that you can download or print out for your students. Yellowstone National Park provides guided organizers for each of their programs that help students come prepared with key knowledge.

4. Generate questions to identify what students need to know. While many distance learning programs are given in a direct instruction or presentation style format, one thing that can lend more interactivity to the experience, as well as help you capitalize on getting access to an expert, is having your students generate questions in advance. Time can then be set aside at the end of the program for student questions, making the experience even more relevant.

Previously prepared and thoughtful questions are a win-win because they help students utilize the expert knowledge available to them while providing the person conducting the program a way to ensure that they’re meeting your learners’ needs.

5. Include a post-work and reflection component. Following the distance learning program, it’s important to provide students with an opportunity to reflect and build off of what they’ve learned. “Do they feel like they got the information they needed in order to understand the topic?” “What new understanding do they have now?” ”Did the presenter mention things that they already know?”

Those questions can help students reflect on their experience and allow you to plan next steps. You can also consider what the next activity or instructional sequence should look like so that you can capitalize on the enthusiasm and energy that a distance-learning program provides. It’s also always worth checking with the organization or the presenter that you’re working with. More often than not, they can direct you to materials that may be appropriate for continuing student learning after the program has concluded.

Now that you know how to structure them and have gotten some helpful hints, where can you go to find these programs?

• The National Park Service hosts distance learning programs during the off-season (October–March) at many different sites. They’re free, open to anyone in the United States, and as such, they do fill up quickly. You can go to their Teacher Portal to sign up or look at the information on this resource I created , which is a comprehensive list of locations and their offerings.
• California has one of the best state park systems in the nation (as a former California State Parks volunteer, I may be biased) and has a very good distance program called PORTS , which provides great science and social studies lessons from parks around the state. Get on their mailing list for alerts when registration opens.
• Center for Interactive Learning & Collaboration hosts programs from parks, museums, and zoos all over the United States! Visit their website to learn more about booking these awesome experiences for your students.

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How Field Trips Boost Students’ Lifelong Success

Educational trips contribute to better student outcomes in school and beyond. maximize the impact of field trips on students with these 9 ideas..

by NEA Member Benefits

Here’s why field trips are important 

The study found that regardless of gender, ethnicity or socioeconomic status, children who take school trips have better grades (59%), higher graduation rates from high school (95%) and college (63%) and greater income (12% higher annually). 

In fact, 89% said educational trips had a positive, lasting impact on their education and career because enriching field trips made them more engaged, intellectually curious, and interested in and out of school.

“When I was growing up, my parents said the 3 Rs (reading, writing and arithmetic) were important,” says Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association. “But for my kids, I made ‘roaming’ the fourth R. We live in a global society, and if you don’t see outside the neighborhood you grow up in, the world will pass you by. Traveling has opened my kids’ eyes. It’s made them more confident and inspired them to reach outside their normal environment to learn and obtain skills to bring them to the next level.”

More benefits of school trips

Margy Natalie, acting onsite learning manager at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum , notes the powerful effect school trips can have on student learning: “Field trips give students the opportunity to learn in a natural environment and experience things first-hand and from primary resources, rather than texts; real objects rather than photos.”  

Carylann Assante, executive director for Student & Youth Travel Association (SYTA) and SYTA Youth Foundation , seconds the notion that real world exploration outside the classroom can bolster students’ critical thinking skills. “Today’s students are visual learners, and a field trip lets them touch, feel and listen to what they’re learning about, which helps them build on classroom instruction, gain a better understanding of topics, build cultural understanding and tolerance, and expose them to worlds outside their own.”

Assante says field trips are particularly important for disadvantaged students, as they provide students with unique opportunities that level the playing field. “Field trips give diverse and financially-in-need students equal opportunity to experience things outside classroom that their families may not be able to afford,” she says.

A field trip can also be the first trip a student takes without their parents, so it builds independence, as well. “There’s a reason people say I need to get away and recharge my batteries. There’s truth to it,” Dow says. “If I was a school system looking at these stats, I couldn’t afford not to make this a part of our curriculum.”

Tips for planning a successful field trip

You’ve decided to plan an educational field trip for your class, whether it’s to an art museum, science museum, historic site, aquarium, planetarium or some other immersive, interactive learning environment. Now, you need to know what steps to take to ensure a successful field trip. Keep these expert tips in mind:

1. Look around your region for interesting day trips

Dow suggests a planned field trip so you and your class can easily explore an aspect of local history on a day trip. “You can take a quick drive and see the history of places around you—there’s tons of inexpensive things teachers can do that will have a phenomenal impact,” he says.

2. Do your homework

Ideally, you could scope out the destination in advance to ensure the field trip will produce your desired learning experience. “Plan carefully, do your research, visit the site before you plan, ask questions and take recommendations of staff,” Natalie suggests.

3. Follow protocol

“Teachers need to review their school’s policies on field trips in advance and prepare the forms with specific learning objectives and how the field trip will accomplish those objectives tied to their school's core curriculum,” Assante says. Most museums, attractions and locations have education materials to explain how their attraction supports teacher lesson plans and educational curriculums.

4. Involve your students in the preparation

Prepare your class for their upcoming school field trip by getting them interested and excited about what their experience may be like. “Discuss the goals of the field trip in advance, talk about what they will see and what they should learn,” Natalie says. 

Consider letting the class pick the field trip destination so they have ownership and will feel invested in it, Assante suggests. 

5. Make trips relevant to classroom instruction

“Base your field trips on your content area. If you’re studying ancient Egypt, don’t take them to Jamestown,” Natalie says. “Focus on how the trip fits into your content or another educational goal. A field trip should be a day out, not a day off.”

6. Incorporate technology

“Many students use their mobile devices to engage with the field trip in the classroom with apps and blogs,” says Assante. This can help create an interactive learning experience that engages students during the trip, and then reconnect with that experience later in the classroom and at home.

7. Engage the senses

Select a field trip destination where students won’t be sitting down, like they typically do in the classroom. They should be able to touch, explore and share their experiences, Assante says.

8. Fundraise to cover any extra costs

“Engage the parents, PTA or other teachers to support school-wide field trips and help raise the funds so everyone can afford to attend the trip,” says Assante, who also notes some large companies even offer field trip grants.

If you’re looking for deals on tickets to attractions and events, see if you can cut the costs of the admissions fees with the NEA Discount Ticket Program .

9. Follow up on the lessons learned

“Students are much more likely to write about an experience they recently had, like the field trip, than a random prompt,” says Natalie, who recommends following up with graded assignments. “Have each student write about their favorite artifact or activity on the field trip, or why this field trip is important to keep, or conversely, how a different field trip might be better.”

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Field Trips are Valuable Learning Experiences

This Knowledge Base article was written collaboratively with contributions from Karen Knutson and CAISE Admin. This article was migrated from a previous version of the Knowledge Base. The date stamp does not reflect the original publication date.

Field trips are recognized as important moments in learning; a shared social experience that provides the opportunity for students to encounter and explore novel things in an authentic setting. Their importance is supported by professional organizations such as the  National Science Teachers Association  which asserts field trips can “deepen and enhance” classroom study (NSTA 1999) and the  National Research Council  who assert a quality science curriculum is one that extends beyond the walls of the classroom (1996).

Findings from Research and Evaluation 

Outcomes of field trips.

It is important to recognize that learning outcomes from field trips can range from cognitive to affective outcomes (for a review see: Dewitt & Storksdieck, 2008; also  Learning Science in Informal Environments (2009) . Too often, however, only cognitive gains are identified (by schools or museums) ( Kisiel, 2005 ).

Among the many potential outcomes, research has shown that field trips:

Expose students to new experiences and can increase interest and engagement in science regardless of prior interest in a topic (Kisiel, 2005; Bonderup Dohn, 2011),

Result in affective gains such as more positive feelings toward a topic (Csikszentmihalyi & Hermanson, 1995; Nadelson & Jordan, 2012).

Are experiences that can be recalled and useful long after a visit (Salmi, 2003; Falk & Dierking, 1997; Wolins, Jensen, & Ulzheimer, 1992).

Effective Models of Field Trip Experiences

Research has demonstrated that field trips can be designed to more effectively support student learning. Field trips work best when they provide support for students to explore in a personally meaningful way.

Learning in field trips is impacted by many factors (DeWitt & Storksdieck, 2008). The structure of the field trip impacts learning. Some structure is needed to best support student learning, ( Stronck, 1983 ) yet programming that is overly rigid or too aligned with classroom instruction can have a negative effect (Jensen 1994; Griffin & Symington, 1997). If students are not adequately prepared for the experience, the novelty of the setting can negatively impact learning. (Orion & Hofstein, 1994).

Prior knowledge and interests of the students impacts learning during the visit (Falk & Adelman, 2003), the social context of the visit, teacher agendas, student experiences during the field trip, and the presence or absence and quality of preparation and follow-up.

