Planning the Homeschool Year: Field Trip Fun, Part II

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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I can’t tell you how frustrating it is to spend countless hours planning awesome field trips only to arrive at our destination missing particular necessities, like shoes on my kids’ feet. (Yes, it’s actually happened.) To prevent myself from stressing, walking out the door without essentials, and/or having to stop and grab something last-minute, it helps to have a field trip checklist!

While our field trip checklist changes depending on each particular location’s needs, we always have a basic list upon which to build:

Field Trip Checklist

The Night Before…
Fill the gas tank
Withdraw cash from bank (if needed)
Enter address into GPS (if needed)
Freeze several water bottles
Pack Backpack with…
Field Trip Field Guides*
Tickets for the Event (if needed)
Scavenger Hunt List or Activity Sheets for Event
Hand Sanitizer
Gum
Sunscreen
Light Sweater (I’m always cold.)
Peppermint Oil

Morning of…
Pack Snacks and/or Lunch Bag
Place frozen water bottles in backpack.
Place both backpack and lunch bag in-car.
Check to make sure kids have: sweaters and shoes
Have everyone take restroom breaks.
Double check locks on house.
Pray over our drive and field trip.
Have fun!

*Our Field Trip Field Guides are new this year, and something special I worked on over the summer. We’ll be sharing more on this later in the week!

You’ll note I didn’t place a camera on my checklist. Why? Because my camera and I are inseparable! If you don’t have said relationship with your camera, adding one to your field trip checklist is probably a good idea.

To read more about getting the most out of field trips, please click on the picture above.

One final thought. While I am packing for the field trip specifically, I also like to prepare for the drive itself. I tend to have water bottles handy, snacks at the ready, and encourage my kids to pack a few items to keep themselves occupied, such as books. For longer drives, my kids are advised to bring pillows as well. They might not need them on the drive to, but the drive home from a field trip is always more pleasant with a pillow. A great field trip ‘play list’ for the iPod might also be fun!

With proper planning and organization, field trips days can be tons of fun and easy on the nerves. Having a checklist means there is less for me to forget, and less worry on my mind. Plus, with a checklist, other people can help out! No more asking me what is needed or waiting for my instructions. We work together, get the job done, and enjoy our day.

Have I mentioned I love checklists?

🔔Time to Chime In: What the funniest/craziest thing you’ve ever taken on a field trip?

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