7 Easy Field Trips to Take With Your Student This Summer
Big summer vacations are a blast, but it’s also a good idea to keep a few day-trip ideas in your back pocket for stir-crazy kids. Whether your family likes nature, sports, animals, or the arts, you can find great ways to entertain, educate, and bond with children on easy field trips this summer. Here are seven fun possibilities to consider.
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1 Take a hiking scavenger hunt. Going for a hike is always a good family activity, but kids may drag their feet at the idea. Give your next hike a boost by adding a scavenger hunt that will get kids excited about what they’re going to see. Include landmarks, certain types of trees or plants, even animals, anything you are likely to encounter on your route and have kids check them off as you find them. If you’ve got competitive types along for the hike, you can make it a contest. Don’t forget the bug spray! -
2 Tour your local fire station. What kid doesn’t like a fire truck? Request a guided tour of a city fire or police station to give kids a glimpse behind the scenes. Many local departments allow the public to take free tours, call yours and ask when they are available.
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3 Explore a farm. Agri-tourism has been hot in recent years, offering growing numbers of great options for kids of all ages. Never heard of it? It’s the trend of farms welcoming visitors to see their daily operations. Whether they’re growing vegetables or raising alpacas, these sites are fun learning experiences for kids and adults alike. Searching online for “farm tours” and the name of your state or region should unearth some options. The farms may have special events you can attend, or you can schedule a visit to see a typical day.
4 Curtains up! Head to the theater—not the movie theater, but a local stage production. You may find these through a community theater company or even events hosted by your area libraries or colleges. Shows will often be presented as matinee performances, which is great for any age. Some theater groups also have summer day camps for kids who want to perform or create.
5 Make a picnic. This can be paired with another destination or just be made an event of its own at a local park or beach. Prepare a fun, kid-friendly meal together that can be taken along on your journey—search kids’ picnic foods on Pinterest for lots of ideas. Next, make a shopping list and then prepare and pack the picnic together. Even kids who have no interest in cooking or are too small to handle most kitchen tasks can have fun shaking up some trail mix or building fruit kebabs. To make a day out of it, try pairing this with a new sport or activity your kids don’t normally participate in. For example, find a park with frisbee golf or beach volleyball, or hit the batting cages.
6. Go back in time. Well, not exactly, but you can pretend for a day. Create your own “old-fashioned day” by visiting a historic site in your area and then doing an activity together related to that time or place. Play an old-style game, start a campfire, or try making a vintage recipe. (Costumes are optional!) Bonus opportunity:If you have learned about an interesting historical figure as part of your activity, see if there is an age-appropriate film or book about that person that you can share afterward.
7. Set sail. Simply taking a boat ride may be a new experience for some children, but even for those who’ve done that, so many new experiences are available on the water. Whatever their previous experience, there may be a new location or skill they can learn about during a ride on a sailboat, canoe, fishing boat, or even a guided tour. This could also be a way for other close friends or family to teach kids a new skill. Does Grandpa have a love for fishing or bird-watching? Use his knowledge to help the kids get to know that subject, and him, a little better.
Lora Wegman is a contributing writer for Varsity Tutors, a live learning platform that connects students with personalized instruction to accelerate academic achievement.
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