Through a meta-analysis of studies such as these,  DeWitt and Osborne (2007)  created a model to guide museum program development, Model of Museum Practice which, among other key elements, highlights the importance of encouraging students in the area of “joint productive activity” (p. 690). This includes the opportunity for students to be cognitively engaged and challenged, as they explore areas of personal interest and curiosity and engage in bidirectional communication with each other and adult facilitators.

A successful and quality field trip requires teacher preparation and interaction, yet often teachers are not equipped to, or do not provide this support. See: ( Schoolteacher Learning Agenda Influences Student Learning in Museums ; Griffin & Symington, 1997).

References 

Behrendt, M., & Franklin, T. (2014).  A Review of Research on School Field Trips and Their Value in Education. International Journal of Environmental & Science Education 9, 235-245. Doi: 10.12973/ijese.2014.213a

Bell, P., Lewenstein, B., Shouse, A. W., & Feder, M. A., (Eds.) (2009). Learning science in informal environments: People, places, and pursuits. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. Retrieved from  http://informalscience.org/research/ic-000-000-002-024/LSIE

Bonderup Dohn, N. (2011). Situational interest of high school students who visit an aquarium. Science Education, 95(2), 337-357.  http://informalscience.org/research/ic-000-000-008-700/Situational_Interest_of_High_School_Students_Who_Visit_an_Aquarium

Csikszentmihalyi, M., & Hermanson, K. (1995). Intrinsic motivation in museums: Why does one want to learn? In J. H. Falk & L. D. Dierking (Eds.), Public institutions for personal learning (pp.67–77). Washington, DC: American Association of Museums.

DeWitt, J. & Osborne, J. (2007). Supporting teachers on science-focused school trips: Towards an integrated framework of theory and practice. International Journal of Science Education, 29,  685-710.  http://informalscience.org/research/ic-000-000-008-500/Supporting_Teachers_on_Science-Focused_Field_Trips

DeWitt, J., Storksdieck, (2008). A Short Review of School Field Trips: Key Findings from the Past and Implications for the Future. Visitor Studies Vol. 11, 2, 181-197. DOI:10.1080/10645570802355562

Falk, J. & Direking, L. (1997). School field Trips: Assessing their long-term impact. Curator, 40, 211-218. Retrieved from  http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.2151-6952.1997.tb01304.x/abstract

Jensen, N. (1994). Children’s perceptions of their museum experiences: A contextual perspective. Children’s Environments, 11(4), 300-324.  Retrieved from  http://informalscience.org/research/ic-000-000-009-681/Children ’s_Perceptions_of_Their_Museum_Experiences  

Kisiel, J. F. (2005). Understanding elementary teacher motivations for science fieldtrips. Science Education, 89(6), 936 – 955. Retrieved from  http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/sce.20085/abstract

Nadelson, L., & Jordan, R. (2012). Student Attitudes Toward and Recall of Outside Day: An Environmental Science Field Trip. The Journal of Educational Research Vol. 105, Iss. 3, 2012. DOI:10.1080/00220671.2011.576715

National Research Council. (1996). National Science Education Standards. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. Retrieved from  http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=4962

National Science Teachers Association (1999). NSTA Position Statement: Informal Science Education. Retrieved from  http://informalscience.org/research/ic-000-000-009-678/NSTA_Position_Statement

Salmi, H. (2003). Science centres as learning laboratories: experiences of Heureka, the Finnish Science Centre. International Journal of Technology Management, 25, 460–476. Retrieved from  http://www.heureka.fi/portal/englanti/about_heureka/research/international_journal_of_technology_management/

Stronck, D. R. (1983). The comparative effects of different museum tours on children’s attitudes and learning. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 20(4), 283 - 290. Retrieved from   http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/tea.3660200403/abstract

Wolins, I. S., Jensen, N., & Ulzheimer, R. (1992). Children’s memories of museum field trips: A qualitative study. Journal of Museum Education, 17(2), 17–27. Retrieved from   http://www.jstor.org/pss/40478925

Whitesell, E. R. (2016). A Day at the Museum: The Impact of Field Trips on Middle School Science Achievement. Journal of Research in Science Teaching. D: 10.1002/tea.21322.

How to Have a Safe, Fun, and Successful Field Trip

When You Leave the Classroom, There's a Whole New Set of Rules

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New teachers might naively think that field trips are easier and more fun than a typical day in the classroom. But throw in crises like a lost group of children or wasp stings, and field trips can go from fun to frantic in no time.

But if you adjust your expectations you can come up with a new, more practical way to approach field trips and minimize the chances of drama and mayhem.

Tips for a Successful Field Trip

Follow these field trip tips and you'll likely create fun learning adventures for your students:

• Explicitly discuss field trip behavior rules with your students beforehand. Teach, model, and review appropriate field trip behavior with your students for at least a week before the big event. Drill into their heads that field trips are not the time or place to mess around and that any aberrant behavior will result in non-participation in any future field trips that school year. Sound serious and back it up with consequences as needed. It's good to have your students scared of testing the boundaries on field trips. Emphasize that they are representing our school's reputation when they are off-campus and that we want to present our best behavior to the outside world. Make it a point of pride and reward them afterward for a job well done.
• Give your students a learning task ahead of time. Your students should show up for the field trip with a base of knowledge on the subject at hand, as well as questions to answer before returning to the classroom. Spend some time in the weeks before the field trip discussing the subject matter. Review a list of questions they will be looking to answer during the field trip. This will keep them informed, engaged, and focused on learning all day long.
• Choose parent chaperones wisely. Field trips require as many adult eyes and ears as you can get, but unfortunately, you can't be everywhere at once. From the first day of school, observe the parents of your students closely, looking for signs of responsibility, firmness, and maturity. A lax or careless parent can be your worst nightmare on a field trip, so choose your parental allies wisely. That way, you'll reap the benefits of having adult partners in the field trip process.
• Make sure you have all the necessary medications. Talk to the school nurse and procure any and all medications that your students usually take during the day. While on the field trip, make sure you administer the medications accordingly. If you have students will allergies, you may need to get trained on how to use an EpiPen. If so, the student involved will need to stay with you at all times.
• Arrive at school early on field trip day. The students will be excited and antsy, ready to go. You'll want to greet the chaperones and give them instructions for the day. It takes some time to organize the sack lunches and ensure that everyone has what they need for the day. And one last pep talk on appropriate behavior never hurt anybody.
• Give your chaperones the tools they need to succeed. Make nametags for all chaperones and students. Create a "cheat sheet" of the day's itinerary, special rules, your cell phone number, and the names of all kids in each chaperone's group; distribute these sheets to each adult on the field trip. Procure and label grocery bags that each chaperone can use to carry the group's sack lunches. Consider getting a little thank-you gift for each chaperone, or treat them to lunch that day.
• Be proactive with regards to challenging students. If you have a student who causes trouble regularly in the classroom , it's safe to assume he or she will cause at least five times more trouble in public. If possible, ask his or her parent to be a chaperone. That will usually limit any potential problems. Also, when you are making groups, split any problem pairs into separate groups. This is a good policy for troublemakers, chatty kids, or bickering frenemies. And it's probably best to keep the most challenging students in your own group, rather than pawning them off on an unsuspecting parent chaperone.
• Count all day. As the teacher, you will likely spend most of your day counting heads and making sure everyone is accounted for. Obviously, the worst thing that can occur on a field trip is losing a student. So count accurately and often. Enlist the help of chaperones in this task, but do it yourself too, for your own peace of mind. Keeping track of each and every student is the number one priority of field trip day.
• Do a "debriefing" when you return to the classroom. If you have a few extra minutes after the field trip and before dismissal from school, put on some soothing classical music and have the students draw about what they saw and learned that day. It gives them a chance to decompress and review what they experienced. The next day, it's a good idea to do a more active and in-depth review of the field trip material, extending the learning further and connecting it to what you're working on in the classroom.
• Write thank-you notes after the field trip. Lead a class language arts lesson the day after your field trip, formally thanking the people who hosted your group. This serves as an etiquette lesson for your students and helps form your school's good reputation at the field trip destination. In future years, this goodwill could translate into prime perks for your school.

With proper planning and a positive attitude, field trips can be unique ways to explore the outside world with your students. Stay flexible and always have a Plan B, and you should do just fine.

