Planning the Homeschool Year: Field Trip Fun, Part I

It’s back to school season! While we don’t have to be on the curb at the crack of dawn or make sure our children have their lunch money, we do need to plan out our coming year of homeschooling. Let’s get started!

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Who doesn’t like a good field trip? There’s nothing quite like fresh air, a change of scenery, and a little exercise to rejuvenate your learning routine. While field trips can be a lot of fun, they can quickly turn into a frustrating mess when not planned properly.

The first step to getting out the door, is knowing where you’re going so you can plan accordingly. How does one find great locations for those nature walks you’ve dreamed of? Which local museums offer free days or homeschool discounts? Might there be more to explore than meets the eye?

Our family is always on the go, looking for new places to discover and explore. Some we’ve found completely on our own, while others have been passed on to us from family and friends. Here are a few of our favorite field trip resources:

Field Trip Guides

Field Trip Factory
Crosswalk
Homeschool Buyers Co-op
Online College

Nature Walk Guides

Storm the Castle
Bringing up Learners
Hands On As We Grow

For California Residents (like us)

The California Geotour
SoCal Pocket Memories
SoCal Field Trips

If I had it my way we’d go on one field trip a week, at least. Unfortunately, life does get a little busy, preventing us from taking as many trips as I would like. However, my goal is at least one a month, with a nature walk once a month as well.

With a little research and a dose of planning, field trips can be stress-free and tons of fun! We highly encourage changing up the routine on occasion and getting your family out the door for some ‘in the field’ training. You never know what you might discover and learn!

For additional field trip tips see ‘Getting the Most Out of Field Trips‘; a series we ran a few years ago to help with this aspect of our homeschooling routine. We humbly offer up our tips for stress-free planning, establishing a field trip routine, helps for getting out the door on time, and more!

Time to Chime In: Is there one field trip (or location) that stands out as a family favorite? Share it with us; we’d love to hear all about it!

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