Thinking back to your school days, some of your best memories were probably field trips. The memory was good, not necessarily because the subject was something you were interested in, but because you got out of classes for the day – Yea! – plus, it was a break for the norm. As homeschoolers, you have the advantage of doing as many field trips as you like even, during the high school years! The opportunities are virtually endless!

Living in or near a large city, presents literally countless field trip destinations. Even if you have to drive 2 hours, make a day of it and have a blast! If you can afford it, stay overnight and make it a real event! Another great option for a high school field trip is a city tour. Major cities such as Chicago, Washington D.C., New York, Boston, Nashville and Atlanta are just a few interesting choices worth considering.

Involve your high school students when planning a field trip. If the trip involves travel, incorporate the travel planning into your curriculum. Stipulate a budget. Discuss and agree on different methods of earning money for the trip. It may take several months, or even longer, to raise the needed funds. But, the learning experience is well worth it.

There are so many field trip opportunities for high school homeschoolers. Of course, there are traditional ones such as museums, amusement parks, art centers and college campuses. Unless the places you are planning to visit are public, i.e. museums, amusement parks, national memorials, etc, be sure to call ahead to make arrangements.

Here are some general highschool field trips ideas to get the creative field trip juices flowing:

• Factory tours
• Theater trips
• Food industry tours such as bakeries, large restaurants & food manufacturing
• Highway and Transportation Department
• Automotive Manufacturers
• Race track pit pass
• Waste Management sites
• Local radio & TV stations
• Military Re-enactments
• Small businesses – you’d be surprised at what your kids can learn there &, who knows, it may even strike an entrepreneurial cord!
• Repair shops – small engine, video/camera, computer
• Places using CAD (computer aided design) – monogramers, architects, kitchen design centers
• State Parks – great to just visit, plus many offer educational tours

Another twist to field trips for the highschool aged student is theme camps. These are located all across the country and offer a wonderful extended field trip opportunity for homeschoolers. These include:

• Drama camps
• Computer camps
• Space camps
• Sports camps
• Music camps

This is just a small sampling of what is actually available. If the cost of tuition is an issue, many of these camps offer a need-based scholarship program.

One of the most important things to remember when planning a field trip for your high school homeschooler is to give them several options. The more interest they have in the destination, the more they will learn and the more enjoyable it will be for all. Share your interests with other highschool home educators and you will likely be amazed at the ideas & opportunities that open up!

A word of caution or at least consideration: if the field trip material is at a high school level, try to make alternate arrangements for the younger ones. Often times, if there are younger children, the one conducting the tour or giving the presentation will bring it down to the level of the youngest, thereby lessening the impact and enjoyment of the field trip for the highschoolers.

So….what kinds of field trips have you done with your highschooler? Enquiring minds want to know.

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This entry was posted on Monday, December 10th, 2007 at 9:31 am and is filed under Home Education. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.