• Field Trips: Pros and Cons
• Field Trip Rules
• 10 Ways to Make Learning Fun for Students
• 10 Ways to Keep Your Class Interesting
• 5 Fun Field Trip Ideas for Elementary School
• Field Trip Ideas for Elementary School Students
• 12 New Teacher Start-of-School Strategies
• How to Celebrate Elementary School Graduation
• Why Teaching is Fun
• 7 Tips for Homeschooling Teens
• Teaching Strategies to Keep Struggling Students Working
• 25 Simple Ways to Say Thank You to Teachers
• 10 Ways to Put the Home in Schooling
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A field trip is an experiential learning opportunity in which students leave the traditional classroom setting to learn within their community. During field trips, K–12 students can participate in a wide variety of experiences to expand upon their current knowledge and to apply what they learn in school. Behrendt and Franklin (2014) pointed out that field trips cannot be replicated within the confines of a classroom; rather, they are experiences that occur within a natural and relevant context. By participating in these trips, teachers enable their students to use their knowledge in real-life settings. There are many different kinds of field trips that vary based on the subject matter being taught. They range from art museums to nature reserves and include both virtual trips and in-person excursions. No matter the location, students are invited to connect with the class content in a personal way (Behrendt & Franklin, 2014). Overall, field trips are a student-centered approach in which students put their learning into action outside the classroom.

Student-Centered Approach

A student-centered approach is just as it says: it is centered around the students rather than centered on the teacher giving instruction (Pearce & Lee, 2021). Field trips embody being student-centered by giving students more autonomy in their learning. As Pattacini (2018) said, “A student-centered learning and teaching approach implies greater involvement of students… They are given many opportunities to voice their opinions and share their experience. Throughout the module, the students are adopting different roles…” (Rethinking Student Roles section). In contrast to the traditional teaching style of lecturing in the classroom, field trips provide a plethora of opportunities for students that they otherwise could not have. Pearce and Lee (2021) stated that field trips "allow students to discover different learning environments, provide enrichment opportunities, and respite from the daily school routine” (Field Trips section). By implementing this student-centered approach, field trips provide countless positive outcomes for students that go beyond just academic success.

The objective of field trips is to provide a variety of opportunities for students to grow both academically and affectively. The benefits extend beyond the traditional classroom setting and have been linked to increased engagement and motivation in school, higher test scores, enhancement of critical thinking skills, and better understanding and retention of content. Not only do field trips provide academic benefits, but they also promote affective learning, such as historical and cultural appreciation. In addition to developing cultural awareness, field trips can magnify students’ emotional well-being and foster positive attitudes towards their communities.

Academic Outcomes

Field trips have been used as an educational tool for many years to provide students with hands-on learning experiences outside of the classroom. As a result, student engagement in learning has increased. In a study by Florick et al. (2021), several groups of fourth and fifth grade students were invited to visit the Woodruff Arts Center and their art partners in Atlanta, Georgia. The purpose of this study was to examine the benefits of multiple field trips as compared to only one field trip throughout the school year. To conduct this study, some groups of students were selected to participate in several field trips while other groups of students attended only one field trip. The results of this study showed that those who participated in multiple field trips were more engaged in learning and had a better attitude towards school, as they demonstrated fewer absences and behavioral violations (Florick et al., 2021).

Furthermore, field trips can improve academic achievement, such as test scores. In the same study mentioned above by Florick et al. (2021), after attending either one or multiple field trips, both groups of students were administered their end-of-year exams, and it showed that the students who participated in multiple field trips scored higher on their exams than those who attended only one field trip (Florick et al., 2021). Whitesell (2016) also analyzed the effects of field trips on middle school students’ standardized test scores in science and found that students who went on a museum field trip scored higher on their science achievement test than those who did not attend a field trip. These studies suggest that field trips can have a positive impact on academic engagement and achievement.

In addition to increased student engagement, field trips can enhance critical thinking skills and improve retention of details. A study conducted by Greene et al. (2014) explored the outcomes of field trips by inviting groups of local K–12 students to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas. After each museum tour, students were given surveys to assess their art knowledge and critical thinking. The survey results illustrated that students who participated in the art museum tours were better able to recall details about the paintings they saw. Additionally, these students also demonstrated higher levels of critical thinking skills when they were shown unfamiliar paintings and were able to analyze and discuss these new paintings. Furthermore, Das (2021) shared findings from a study that asked K–12 students to gauge whether field trips increased their knowledge following their participation in a virtual field trip. The findings showed that as students engaged in virtual field trips, they had a better understanding of the content being taught in the classroom (Das, 2021). Field trips bring the curriculum from the classroom to life and teach students how to apply it to their lives.

Affective Outcomes

The benefits of field trips are not only limited to academic achievement, but they also expand to positive affective outcomes, such as social and emotional benefits.

Field trips provide an opportunity for students to build social connections and learn in a collaborative environment. According to Greene et.al (2014), K–12 students who participated in the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art tours learned about various artworks and demonstrated higher levels of historical tolerance and cultural empathy. In other words, they learned how to understand and appreciate others’ perspectives on history and culture. Moreover, the same study found that field trips can promote a sense of belonging, particularly for students from disadvantaged backgrounds who may have limited opportunities to engage in extracurricular activities (Greene et al., 2014). By attending field trips, these students were able to connect with other students and their communities at a much deeper level.

Not only do field trips yield social benefits, but they also provide a much-needed break from the structured and sometimes stressful environment of the classroom, offering students a chance to connect with their emotions and develop positive associations with learning. In a study conducted by Heras et al. (2020), a group of 11- and 12-year-old students in Spain participated in a nature-based field trip and were asked about their perceptions of field trips and nature-based activities following the field trip. These students were chosen because they attended a school program focused on raising environmental awareness and helping their students appreciate the natural and cultural heritage of their community. Based on student responses, the researchers concluded that nature-based field trips can significantly impact students’ emotional well-being. The students reported feeling relaxed, happy, and more connected to nature after their field trip; they also recalled positive memories from their trip.

Similarly, Musselman (2020) described how elementary students found a sense of wonder and curiosity while exploring scientific topics in their community. During a field trip, students had hands-on experience learning about the effects of wind and water on landforms and how sea barriers prevent coastline erosion. As a result, students gained firsthand understanding of the relationship between humans and nature, as well as an opportunity to make a positive impact in the world. Field trips can enhance the overall learning experience and contribute to students’ holistic development.

While many recognize the importance of student-centered field trips, there are several obstacles that hinder teachers and school administrators from providing field trip opportunities including cost, logistics, and content preparation. Depending on the trip, the cost can be a key deterrent. Many schools are already on tight budgets, so adding expensive trips can be difficult. Even if the actual event is free, the price of transportation can cause educators to avoid planning trips altogether (Clarke-Vivier & Lee, 2018). These kinds of cost analysis decisions require both teacher and administrator approval. Some school districts simply may not have access to events due to these issues of cost and extra transportation. Based on the location of the school, some may not have many field trip options available to them (Behrendt & Franklin, 2014). There may not be events or venues close by that offer the desired educational content. In addition, surveyed teachers named logistical planning as another obstacle to their success for these academic excursions (Clarke-Vivier & Lee, 2018). Teachers must coordinate with the field trip facility, organize transportation, and establish student safety measures. Some described the time put into planning field trips as “lost time” because they had to organize large groups and chaperones, which took away from time teaching the course content (Behrendt & Franklin, 2014). In order to be successful in planning field trips, teachers need to find a trip that is applicable to their course content and then prepare students for the experiences that they will have. They may plan pre-trip or post-trip activities that require time away from the required curriculum for the school year. When considering the major benefits of field trip experiences, it is important to note this extra effort from the teachers to both carry out the experience and ensure the students are sufficiently prepared.

As educators continue to actively involve field trips in their teaching, students will experience a higher quality education and educators will experience better classroom results. Beyond the classroom, students also experience social and emotional benefits when they have the opportunity to participate in field trips. While teachers do not have complete control over making a field trip happen, they can submit requests and proposals to the powers that do decide. It is also important that these significant benefits are clearly communicated to the people who do make the decisions (administrators and school boards). Overall, student-centered learning through field trips has many positive outcomes for students that far outweigh any challenges they provide and can be implemented in the classroom in a variety of ways. Nature-based, arts-based, or even virtual field trips will all provide the positive outcomes that teachers are looking for as they work to provide a quality education for their students.

Behrendt, M., & Franklin, T. (2014). A review of research on school field trips and their value in education. International Journal of Environmental & Science Education, 9 (3), 235–245. https://doi.org/10.12973/ijese.2014.213a

Clarke-Vivier, S., & Lee, J. C. (2018). Because life doesn’t just happen in a classroom: Elementary and middle school teacher perspectives on the benefits of, and obstacles to, out-of-school learning. Issues in Teacher Education , 27 (3), 55–72.

Das, A. (2021, November 9-11). Virtual field trips and impact on learning [Conference presentation]. Innovate Learning Summit 2021, Online, 85–89. https://www.learntechlib.org/p/220274/

Florick, L., Greene, J. P., Levenberg, R., & Pogue, R. (2021). The benefits of multiple arts based field trips. Phi Delta Kappan, 102 (8), 26–29.

