Every spring, our fourth grade does a one-day field trip. The teacher who usually planned the event retired, and I was asked to take over. We’d like to visit a science-related venue this year, but I’ve never organized an event like this.
—Isaiah, Bakersfield, California
Field trips require a lot of planning and organization, but they can be wonderful opportunities for students to have experiences beyond the classroom. You can reinforce or expand on topics and stimulate student interest. It’s interesting to see how students respond to a different learning environment—standing beside a dinosaur skeleton or seeing the ocean for the first time.
What learning goals do you have for the trip? That will help you determine an appropriate science-related destination such as a museum, zoo, aquarium, nature center, or park. If possible, contact your former colleague; she may still have an archive of resources. Ask other teachers who were involved for any input or insights and enlist their assistance. In an era of tight budgets, decide with your colleagues on how far to travel, keeping in mind you could stay close to home and still provide a worthwhile experience.

Ask your principal about school district guidelines for field trips (including templates for permissions slips or release forms) and if you need formal permission from the school board. If so, you’ll need many details ironed-out in advance. Find out if you’re limited to the normal school hours, or if you can leave earlier or return later for a longer experience. Is there a preferred transportation company? Discuss a tentative budget for the trip. Who will pay the transportation costs and entry fees? If individual students are responsible, is there a fund for students who cannot afford the costs? If students on the trip require medications, how should that be handled? Work with the principal to select a date that does not conflict with other events. Determine a contingency plan for inclement weather. If students do remain behind, who will supervise them? What will they do?
After you determine the purpose of your trip and your time frame, visit some possibilities or talk to others who have been there. Is the site appropriate for your grade level? What group facilities are available: meeting rooms, lunch facilities, restrooms, bus parking, handicapped accessibility? Check out the venue’s website or talk to the education coordinator. Do you need to make a reservation? What are their requirements for the group, in terms of adult to student ratio or student attire? They may have resources for student activities or docents/guides to assist your group.
Prepare your students (and parents) for the trip. In addition to the details on the permission slip, provide a handout detailing the location, purpose of the trip, and suggestions for what students need (e.g., lunch, attire for safety and comfort) and what kind of “stuff” students are allowed to bring (e.g., electronics, reading material, cell phones, cameras). Include photos if possible to help generate excitement.
You may need to recruit additional chaperones, especially for a crowded venue such as a zoo or museum. If parents volunteer, do they need to provide clearances or background checks? If possible, have a meeting prior to the trip to go over your expectations and the chaperones’ responsibilities.
In some school groups, the students wear the same color shirt, a school jacket or hat, or a colorful lanyard to identify them. Give chaperones packets with student groups, the names of students in each group, a brief description of the planned activities, your cell phone number and those of other chaperones, and maps showing the location of bus pickup, restrooms, and lunch. Instruct them to count students often, especially before leaving a site. Consider asking one teacher to be a roving chaperone with the student information forms, on call to assist a group that is having problems (my former principal often took on this role). He or she could also take pictures of students doing various activities on the trip.

The logistics will take a lot of effort, but don’t overlook the purpose of the trip: What activities will help students meet the learning goals? Some venues provide guides with planned tours, and their websites may have suggested activities for groups on their own. One common activity is a “scavenger hunt” in which students find specific items. But I’ve seen students racing through a venue just to check off things they see, so any activity should be focused on your learning goals. Perhaps pairs or groups of students could come up with their own questions to explore on their visit. Students could take sketchbooks or notebooks to record their findings, index cards to make their own “postcards,” cameras (if allowed), or pages of a class scrapbook to work on.

After the trip, debrief with the students on the activities they did and continue with any follow-up. Have the students send thank-you notes to the chaperones. Send a note to the venue with feedback from the students and chaperones.  Display photographs and student quotes on your bulletin board. Annotate your notes with ideas for next year.
Many times when I see former students, they comment on the field trips we took. Whether the experience was a half-day at a nearby park or a three-day oceanography trip, their memories made it worth the effort.
Examples of guidelines and resources:

• Museum of Science (Boston)
• Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
• Natural History Museum of Los Angeles
• Exploratorium (San Francisco)
• Saint Louis Zoo
• Audubon Aquarium of the Americas (New Orleans)
• National Park Service