Posted in Field Trips

There were a lot of great ideas this year for future field trips. We had originally planned to have one field trip a month, but I think that we may have 2 a month a couple of times just so that we can fit them all in!

• To start the year off we are going to go to our local Regional Library for a tour. For the younger kindergarten and elementary ages this is a great opportunity to get to know the library. How a library works, why we have one, where to find the juvenile books, understanding how they are categorized (the juvenile books at our library are alphabitized by the authors last name. They do not follow the Dewey decimal system at that age level so that it is easy for them to find the books they want to read) and signing up for a library card if they do not already have one. For the older children they will get a more in depth tour of the stacks and learn who invented the Dewey decimal system, why we use it and how we use it. They will also learn research skills and how to make good use of the wealth of knowledge found in the library and through inter-library loans.
• Since the weather is generally still nice in October without to many rain showers we have decided that we will organize a nature walk. One of our moms is a nature buff and is going to lead this outing. She is going to identify the different trees and shrubs that grow in our area how you can estimate how old a tree is from its rings (hopefully we will find a fallen tree so that the kids can see the rings), as well as help everyone to identify which pine cones come from which trees. If we are lucky we will be able to glimpse some wildlife while we are out there. A squirrel, some grouse or other birds, maybe a deer? For the younger children we are going to get them to collect the fallen leaves in their beautiful fall colours and take them home to make a leaf collage out of. *A great way to do this is to arrange them on a sheet of wax paper, put another sheet of wax paper on top of them once your child has decided that they are exactly how they want them, place a tea towel on top of the wax paper sandwich and then iron it with a hot iron until the wax papers fuse together. To finish it off you can fit it inside of a construction paper frame and hang it in your window.*
• October is also a good month for pumpkin hunting. Now if you do not celebrate Halloween this can still be a fun outing. We do not celebrate this occasion but we still hunt for pumpkins and then turn them into delicious pumpkin pies! YUM. Many farms in our area have large pumpkin patches that you can wander through until you find the perfect pumpkin and a few of them offer special features like hay wagon rides. The one we usually visit will pick you up in the hay wagon and haul you out to the pumpkin patch with their tractor. The kids always love this. Once there they usually have wheel barrels that you can use to load your pumpkins into once you've picked them out. I say them since it's usually to hard for everyone to decide on one and we come home with a handful : ) Then it's back onto the wagon for another ride back to the farm gates. If you don't know where to find a farm in your area that is offering this sort of thing a good place to look is in the classified ads in your local newspaper in the farm or garden produce section. You can usually find them listed there.
• Corn mazes are another fun activity to do. About an hour and a half from our home is a farm that is now part of the wildlife preserve and they still plant feed corn, pumpkins and a few other things to keep the land working. Each year they keep a section of the corn field uncut and they turn it into a huge maze or labyrinth. They hand out a map to you when you get there which you can put into your pocket to help you find your way out once you are hopelessly lost in the middle somewhere : ) Don't worry there is always lots of people there to help you out if you find yourself stuck. It is a really neat experience standing in the passageways between the 8 foot high stalks of corn. This particular maze is also open in the evening so the really adventurous group can go in the dark. They provide the flashlights and you provide your own amusement with only the stars to guide your way (oh and yes you still get the map of course).
• Grocery stores are another useful field trip. Many stores will give your group a tour of their facilities including their stock rooms in the back. The kids love to see the huge walk in freezers, fridges and where the stock boys go to fill the milk shelves. While there they get a full rundown on the food groups and where they can find them in the store as well. (If you are enrolled in a distance education program or one that requires you to complete the PLO's this will count towards that) Our local Save-On-Foods included in their tour a little goody bag for the children to take home. Inside was a story book about eating well, stickers, and as the children toured the produce section they were allowed to take an apple or a banana for the bag as well.

I've got more to come so make sure you check back : )

Blessings,

BChsMamaof3