Greene, J. P., Kisida, B., & Bowen, D. H. (2014). The educational value of field trips. Education Next, 14 (1), 78–86.

Heras, R., Medir, R. M., & Salazar, O. (2020). Children’s perceptions on the benefits of school nature field trips. Education , 48 (4), 379–391.

Musselman, S. (2020). Connecting with community. Science and Children, 58 (1), 43–47.

Pattacini, L. (2018). Experiential learning: The field study trip, a student-centered curriculum. Compass: Journal of Learning and Teaching , 11 (2). https://doi.org/10.21100/compass.v11i2.815

Pearce, M. K., & Lee, T. (2021). Comparing teaching methods in an environmental education field trip program. Journal of Interdisciplinary Teacher Leadership, 5 (1). https://doi.org/10.46767/kfp.2016-0037

Whitesell, E. R. (2016). A day at the museum: The impact of field trips on middle school science achievement. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 53 (7), 1036–1054. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21322

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Access it online or download it at https://edtechbooks.org/student_centered/field_trips .

irections: Read and understand the problem . Write your answers n your activity notebook or answer sheet. l. In a field trip of 80 learners, 50 brought oranges, 30 brought apples and 30 brought grapes. 18 of them brought apples and grapes, 15 brought or- anges and grapes, 8 brought oranges and apples and 5 students brought all the three items.

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What is a Field Trip: Exploring the Benefits, Challenges, and Creative Ideas

By Happy Sharer

Introduction: What is a Field Trip?

A field trip is an educational excursion outside of the classroom environment. It is an opportunity for students to gain first-hand experience with the material they are learning in class. Field trips can take place at local attractions, museums, historic sites, nature centers, and more. They can also be conducted virtually, allowing students to explore faraway places without ever leaving the classroom.

Overview of Field Trips: Exploring the Benefits and Challenges

Field trips are an important part of any school curriculum. They provide an opportunity for students to gain real-world experience with the material they are learning in class. However, there are both benefits and challenges associated with field trips that must be considered before planning one.

Benefits of Field Trips

The most obvious benefit of field trips is that they give students the chance to experience the material they are learning in class in a real-world setting. According to a study conducted by the National Education Association, “Field trips provide students with experiences that cannot be replicated in the classroom. They offer opportunities to explore concepts from a different perspective, to observe firsthand what has been read about in textbooks, and to make connections between course content and real life.”

In addition to providing an opportunity for experiential learning, field trips can also help to engage student interest in the subject matter. A study conducted by the University of Texas found that students who went on field trips were more likely to remember the material they had learned than those who did not go on the trip. Furthermore, field trips can spark curiosity and inspire students to ask questions and seek out further knowledge.

Challenges of Field Trips

Despite their many benefits, field trips can present some challenges. One of the biggest challenges associated with field trips is the cost. Depending on where you are traveling and the size of your group, the expenses can quickly add up. Additionally, finding the time to plan and execute a successful field trip can be difficult for teachers who already have a full schedule.

Safety is another issue that must be taken into consideration when planning a field trip. It is important to ensure that all students are supervised at all times and that the destination is appropriate for the age and maturity level of the students.

Tips for Planning a Successful Field Trip

Planning a successful field trip requires careful consideration of multiple factors. Here are some tips to keep in mind when planning a field trip.

Establish Goals

Before planning a field trip, it is important to establish clear goals. Ask yourself why you are taking the students on the trip and what you hope to accomplish. This will help to ensure that the field trip is meaningful and relevant to the material being taught in class.

Choose an Appropriate Destination

Once you have established your goals, it is important to choose a destination that is appropriate for the age and maturity level of the students. When selecting a location, consider the interests and abilities of the students and make sure that the destination offers something that will be interesting and engaging for them.

Develop an Itinerary

Once you have selected a destination, it is important to develop an itinerary that outlines the activities for the day. Make sure there is enough time for each activity and that the activities are relevant to the goals you have established for the trip.

Manage Safety Issues

Safety should always be a top priority when planning a field trip. Make sure that all students are supervised at all times and that the destination is appropriate for the age and maturity level of the students. Additionally, be sure to review any safety policies or procedures with the students prior to the trip.

A Guide to Creating a Meaningful Field Trip Experience

Creating a meaningful field trip experience requires careful planning and preparation. Here are some tips to ensure that your students get the most out of their field trip.

Set Clear Expectations

Prior to the field trip, it is important to set clear expectations for the students. Explain to them the purpose of the trip and what you hope they will gain from the experience. Additionally, discuss any rules or guidelines that need to be followed during the trip.

Make Connections with Course Material

When planning the activities for the field trip, look for ways to connect the material to the course content. This will help to ensure that the students gain a deeper understanding of the material and that the trip is meaningful and relevant.

Utilize Time Wisely

Time management is key to ensuring a successful field trip. Make sure that all activities are planned in advance and that the students understand what is expected of them. Additionally, leave room for flexibility in case something unexpected arises.

How Field Trips Enhance Learning in the Classroom

Field trips can be an invaluable tool for enhancing learning in the classroom. Here are some of the ways that field trips can benefit students.

Engaging Student Interest

Field trips can help to engage student interest in the subject matter. Experiencing the material firsthand can make it easier for students to understand and relate to the material being taught in class.

Building Critical Thinking Skills

Field trips can also help to build critical thinking skills. Students are exposed to new information and must process it in order to gain a better understanding of the material. This helps to develop problem-solving abilities and encourages students to think more deeply about the material.

Developing Problem-Solving Abilities

Field trips can also help to develop problem-solving abilities. Students are exposed to new environments and must find ways to navigate them. This helps to build confidence and teaches students how to think on their feet.

The Value of Field Trips for Students

Field trips can be a valuable learning experience for students. Here are some of the ways that field trips can benefit students.

Developing Self-Confidence

Field trips can help to boost self-confidence. Being in unfamiliar surroundings can be intimidating, but it can also be a great opportunity for students to practice problem-solving skills and develop self-confidence.

Strengthening Interpersonal Relationships

Field trips can also help to strengthen interpersonal relationships among students. Working together to navigate new environments and solve problems can help to foster teamwork and collaboration.

Acquiring New Knowledge and Experiences

Finally, field trips can open students up to new knowledge and experiences. Seeing things firsthand can help to bring the material to life and make it easier for students to understand and remember.

Creative Ideas for Field Trips

There are many creative ways to incorporate field trips into the classroom. Here are some ideas for fun and engaging field trips.

Museum Visits

Museums are a great way to introduce students to a variety of topics. From art and history to science and technology, there are a variety of museums that offer educational experiences for students of all ages.

Local Attractions

Local attractions can be a great way to introduce students to the community and its culture. Consider visiting historical sites, parks, zoos, or aquariums for an interactive and fun learning experience.

Nature Walks

Nature walks are a great way to get students outdoors and exploring their natural surroundings. Not only can this be a fun activity, but it can also be a great way to introduce students to concepts such as ecology and conservation.

Virtual Field Trips: Taking Education Beyond the Classroom

Technology has opened up a world of possibilities for educators looking to take their students on field trips. Virtual field trips allow students to explore faraway places without ever leaving the classroom.

Advantages of Virtual Field Trips

Virtual field trips come with a number of advantages. They are often less expensive than traditional field trips, and they can be used to explore destinations that would otherwise be inaccessible. Additionally, virtual field trips can be tailored to fit the curriculum and the specific needs of the students.

Types of Virtual Field Trips

There are a variety of types of virtual field trips available. These include virtual tours of museums and historical sites, live video streams of events, and interactive simulations of different environments. Each type of virtual field trip offers a unique experience and can be used to enhance learning in the classroom.

Tips for Planning a Virtual Field Trip

When planning a virtual field trip, it is important to do your research. Check to see if the destination offers a virtual tour and make sure that the technology needed is available and easy to use. Additionally, make sure to set clear expectations and goals for the virtual field trip and to create an itinerary that outlines the activities for the day.

Field trips can be a valuable learning experience for students. They provide an opportunity for students to gain first-hand experience with the material they are learning in class and can help to engage student interest in the subject matter. Additionally, field trips can help to build critical thinking skills and develop problem-solving abilities. Finally, virtual field trips offer an exciting way to explore faraway places without ever leaving the classroom. With careful planning and preparation, field trips can be a fun and educational experience for everyone involved.

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Hi, I'm Happy Sharer and I love sharing interesting and useful knowledge with others. I have a passion for learning and enjoy explaining complex concepts in a simple way.

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40 Amazing Educational Virtual Field Trips

No permission slips needed.

Virtual field trips are a game changer. Not only do they fill in for real field trips when budgets and other roadblocks prevent in-person options, but virtual field trips also open doors to educational experiences all over the country and the world, both past and present. No fundraising or permission slips required!

