Image by Eugene Chystiakov: CC0 License
Homeschooling is becoming increasingly popular amongst parents, not least because countless families find that their kids flourish far better with the benefit of these more dedicated, tailor-made teaching environments. With there also being a lot of responsibility in taking on any child’s learning opportunities, however, countless parents find themselves looking towards homeschool tips and tricks when they first get started here, which most often tend to cover everything from how to develop your lessons plans to, as we’ll considering here, how to plan fantastic homeschool field trips.
After all, while personalized learning spaces within the home are increasingly effective, children still need to spend some time out and about. Homeschool field trips serve this purpose perfectly, especially if you plan them with the help of this quick-fire list of tips for the best field trip possible.
# 1 – Always factor in your lesson plan
Your lesson plan was likely the first thing you put in place when you began homeschooling, and it’s also a great starting point for field trips with the most potential value. Let’s say you’re learning about types of trees, for instance – heading to a wooded area where your kids can collect and identify leaves can really help them to remember those teachings. Equally, if you’re learning about different kinds of wild animals, heading to a zoo or nature park where your kids can see firsthand different kinds of sloths and other species is sure to expand their understanding. In turn, these effectively managed trips are far more likely to benefit your children in the long run.
Image by Denys Gromov: CC0 License
# 2 – Split your trips evenly across the term
Going wild with too many trips in one term can both break your homeschooling budget in some instances, and risk taking your children too far away from the classroom for too long. As such, planning trips evenly across each term is crucial for maintaining balance, and keeping things more affordable. For many homeschooling parents, this can mean planning something like a trip a month, or perhaps splitting budgets, and seeing how often you can realistically go on a trip while still comfortably affording often more crucial things like classroom supplies.
# 3 – Get other homeschooling families involved
Field trips also offer a great opportunity for your children to mix with other kids and learn a few additional social lessons along the way. This is especially true if you invite other homeschooling families along for your trip itself via local homeschooling communities etc., with many homeschooling parents citing countless benefits from building a community. Most valuable of all, however, sharing lessons on these mutual subjects with those other homeschooling children is sure to help your kids see things from an entirely new perspective, and perhaps understand them better as a result.
Homeschool field trips can be a lot of fun, and provide surprising value for the kids you’re working so hard to teach. Simply make sure you get the most that you can out of these excursions using tips like these.