Happy Summer!
We all know that the first few weeks of summer are great and then - well, let's face it, things can get boring. The trick is to do some exploring. How about arranging your own field trip or series of field trips and taking along some friends?
Use the following outline to organize your tour:
 Choose Your Topic and Your Destination
First, consider what interests you. Are you the artistic type? Then you might
consider organizing tours around your favorite artistic style such as watercolor,
abstract or sculpture. Some destinations include a local museum, library, artist workshop or Park District program. If you're the type who wants to know how things are built, perhaps you want to organize a trip to the local hardware store.
Don't forget all the online destinations available as well.
Organize Your Field Trip Around a Project
To make your field trip more fun, organize it around a virtual project. For instance, the artistic type might create a gallery or a coffee table book showing the highlights of your field trip. Consider inviting your family to an opening of your gallery or a presentation of your book.
The builder might choose to design a tree house, dog house, puppet theater, skate board ramp, etc. After you have completed your design, list of required supplies and budget, you might approach a willing adult to help you actually construct the project.
Schedule Your Field Trip
First, determine all the real and virtual locations you will visit. You may choose one location or an assortment. For instance, the field trip schedule for our artistic friends might include:
If your schedule includes a store, contact the owner or manager ahead of time and tell them of your plans. This includes the date and time you will be arriving, the number of people who will be with you and the activities you have planned. It would be good to assure them that you and your friends will not be disruptive. A thank you card after your visit would be a nice touch as well.
If you have a clear idea of what you would like to see, they may offer some help. At the least, they won't look at you funny while you're exploring.
Document and Promote Your Field Trip
Produce a flyer promoting your field trip to your friends. Tell them what to expect and why it will be fun.
 Create a scrap book with various sections such as:
Checklist of how you organized the field trip and any ideas of
what you would do different next time
Materials produced including the promotional flyer, photos, etc Your thoughts including what you knew prior to the field trip, what you learned and what you found most fun Comments from your friends
Enjoy Yourself
Exploring subjects in which your are interested should be fun. Share your fun with others by showing off your final project and your scrap book. Enjoy yourself and have a great summer!
Carol Timms
Tell us what you think.
Student Web Poll Results
How do you learn? |
49.8% Seeing
8.7% Hearing
41.4% Doing |
654 total votes cast.
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