(Note: For anyone who needs it, YouTube offers a closed-captioning option. Just click the CC button in the bottom right-hand corner.)

1. Amazon Career Tours

Amazon Career Tours are free virtual field trips that inspire students to pursue careers of the future. Tour whenever, wherever on Kahoot! Each tour comes with a Teacher Toolkit that includes a facilitation guide and student worksheets.

• (New!) Amazon Music: Careers Behind the Beats : From studio to streaming, check out how computer science and amazing professionals make listening to your favorite songs possible.
• Amazon Fulfillment Center Tour : Explore how packages get delivered at lightning speed and how computer science, engineering, and real people work together to make the magic happen. 
• Data Center Tour 1: Uncovering Cloud Computing : Do students know what “the cloud” actually is? Find out how we went from renting movies at the store to streaming them from anywhere at any time.
• Data Center Tour 2: Keeping Data Safe and Sustainable : Discover the infrastructure that keeps your information safe and sustainable while diving into data careers of the future.
• Space Innovation Tour : Students will learn about the amazing technology on board the Orion spacecraft in NASA’s Artemis I flight test and hear from the engineers who made it all possible.

There are so many amazing online options when it comes to zoos that we couldn’t narrow it down to just one. Most zoos have live webcams in some of their most popular exhibits, such as the KC Zoo Polar Bear Cam and the Giant Panda Cam at Smithsonian’s National Zoo . However, some zoos offer a more in-depth look. You’ll definitely want to check out the San Diego Zoo as their site for kids includes behind-the-scenes videos and stories, as well as a variety of printable activities and online games. Check out our full list of virtual zoo goodness.

3. The Aquarium

It’s a similar story with aquariums. You have your pick of live webcams, but our favorites are the Georgia Aquarium’s Ocean Voyager webcam (wait for the whale shark!) and the “Jelly Cam” at Monterey Bay Aquarium (so soothing). The Seattle Aquarium even has a 30-minute video tour . Want more under-the-sea fun? Here’s our ultimate list of virtual aquarium field trips.

4. The Farm

The classic preschool field trip goes online! You can have your pick of dairy farm field trips, but we like this one from the Dairy Alliance  and this one from Stonyfield Organic . Farm Food 360 gives students the opportunity to immerse themselves in Canadian farm and food tours—from raising pigs to making milk and cheese. We’re also loving these virtual egg farm field trips from the American Egg Board.

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5. An Art Museum

We found 20 art museums with virtual tours , including the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s # MetKids and its awesome Where’s Waldo? setup. And you can’t miss the world-famous Louvre in Paris (no passport needed!). Check out the current virtual tours: Traveling Materials and Objects, the Advent of the Artist, the Body in Movement, and Founding Myths: From Hercules to Darth Vader!

6. A National Park

From webcams at Hawaii volcanoes to a virtual run along the rim of the Grand Canyon , you have tons of options here. Our top pick would have to be Yellowstone. The interactive maps are a great way to see the Mammoth Hot Springs and Mud Volcano, but we think kids will be psyched about the Old Faithful Geyser livestream and the opportunity to make their own predictions for its next eruption . Check out everything the National Park Service has to offer virtually.

7. A Planetarium

Through Stellarium Web , kids can explore over 60,000 stars, locate planets, and watch sunrises and solar eclipses. If you enter your location, you can see all the constellations that are visible in the night sky in your corner of the world.

8. A Recycling Center

Take your students on a virtual field trip of a recycling center and a modern landfill . Plus, there’s a full-on curriculum that includes lesson plans, take-home handouts, and more.

9. Slime in Space

Nickelodeon teamed up with two astronauts on the International Space Station to demonstrate how slime reacts to microgravity and had kids reproduce those same demonstrations back here on Earth. It makes for an amazing 15-minute virtual field trip .

10. Nature Lab

The Nature Conservancy has a brand-new virtual field trip entitled “You’re the Scientist! Citizen Science, Frogs & Cicadas.” Check out their full library of videos on topics like climate change and water security.

11. Discovery Education

Discovery Education hosts a variety of virtual events —each with a companion guide with hands-on learning activities. Current offerings include “Making a New Life: The Courage of a Refugee” and “The Future Is Now” (architectural and engineering innovations). Stay tuned for their upcoming civics virtual field trip, “The American Ideal.”

12. The Great Lakes

This virtual field trip from Great Lakes Now has three components: coastal wetlands, algae, and lake sturgeon. Each video is a quick five minutes long.

13. The Strong National Museum of Play

Explore online exhibits and discover the history and evolution of play. Check out board games that changed play, sports video games that shaped digital play, and the making of Monopoly to name a few.

14. U.S. Census Bureau

Kids can learn about the most recent Census and how census data is collected and used. This virtual field trip also features interviews with subject matter experts and an interactive challenge.

15. National Constitution Center

The “Museum of We the People,” the Constitution Center serves as a “headquarters for civic education.” Check out the Interactive Constitution section , and be sure to watch the virtual tour .

16. The Johnson Space Center

Houston, we have a virtual field trip. Three, actually. All with companion educator guides. The star of the show is the behind-the-scenes tour of the Johnson Space Center .

17. Birthplace of Music

Boise State put together this fully interactive virtual field trip with text, photos, audio, and video about the history of music. The four featured music locations are: Vienna, Austria; New Orleans, Louisiana; Cleveland, Ohio; and Bristol, Tennessee-Virginia.

18. Colonial Williamsburg

This living-history museum provides a look into life in an early American community. The website offers five different webcams featuring areas such as the tavern and the armory.

19. Mount Vernon

This virtual experience of George Washington’s home is incredibly well done. Enter the different buildings—from the opulent mansion to the chilling slave quarters—and click on different items for video and text explanations.

20. Mount Rushmore

This virtual tour comes with a real tour guide! Blaine Kortemeyer is the Assistant Chief of Interpretation and Education, who lends his expertise on the building of this national monument. The 3D Explorer is also an excellent tool.

21. The Manhattan Project

Take a visit to the National WWII Museum for “a cross-country virtual expedition to discover the science, sites, and stories of the creation of the atomic bomb.” Don’t forget to download the classroom guide!

22. The White House

For a look inside the iconic building, check out the 360° tour of some of the most historic rooms of the People’s House, from the Situation Room to the Oval Office. Examine each room and check out the contents up close.

23. The Smithsonian

The National Museum of Natural History’s virtual experiences are self-guided, room-by-room tours of permanent, current, and past exhibits. Be sure to send kids to the second floor Bone Hall so they can take a look at all different kinds of skeletons.

24. Google Arts & Culture

A collaboration with over 1,200 leading museums and archives, Google Arts & Culture is an incredible storehouse of monumental works of art. We recommend the Street View and Play sections.

25. 360 Cities

Boasting the world’s largest collection of 360° image videos, 360 Cities provides kids with the opportunity to see stunning panoramas across the globe, including their video of the ice floe on the Vistula River in Poland.

26. Buckingham Palace

It’s the official residence of the Queen of England, and boy, is it opulent! Get a peek inside the gorgeous Grand Staircase, White Drawing Room, Throne Room, and Blue Drawing Room.

27. The Great Wall of China

See one of the wonders of the world with this amazing, thousands-year-old fortification system known the world over. This virtual tour has four scenes available (you have to pay to get access to all 14). The bird’s-eye view of Mutianyu pass is a highlight.

28. Easter Island

Most of us recognize the giant stone statues of Easter Island, but what’s the story behind them? Nova’s online adventure “Secrets of Easter Island” delves into the mystery with a virtual tour.

29. Son Doong Cave

National Geographic lets you explore the world’s largest cave, located in Vietnam. Use the interactive map to enjoy the fully immersive experience (sound on!).

30. Ancient Egypt

You don’t need a time machine! Discovering Ancient Egypt has a ton of free resources, but it’s the interactive pyramid map and 3D temple reconstructions that really give it a field trip feel.

31. Back Through Time

Virtually visit Turn Back the Clock , a museum exhibit that ran for two years at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago. Through compelling personal stories, innovative interactive media, and pop culture artifacts, the exhibit takes guests through seven decades of history—from the dawn of the nuclear age to significant policy questions our leaders face today.

No, really! You can absolutely “go” to the red planet. With Access Mars , you can see the actual surface of Mars, recorded by NASA’s Curiosity rover. Trust us—don’t skip the intro. And if your kids liked that, check out this 4K tour of the moon . These may go down in history as some of the best virtual field trips your students get to experience.

33. The Battleship New Jersey

Take a virtual tour of this historical battleship located on the Camden waterfront. This battleship has traveled more miles than any other!

34. The Vatican

No need to travel to Rome! Take in the amazing art and architecture located in the Vatican Museums with these 360-degree views.

