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Yes, I also did have a tennis lesson scheduled for this morning. Did one of the other moms in our group skip practice to go to the field trip? Yes. Did another mom leave right from practice to join up for the second half of the field trip? Yes. Did she offer to even drive me there? Yes. Am I filling the rest of my day with non-mission-critical tasks like farting around in the back yard throwing the ball with the dog, doing laundry and spreading compost on the yard instead of attending said field trip? Yes.
With the bus covered, and the meals paid for by students, the only other funds needed were to have a building sub for the students that stayed behind and to cover my other classes. Our school secretary is amazing and she found a way to cover that cost for us.
In order to have a successful field trip, I highly suggest limiting who can attend the event. This year I have a group of students that consistently cause trouble in class. Their poor behavior can be a real learning block for my class at times, and with how much is going into setting up a field trip, I wanted to ensure that those attending the class outing would be those who encourage growth and learning. To be honest, their behavior completely tanks the academic environment and it has been a real pain point all year. The students that are here to learn are constantly having to deal with these students sauntering in late, making noise during FVR, and the frequent and general disruptions to our learning environment.
The positive, however, is that we had an incredibly well-behaved group go on the field trip and I was able to trust them with some extra freedom. They enjoyed being able to walk around the neighborhood during our free time for the scavenger hunt and everyone showed up at the bus when they were supposed to. We had no incidents or complaints about student behavior from the restaurant/market. This is really important and ensures an opportunity to plan a trip like this in the future.
One other logistical detail I should mention: I had some students turn in their permission slips past the deadline. I had already submitted the food orders but I decided to allow these students to attend anyway, they just had to purchase their own food once there on the day of the field trip. This worked fine as there is both a restaurant and a market where we went. So, there was enough going on at the establishment to entertain an extra guest or two. Every situation is different, so ensure you have a gauge of how many students a given venue can entertain well!
After eating, I passed out the scavenger hunt worksheets. We decided to have half the students and chaperones begin in the market and the other half begin in the neighborhood. It was important to us not to bombard either setting with a glut of students so that patrons could still shop at the market while we were there! We set a time that they would need to switch and set a time that everyone needed to meet back at the bus.
Here is why it is so important to source some extra chaperones: during the free time other students went to the Michoacn Ice Cream Shop and a nearby bakery. While yet other students stayed in the restaurant area chatting with their friends over dessert. I simply could not have done this alone! I was floored by the maturity my students showed and I think they relished the freedom the trip provided during this leftover time.
After a while, the boys at the playground found a soccer ball and headed over across the street to an empty soccer field for a quick pick-up match of the beautiful game. This was so fun to watch and I feel like they had even more fun by being able to play!
Afterward, a good amount of students regretted their choice to not attend when they saw things on social media about how much fun it was. This should create a positive incentive for class participation and prioritization of turning in work the whole year long next year, due to it being such a thoroughly positive experience for my students!
Academic field trips are university-sponsored events and must conform to the following guidelines. Note: these guidelines also apply to field trips for courses that are regularly taught outside of a classroom or at locations away from campus (e.g., field research):
No later than three business days before the event, the faculty member must submit an Academic Field Trip Submission form (below), providing complete information about the date, duration, location, and transportation plan for each academic field trip. The faculty member must also provide these same offices a roster of the names of all participating students, along with the names and cell phone numbers of all faculty or other University affiliates who are accompanying the students.
The group travel must be registered. Individual travelers do not need to register separately unless they are going ahead of time, or staying after the field trip ends. This registration should be done even if the travel is domestic, to aid in the event of an emergency in a particular city. In addition, the faculty member must identify the name, title, and cell phone number of a responsible person on campus (e.g., DUS, Asst or Assoc DUS, Dept Registrar) who has received complete information about the trip and can serve as a local contact in the event of an emergency.
UTA allows a school class one (1) complementary field trip per school year to streamline the transit experience for school classes. To request a field trip, please fill out the form below.
If you are with Salt Lake City School District or another school with a transit pass agreement, please include this information in the School name and mailing address box in the form below. Schools and school districts with transit pass agreements for students are not limited to one trip per year.
