by Rhonda Conner

You have volunteered to coordinate field trips. Now what? Sure, you have lots of energy and ideas now, but what happens when you run out of ideas? What happens when nobody will help you? Worse, what if no one shows up?

WHY do we go on field trips? Like the common saying, there are as many reasons to go on field trips as there are homeschoolers. Some reasons are educational value, socialization, children's interests, breaking the monotony of a schedule, and just plain fun. Sometimes we can even turn an errand or a chore into a field trip. Just visiting our friends on the farm can be construed as a field trip. And my favorite one of all, a visit to the chocolate store, probably doesn't need an explanation as to why we go on that one so often.

Believe it or not, not everyone loves field trips, even those with a group. Mary in Washington says, "I honestly just don't like them. I don't like the artificiality of "field trips." I don't often go to places just for "educational value" or for the sake of saying that I'm taking the children on a field trip. It all seems so forced that way. I go to places because the children want to go, or I do." Well, I guess that's why I go as well. I'm just as happy to go with my family as I am with a group. There are different dynamics in both situations. It's a good thing to keep in mind when worrying about nobody showing up for your well-planned outing. Some of the outings we have as a family would qualify for field trips, but to us, they were just a fun family affair. Some field trips we've been on needed to be with a group, as the business didn't do just one on one visits.

So, what are some good field trip ideas?

Shay in VA says, "Pay attention to your children's questions about local businesses and government operations. These are often enthusiastic about hosting a group visit. It seems they're flattered that someone noticed them. Choose any business or government operation that interests you or your children: concrete plant, ethnic food store, cable TV station, police substation, landfill, art gallery, taxidermy shop, fire department, grocery store, restaurant. The most well attended field trips in my group are the unusual ones: behind-the-scenes, strange locations, etc. Because we don't often have field trips, they are very popular when offered." I thought taxidermy was certainly an unusual one. Shay went on, "Our trip to the taxidermy shop was fun! The owner of the business was very enthusiastic, and willing to take plenty of time showing us around and answer questions. The "ick" factor was a real draw. Bakeries and grocery stores are always popular. Samples of the wares really draw people in."

Some ideas from other homeschool parents are:

"To come up with ideas, I talk to other homeschool moms to see where their favorite places to go have been. I also check out the newspaper and local parenting/family magazines. I try to have my field trips to relate to what we are studying, but that isn't always possible."

"Check in your area for zoos, nursing homes, children's hospitals, etc. Although some of these places may sound "not too good for field trips," they can be very interesting and educational. Children of any age are always (almost) interested in life and the way different people live. Some children find it amazing to see how other folks live on a day-to-day basis with their life-changing disabilities or illnesses."

"Check in your area for places such as glass factories, old-time butter-churners, apple butter makers, etc. These are also very interesting and educational. In our area, we have a glass factory that allows you, the spectator, to watch the men and women blow the hot glass into various shapes and designs. We also have a bread factory that will allow you to tour the facility to see how bread is actually made. (Even if you make bread at home, this can be very interesting to see how it is made on a high-demand scale.) We also have a few museums whose themes change on a monthly and seasonal basis."

Here is a long list of ideas to keep you busy: 911 police/fire dispatch center, conservatory, arboretum or tree farm, potato chip factory, dairy farm, electrical power plant, newspaper, Amish community, local TV station, local cable company, local radio station, waste management facility, grocery store, fire station, hospital, bank, Sea World, natural history museum, restaurants, dairy, worm farm, animal shelter, airport, sheriff's heliport, Coast Guard station, water district, bakery, local mine, apple picking, local ice cream store, water slide park, nature center for local hiking, public transportation, zoo, bowling alley, local missions, aquarium, duck pond, and on and on.

Q: "Our current RSVP system isn't working - people say they're coming, but they don't show up and we lose our group rates. What can I do to avoid this? And getting all those RSVP calls at home is disruptive to my family. Any suggestions?"

A: "If it is a place that has an admission fee and group discounts, then we gather payment up front. We have a sign up sheet at our meetings and do as much money collecting as possible there. This cuts down on the phone calls to our house. We have also sent out a mailing for a fieldtrip with payment and RSVP to be sent via the mail." - April in MI

A: "For field trips requiring payment, I collect all fees in advance, making it clear that refunds are not available. Those, who can't make it are welcome to find substitutes to take their places. I've heard other homeschoolers say it's good to charge a small fee or deposit for *any* field trip, because people value them more when they have to pay something. This makes sense to me, and I may try it next time." - Shay

Q: "We have a good size group, but field trip attendance is really low. What can I do to encourage attendance, or find out what members want that we're not doing?"

A: "I only plan trips to places my family wants to go to, then it doesn't matter how many show up, we have a good time no matter what." - April

Q: "I feel like I'm the only person organizing field trips. How can I get the rest of the group to pitch in?"

A: "I organize one field trip a month that my family would go to with or without the rest of the group. When someone else suggests a place for a field trip, I usually respond with "Great idea, I'll put it in our next newsletter. Would you organize the details and be the contact person?" If the answer is no, it doesn't go into the newsletter. People seem fine about pitching in and organizing if they know it won't get done if they don't do it." - April

A: "HAHAHAHAHAHA! After 2 1/2 years of trying to encourage group members to set up field trips, I've given up. It's always the same few people who organize trips. The rest do not arrange anything, but complain when nothing's offered. In the interest of my sanity and health, I've let go of trying to "get" people to organize field trips. People plan as they wish, and if they complain, I say, "Set something up!" - Shay

If these ideas have worn you out without even leaving the house, experience a filed trip from the comfort of your own home at Online Fieldtrips. http://homeschooling.about.com/od/fieldtrips/Online_Field_Trips.htm

You can also read a book like The A-Z Guide to Home School Field Trips by April Purcell. This book tells you how to turn even a visit to the gas station into an educational field trip. It provides background information about each destination, questions children can ask, vocabulary, and supplemental activities.

For field trip guidelines, read Teri Brown's (aka "The Field Trip Lady"). She has excellent suggestions such as checking the weather, asking for directions, filling up with gas, bringing money, and sending thank you notes. Teri is a columnist for the Link Homeschooling newspaper, and she often writes for Home Education Magazine as well.