35. Space Center Houston

Download the app and climb aboard the virtual tram line! Take a virtual walk through the Space Center Houston with informational stops along the way.

36. The Louvre

Virtually visit museum rooms in the famous Louvre located in Paris. Even check out The Louvre kids’ site for student-friendly galleries and stories. You can’t visit The Louvre without seeing the Mona Lisa , so check out their immersive Mona Lisa experience available in the app store.

37. Ellis Island

This interactive tour of Ellis Island lets students explore places like the Baggage Room and the Stairs of Separation through short stories, historical photographs, videos, and audio clips. Students can also hear the stories of real kids who recently immigrated to the United States, explore colorful charts and graphs with immigration data, and watch a 30-minute movie that includes a Q&A with National Park Service Rangers who explain what coming to America was like for many immigrants.

38. Plimoth Patuxet Museums

Travel back to the 17th century with options for free, on-demand, digital resources or a live, 1-hour virtual school program led by a Plimoth Patuxet Contemporary Indigenous Museum Educator. Students explore Wampanoag daily life and history; discover the real history of Thanksgiving and the legend behind it; meet a 17th-century Pilgrim; get an interactive sneak peak into 17th-century wardrobes; and learn about simple machines and water power at the Plimoth Grist Mill. There are also options for virtual hands-on history workshops, including Wampanoag Pottery and Write Like a Pilgrim.

39. Children’s Museum Houston

When you can’t visit the museum in person, 3D virtual field trips to the Children’s Museum Houston are the next best thing. All videos are produced and curated by museum educators and feature hands-on activities that can be done in the classroom. Topics include nutrition, math, states of matter, forces and properties of water, and more.

40. Museum of the American Revolution

Beyond the Battle Field is a virtual field trip for grades 2-8 hosted by Lauren Tarshis, author of the I Survived historical-fiction series for kids. Students will meet a museum educator as well as the museum curator, and explore artifacts and documents from the American Revolution. Plus they’ll hear the stories of teens who served during the war. There’s also a Classroom Kit available with a vocabulary list and discussion questions by grade level.

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Plus, check out the best field trip ideas for every age and interest (virtual options too) ..

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Response: ‘Field Trips Are Powerful Learning Experiences’

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(This post is Part One in a three-part series)

The new “question-of-the-week” is:

How can teachers maximize the learning potential of field trips?

Field trips are often the highlights of the year for students. At the same time, these field trips can be some of the most stressful days for teachers—not to mention all the paperwork hassles involved in planning them. Given that students love them and that teachers have to spend so much time into making them happen, how can we maximize their learning benefits?

Today, Jennifer Orr, Herb Broda, Anne Jenks, Russel Tarr, and Andrew Miller share their answers to this question. You can listen to a 10-minute conversation I had with Jennifer, Herb and Anne on my BAM! Radio Show . You can also find a list of, and links to, previous shows here .

I’ve compiled some of the pieces I and others have written about using “real” and virtual field trips at The Best Resources For Organizing & Maximizing Field Trips - Both “Real” & “Virtual.”

Response From Jennifer Orr

Jennifer Orr teaches kindergartners at a public, Title I school in the suburbs of Washington. She is an ASCD Emerging Leader , blogs at jenorr.com, and is @jenorr on twitter. She feels lucky to have a job she loves:

Field trips are powerful learning experiences but it is easy for them to pass quickly. Maximizing the learning requires thoughtful work done before and after the trip. Prior to the field trip, time must be allotted to get students interested and excited and to build some schema for the location and content to be explored. This can be done through watching videos, looking at maps and photographs and reading about the location. Collecting students’ questions about the trip, location, and content will also help increase interest in the trip.

During the field trip a variety of strategies will help students hold on to their excitement, curiosity, and learning. The list of questions collected before the trip is one tool. Carry the list with you, in a smaller format most likely, and reference it as possible answers or connections to the questions come up. Depending on the age of students, each one could be in charge of some of the questions throughout the trip. Another tool that can greatly enhance the field trip experience is a camera. Having students take photographs or video during the trip gives them a focus and offers resources to use after the trip. If students do not have their own cameras or phones for this purpose, small digital cameras can be attached to lanyards and shared throughout the trip. Again, students can be assigned specific tasks for capturing or can be free to see what interests them.

After the trip is the most crucial time to ensure learning is maximized. It’s easy to feel rushed to move on to other content or focus after a trip, but slowing down and spending time on the learning from the trip will ensure it was a worthwhile experience. If there are photos or video from the trip students can use them to create artifacts about their learning (videos, scrapbooks, nonfiction writing). Students can write thank you notes to people at the field trip location, to individuals in the school or district that may have helped with funding, or to chaperones who supported the trip. These thank you notes should include specific details from the trip. Throughout the year connections to the field trip should be made when possible as the concrete experience will support future learning.

Field trips can be expensive, complicated, and time-consuming, but with thoughtfulness and time they can be some of the most powerful learning experiences available for students.

Response From Herb Broda

Herb Broda is an emeritus professor of education at Ashland University. His books, Schoolyard-Enhanced Learning and Moving the Classroom Outdoors (Stenhouse Publishers), reflect Herb’s passion for helping teachers see ways to use the schoolyard as a teaching tool:

Field trips are still one of the best ways to provide concrete examples of abstract concepts. They are effective at all grade levels and in every content area. Since shrinking budgets have reduced field trip opportunities, it’s critical to maximize the experience. Here are a few thoughts to consider:

Pre-trip considerations...

• The curriculum should drive the field trip location. Maximum learning occurs when a field trip reinforces prior instruction or introduces content that will be expanded soon after the visit.
• Most historic sites, nature centers and museums have pre-visit materials adapted to different grade ranges. Check these out as you plan a visit. Some sites have beautifully crafted, grade-specific sessions, while others may have more generic “school group” presentations that need to be adapted for maximum learning.
• If you are going to hike at a public park or other outdoor location that is not staffed, be sure to visit the site within a week of your visit. It’s possible that your favorite trail may be closed, littered with undesirable items, or storm damaged.
• Show your class pictures of the field trip site. Pictures clarify the purpose of the visit and create a comfort level for students. Many sites offer virtual tours to build interest.
• Prepare your chaperones! The reality is that chaperones can cause problems as well as provide help. Simple tips like don’t use phones, be enthusiastic about the topic and engage with the group may sound unnecessary, but parents appreciate clear direction when placed in a somewhat unfamiliar role.

At the site/during the trip...

• Try to keep travel time short. The park fifty miles away may offer a few more amenities than the one twenty miles down the road, but is it really worth the extra travel time? That time could be spent doing a few more activities.
• If the ride was lengthy, plan a movement activity soon after you get off the bus. A few brief stretching exercises will release a little energy and make it it easier to focus on a tour or presentation.
• Have small groups pre-arranged. You know best what personality mixes should be avoided!
• Review behavior expectations before the activities begin. Site staff will also go over their rules, but duplication is reinforcing. It also is a comfort to the program leaders!
• Before you leave, have two or three student representatives thank site leaders on behalf of the class. A personalized gesture like that means so much to frenzied staff who see a blur of young faces every day.

After the trip...

Often the default post trip activity is simply a discussion of “who liked what”. It’s important to find out what made the biggest impression, but stopping there misses the rich curricular connections and concrete examples that make the trip educational.

Effective post trip activities provide the opportunity to reinforce content, expand content, or use the content to explore in new directions. Based on the nature of your trip, consider:

• Writing activities that capture key learning
• Webquests relating to the topic of the trip (student or teacher designed)
• Follow-up experiments for science related trips
• Concept mapping
• Project-based learning
• Independent research

Field trips provide rich exposure to environments and vibrant locations that reinforce what students learn in classrooms. The abstract comes alive through concrete experience!

Response From Anne Jenks

Anne Jenks is the principal of the McKinna Elementary School in Oxnard, Calif. She is a Leading Edge Certified Teacher and the 2015 CUE Site Leader of the Year:

Field trips are a wonderful way to provide enrichment, frontload content and expose students to learning opportunities that they might not otherwise experience. They offer students a chance to connect to real life examples of concepts they are studying and concretize ideas that may be abstract. In order to optimize the learning that field trips provide, it’s important to plan carefully and include activities that make students interactive learners.

When you are planning a field trip, be sure to find out if exhibits or other information currently being presented connect directly to subject matter that you are studying. Do some work ahead of time and prepare a scavenger hunt for things that you want to insure students will see during the trip. If students have access to a camera or device with a camera, have them take pictures of these things to be shared later during class, with parents and on your website or blog. Also, be sure to include a journal writing exercise where students can answer specific questions that you provide and also reflect on their thoughts as they go through the museum. These can be used to form the basis for a presentation that they will do in class.