A UTA representative will contact you within three (3) business days from the completion of the Field Trip Request Form to provide you with the confirmation of the scheduled field trip and instructions. The complimentary fare will be sent to requestor via the Transit app (to learn more about Transit, click here), which allows the recipient(s) one (1) round-trip on the UTA system for the cohort, which includes students, chaperones, and teachers. One (1) complimentary field trip fare is allowed per cohort per academic year.
The complimentary fare is only valid for your class and will expire after the date of the trip. You are eligible for one field trip per class per school year. If you are unable to use the fare on the date provided, contact educ...@rideuta.com to request new fare.
Coming up with fun, educational, affordable field trip ideas can be a challenge. But field trips offer great learning experiences that promote a sense of school pride and community within the student body. Even though schools operate on tight budgets, you can get creative and keep prioritizing field trips. Here are 35 field trip ideas broken up by grade levels to maximize your field trip opportunities!
There you go! 35 field trip ideas to get the wheels on the bus turning. There are so many creative ways to engage students in hands-on learning experiences outside of the classroom. Whatever you end up doing, know that your efforts are worthwhile, and the memories will last your students a lifetime.
Middle School: Grades 6-8
- Colleges - Local colleges and junior colleges are a great opportunity to visit beautiful campuses and get guided tours of educational institutions without traveling too far. This will also inspire students to focus on their future goals and dreams.High School Performances - Work with local high schools that have performance art departments to do special showings of musicals, recitals and other performances prior to opening. They'll need the practice in front of an audience and your students will appreciate the trip off campus.Makeshift Science Camps - Many schools have had to cut budgets for things like extracurricular science camps. So bring one to your own school with a makeshift science camp in your own auditorium or field. Put out a series of different stations where students can explore important scientific discoveries and experiments for a day or over a couple of days.Wilderness Survival - Work with a local guide or company to plan a wilderness survival camp where students learn how to survive in the great outdoors. Subjects could include building shelter, purifying water, finding food and what to do in the case of a wildlife sighting.Art Expedition - Have your students design the show by having each subject create an art project that can be displayed. Dedicate a day where students rotate around the classrooms to see the inventions, presentations and creations. Bonus points if you create a way to incorporate performances by the creators to explain their inspiration and ways for students to interact with and respond to the projects.
- Food Distribution Center - Kids of all ages can chip in at a local food distribution center, such as a soup kitchen. Early high school students may enjoy packing lunches while older students will like serving and interacting with the visitors.Giving Back During the Holidays - Look for a local charity around the holidays and get involved. From helping to sort donated gifts for needy children to putting the tags on Christmas trees for Toys for Tots, there's a good amount of opportunity for people to get involved and make the holidays magical for others.Create a Charity - Students are very adept at seeing needs that adults can often miss. In fact, many students are also in need, so asking them what they think the local community needs is a learning experience for all. Have students participate in designing and launching a local charity to help make a difference.College Tour - Colleges offer so many different ways to see the campus. Find age-appropriate activities for students and plan to go. Check in with the college in advance to request a tour guide and maybe even some free swag.Trades - Students need to see many different career path options, so get in touch with a local tradesperson. Can students get a presentation from a local construction crew on how to operate those big diggers? What about talking to entrepreneurs about their journey? Or learning what the day-to-day is like at a manufacturing facility?CEO Talk Show - Call local CEOs or even parents of students and invite them to a speaking panel. Have students prepare questions for the panel and put up a microphone where students can talk and ask questions.Financial Class - Bring in or take students to a financial expert who can teach them important skills for life. Many high school students graduate without learning the basics of credit card debt. Have a financial speaker talk about wise money practices, budgeting, taxes, how to prepare for the future, credit scores and more.Laundromat - Many students don't learn the basic daily chores that life as an adult requires. Take them to a laundromat and teach them how to do their own laundry! It'll motivate them to want their own washer and dryer, for sure.Body Shop - Talk to a local body shop and see if they'll do a presentation on basic car maintenance, as well as what to do to keep a car in tip-top shape.Create a Camp - Why not have high school students design, plan and implement a camp experience for younger grades? Older grades have a lot they can share and teach younger ones and you know the saying, "The one doing the teaching is the one learning."