Don’t have the money to take a field trip? Virtual field trips can be very powerful learning tools and many are free. They provide opportunities to travel to places and experience things that would have been impossible before the Internet. Many museums, libraries, state park systems, and other places of interest are available if you have a computer or iPad. A great way to find out about these opportunities is through Skype in the Classroom. The Skype field trips connect students with experts all over the world. PORTS (Parks Online Resources for Teachers and Students) is a great resource from the California State Parks system that allows students to visit state parks and interact with park rangers who collaborate with teachers to create lessons. Just searching for “Virtual Field Trips” in Google will reveal a host of possibilities from museum trips to a self-guided tour of the White House. The ability to search for trips outside of their geographic area, allows teachers to provide exciting experiences that target specific curricular needs.

Whether you choose traditional or virtual field trips, planning ahead will make the experience more meaningful and increase the learning potential for all students.

Response From Russel Tarr

Russel Tarr is head of history at the International School of Toulouse in France. He is also the author of ActiveHistory and ClassTools.net and organizes the Practical Pedagogies Conference :

Educational field trips are some of the most memorable and enriching educational events that students will experience in their school careers, and do not have to cost an immense amount in terms of time and money. One of my favorite field trips in this respect is the local knowledge “Scavenger Hunt” which I help to organise right at the start of the academic year for students starting the IB programme here at the International School of Toulouse. This is a superb ‘team building’ exercise, especially important when new students might be joining the school, and it additionally provides a healthy dose of local knowledge that students are unlikely to be familiar with. Such field trips also have tremendous potential for cross-curricular links, regardless of the area in which you live, and are also remarkably easy to set up.

Simply put, on the very first day of the new academic year, all of the Year 12 students take a coach trip to the center of the city. When they disembark, students are divided into groups of 3-5 people and each team is given a ‘mission sheet’ consisting of a series of questions and challenges that can be answered by visiting different places hinted at in various clues. For example, the first challenge is “Go to the gardens nearby which are named after a famous French Resistance leader from World War”. Once they arrive there, they answer a factual question relating to the place in question (‘Find a monument dedicated to a local mayor assassinated in 1914. Explain why he was killed’).

From this point, the ‘proceed to a place’ format can be repeated indefinitely: I used Google Maps to identify 10 key places around the city within walking distance, and then created a series of questions which guides them through clues from one place to another (“Proceed through the gardens till you reach a road named after the province regained by France at the end of World War One. Head West until you reach a square named after England’s patron saint” - and so on).

A final crucial ingredient is to provide a strict time limit. Teams must hand their completed sheets back to their quizmaster at the designated location before a specified time (so that we can all get on the coach on time, as much as anything else!). Failure to do so incurs a heavy penalty or even disqualification. In this way, an element of urgency is built into the event. There is always one teacher based at a central location in case students need to locate them urgently, and we also provide each group with the school mobile phone number.

One final tip for when you plan your own local scavenger hunt: it is not helpful to have all the teams following each other around in one large clump. Therefore, design the route in a broadly circular format consisting of several mystery locations (e.g. “Location A” through to “Location F”). Then, give each team a slip of paper which gives the actual name of a different particular place in the mission, and the question that it corresponds to in their activity pack. Each team then proceeds to its nominated location and works through the questions from that point forwards. In this way, all the students rotate through the locations independently and the chance of them following each other around is minimised. It also ensures that all of the key locations will be visited by at least one team, which is important for the class debrief when students return.

Response From Andrew Miller

Andrew Miller (@betamiller) is an instructional coach and educational consultant who focuses on project-based learning, assessment and student engagement. He is on the faculty for both ASCD and the Buck Institute for Education. He is the author Freedom to Fail and also writes regularly for Edutopia and ASCD:

Often, field trips occur near or at the end of a learning experience or unit. For example we might learn about salmon and the life cycle of the salmon, and then we go to the salmon hatchery to see the real life connection to the learning. While this can be a useful way to use field trips, we can use fields trips in more innovative ways. Since students are often excited about field trips, why not use it to launch the inquiry. Field trips can create wonder and excitement for learning, and so educators should leverage field trips as a tool to launch questions and research. Imagine, you go to the zoo and see all the amazing animals. You come back to the classroom and your teacher shares that you will be learning more in depth about animals. Immediately you have questions, and your teacher uses these questions to create student-centered inquiry.

Another great use of field trips is to use it to feed the inquiry. After students have asked questions and learned a bit, teachers can use the field trip to answer further questions and generate new ones. I experienced this myself as learner. In a project that explored immigration and the themes of barriers and opening doors, we looked at photos from Angel Island in California. We students had some many questions. After generating these questions, we were lucky enough to take a field trip to Angel Island and do on-site fieldwork to find answers to our questions. In addition, we came up of with new questions on the spot we wanted to explore once we returned to the classroom. These are just two innovative ways teachers can use field trips for learning. Ultimately field trips can be used to not only answer questions, but also create them.

Thanks to Jennifer, Herb, Anne, Russel and Andrew for their contributions!

Please feel free to leave a comment with your reactions to the topic or directly to anything that has been said in this post.

Consider contributing a question to be answered in a future post. You can send one to me at [email protected] .When you send it in, let me know if I can use your real name if it’s selected or if you’d prefer remaining anonymous and have a pseudonym in mind.

You can also contact me on Twitter at @Larryferlazzo .

Anyone whose question is selected for this weekly column can choose one free book from a number of education publishers.

Education Week has published a collection of posts from this blog—along with new material—in an e-book form. It’s titled Classroom Management Q&As: Expert Strategies for Teaching .

Just a reminder—you can subscribe and receive updates from this blog via email or RSS Reader. And, if you missed any of the highlights from the first five years of this blog, you can see a categorized list below. They don’t include ones from this current year, but you can find them by clicking on the “answers” category found in the sidebar.

This Year’s Most Popular Q & A Posts!

Classroom Management Advice

Student Motivation & Social Emotional Learning

Implementing The Common Core

Race & Gender Challenges

Best Ways To Begin & End The School Year

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I am also creating a Twitter list including all contributers to this column .

Look for Part Two in a few days...

The opinions expressed in Classroom Q&A With Larry Ferlazzo are strictly those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications.

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41 Exciting Project-Based Learning Field Trip Ideas

August 14, 2023 //  by  Lauren Du Plessis

Discover a world beyond your classroom with 41 vibrant project-based learning field trip ideas. As teachers, we continually seek new ways to engage and inspire our young learners. For this reason, we’ve curated a list of unique educational destinations- each offering a wealth of hands-on learning experiences for you and your young explorers! From museums to farms, TV stations to local startups, these trips will ignite curiosity and enhance learning, so let’s jump right in to explore more.

Preschool (3-5 years)

1. puppet theater.

Ever wondered what your puppets would say if they could talk? It’s time to unleash creativity and weave magic with a charming puppet theater. The stage is set, the lights dim, and your young puppeteers have a chance to spin enchanting tales for all of their peers to enjoy.

Learn More: Bob Baker Marionette Theater

2. Children’s Museum

This next field trip idea allows your littles to discover something new with every step they take! Children’s Museums are a galaxy of interactive exhibits- with every room designed to pique curiosity and spark fascination.

Learn More: MCM

Let’s swap those classroom walls for sun-drenched fields and wide-open skies. Among the chirping birds and friendly farm animals, your kids can delve into the heart of rural life; discovering a new respect for farmers and all the hard work they complete.

Learn More: YouTube

4. Local Library

Let the local library shelves whisper tales of mystery, adventure, and knowledge into your students’ ears. Watch as their curious minds unearth the joy of reading and embark on countless journeys through the pages of their favorite books.

Learn More: The Colorful Apple

5. Petting Zoo

Ready for a fuzzy, furry adventure? The petting zoo awaits to greet your students with an assortment of friendly wildlife. As your kids pet and care for these adorable animals, they’ll learn important lessons about empathy and responsibility.

Learn More: Seattle’s Child

6. Fruit Picking Farm

Swap the hustle and bustle of the city for a day amidst vibrant orchards. A fruit-picking farm offers an opportunity to pluck, taste, and learn about various fruits. As your students reach out for those ripe apples and juicy strawberries, they are sure to experience the farm-to-table journey firsthand.

Learn More: Smith’s Nursery Inc.

7. Toy Factory

Step into a life-sized playhouse with your students by taking them on an enchanting trip to the toy factory! Watch the wonder evolve as they discover the intriguing process behind how their favorite toys get created.

Learn More: Trip.com

8. Children’s Art Studio

Welcome to the colorful chaos of a children’s art studio! Here, creativity reigns supreme, and messes are masterpieces in the making. Let your little Picassos unveil themselves through their imaginative designs and creations.

Learn More: Art Fun Studio

9. Aquarium

Dive into a magical underwater realm with a trip to the aquarium! As your students marvel at the vibrant marine life, they’ll gain insights into the mysteries and beauty of our oceans.

10. Local Bakery

Tell your students to grab their chefs’ hats as you step into the aromatic world of a local bakery. During this scrumptious adventure, they will discover the science behind baking and might even get to try their hands at decorating cookies!

Learn More: Good Time DIY

11. City Park

There’s more to city parks than meets the eye. These spaces are living classrooms nestled in nature- offering lessons about local wildlife and providing countless outdoor activities for your students to indulge in.

Learn More: City Park Conservancy

12. Dance Studio

Let your students be entranced by the beat of the music and the flow of movement at a local dance studio. This field trip provides a space where your little ones can discover the joy of dancing, paired with the harmony between body and mind. Get their feet tapping and their hearts racing on this rhythmic journey.

Learn More: Jadore Dance

13. Botanical Garden

Envision the botanical garden as a living book of floral wonders just waiting to be explored by your kiddos. As they wander through a stunning array of plants, they’ll uncover the fascinating world of nature’s extraordinary diversity.

Learn More: Naples Garden

Elementary School (6-10 years)

14. planetarium.

Buckle up and prepare your pupils for a cosmic journey as they visit a local planetarium! As they gaze at the starlit dome, the mysteries of the universe are displayed- sparking curiosity and wonder about the cosmos with a quick voyage amongst the stars!

Learn More: HRM

15. Historical Museum

Step back in time with a trip to the historical museum. Each artifact tells a riveting tale; bringing history to life for your young explorers. From stone tools to vintage attire, every exhibit is a time capsule for your elementary learners to enjoy.

Learn More: History Colorado

16. Art Museum

Embark on a kaleidoscopic journey by visiting an art museum. This artistic adventure is sure to awaken your students’ creative side and inspire a deeper appreciation for the arts.

Learn More: The Art of Education

17. Recycling Center

Reduce, reuse, recycle! At the recycling center, your everyday trash gets transformed into treasures! Here, your children can discover the importance of recycling and how it preserves our planet- making this a memorable lesson in waste management.

Learn More: Rethink Waste

18. Science Museum

How about a trip to the science museum to ring home those hard-to-explain concepts? Interactive exhibits morph complex scientific concepts into fun-filled experiences; resulting in a hands-on approach to learning that lets your kids experience the thrills of scientific discovery.

Learn More: EdSurge

19. Historic Houses

Peek into the past with a visit to historic houses. As your students walk through these corridors of history, they’ll develop an appreciation for the heritage and culture of eras gone by.

Learn More: Simple Homeschool

20. Conservatories

Welcome to the conservatory, where every plant holds a lesson in biology, conservation, and ecology. As your children discover the wonder of our green planet, they’ll be encouraged to take better care of our Earthly home.

Learn More: Phipps Conservatory

21. Music Studio

Transport your students to a world of rhythm and rhyme with a trip to the music studio. Here, your learners are sure to strike the right chord in more ways than one- getting an introduction to different instruments and the recording process at large.

Learn More: PBS

Middle School (11-13 years)

22. tech company.

What does the future look like? Let your students discover this answer for themselves at a tech company! In our ever-changing world of technology and innovation, your children will gain insights into the possibilities of tomorrow!

Learn More: The Tech Interactive

23. Archaeological Sites

Give your students the opportunity to walk in the footsteps of their ancient ancestors by visiting an archaeological site. As they explore these open-air museums of human history, they’ll connect with the past and unravel the threads of evolution and civilization.

Learn More: Explore Hampi

24. University Laboratory

Enter the frontier of scientific discovery with a visit to a university laboratory. In this bustling hub of investigation, your student’s experimental ambitions are sure to be sparked; feeding their curiosity and opening their eyes to the wonders of scientific exploration.

Learn More: The Cre8ive Zone

25. Theater

Lights, camera, action! Let your students experience the enchanting world of performing arts with a visit to the theater. From costume design to dramatic performances, they’ll get a glimpse of the magic behind the curtains- igniting a passion for drama and possibly even playwriting!

Learn More: KMS Drama

26. Sports Complex

As your students sprint on the tracks or score goals on the fields, they’ll learn the importance of teamwork, physical fitness, and healthy competition. Taking them to the local sports complex teaches them that not only winning is celebrated, but taking part matters as well.

Learn More: LA Galaxy

A fun-filled adventure to the zoo is a classic field trip idea! Every enclosure will provide your learners insight into the beauty of the animal kingdom; inviting them to discover facts relating to animals from around the world and learn more about the importance of conservation efforts.

Learn More: Lincoln Park Zoo

28. Community Service Centers

At community service centers, kindness isn’t just a virtue; it’s a way of life. Here, your children will learn about the power of empathy and helping others- reinforcing the crucial lesson of giving back to the community. This field trip will allow them to grow, not just as individuals; but as compassionate members of society.

Learn More: Lancaster Edu

29. Local Newspaper

The bustling newsroom of a local newspaper opens a window into the world of journalism. Amid the clattering keyboards and the urgent phone calls, your learners can grasp what goes into the process of news creation, from just a spark of information to a published article.

Learn More: English Classes Cygnaeus Pori

30. Historical Reenactment Sites

Journey back in time by taking your students to historical reenactment sites. Here, history gets brought to life through vibrant performances where your kids can learn about the past in a way that textbooks could never teach them!

Learn More: Student Travel Planning Guide

31. Weather Station

I’m sure all your students have wondered how the forecast predicts if you need an umbrella or sunglasses! Answer their burning questions by taking them to your local weather station. From temperature readings to radar images, they’ll get a firsthand experience of meteorology!

Learn More: CW3E Edu

High School (14-18 years)

32. national park.

In the national park, lessons are etched in the rings of trees and whispered on the wings of butterflies. It’s here that your children can learn about the harmony of nature and the importance of conservation- bonding with the great outdoors and having a well-deserved break from classroom life.

Learn More: Global Travel Alliance

33. TV Station

The TV station pulls back the curtain on the captivating world of television production. From script writing to broadcasting, your learners will get the chance to witness the exciting process of how their favorite shows get created.

34. Biotech Company

Venture into the cutting-edge world of Biotech! Here, your students will get a glimpse into the science that is shaping the future of health and medicine. It’s an awe-inspiring experience that could inspire the next generation of biomedical innovators.

Learn More: Promega Connections

35. Local Government Office

With this field trip your pupils can learn about the inner workings of local governance- getting a practical understanding of civics that no textbook could provide. Bonus: It’s a hands-on lesson in leadership and responsibility.

Learn More: Nations Classroom Tours

36. News Studio

Enterinto the bustling energy of a live broadcast studio. From the anchors’ desks to the control room, your children will get a dynamic view of live journalism to fuel a deeper understanding of the world we live in.

Learn More: Olympic High School

37. Courthouse

Step into the halls of justice with a visit to the courthouse. Given the opportunity to learn about all kinds of legal processes, your learners can gain real-world insight into the judicial system; promoting a better understanding of their rights and responsibilities as citizens.

Learn More: FHN Today

38. Botanical Research Institute

Green thumbs at the ready! Taking your kids to the botanical research institute offers a unique opportunity for them to learn about the importance of plants and their environmental significance. Who knows, this could be the seed that grows into a future career in botany!

Learn More: GITM Edu

39. Architectural Firms

Explore the nitty-gritty blueprints behind society with this field trip! As your learners observe how architects design and build, they’ll gain an appreciation for the relationship between art, science, and community at large.

Learn More: Arch Design

40. Local Startups

Welcome to the ambition playground! On a trip to local startups, your students will witness the journey of how an idea transforms into a thriving business. This trip might inspire them to become the startup heroes of tomorrow

41. Film Studios

Take a behind-the-scenes tour of the big screen! From script to screen, your learners will witness the mesmerizing process of filmmaking. This cinematic adventure might inspire the next generation of filmmakers within your school!

Learn More: NST Group

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WEATHER ALERT

7 warnings and 3 advisories in effect for 16 regions in the area

May 4 election: how to find results, we have compiled links to help you track results in your community.

Erica Young , News Producer

HOUSTON – Saturday was an election day. Voters decided on some key issues, including appraisal district seats and school trustees.

Many Houstonians will also see a special election for Texas Senate District 15 on their ballots. That is the seat vacated by John Whitmire, who was elected mayor of Houston.

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Voters in several local cities will be see mayoral races on their ballots, including Galveston, Rosenberg and Conroe.

While our local counties are conducting some of those elections, there are many cities and jurisdictions that are running elections as well.

To make it easier to track results in your community, we have compiled links to counties, cities and jurisdictions that have elections on Saturday.

If you know of a website we should add to this list, send an email to the author of this story.

BRAZORIA COUNTY

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HARRIS COUNTY

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CITY OF CONROE

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