kids entering a bus for going on a field trip
I may forget what I have learned,
I may forget what I have read but
What I experience stays with me for the longest time.

Teaching and learning styles have gone through generations of changes. If we look back and think of the best practices across the globe, there have been few things that have been an indispensable and impressive part of the learning curve. One of them is the field trips. It is not a new fad at all but has been around since the Vedic times in our culture. Even then the students had been out of the four walls of an institution to make a connection with the world outside to learn the required skills and knowledge. Everything they learned was by doing and in the natural environment, whether it was archery to learn self-defense, asking for alms to stay humble, gathering food and woods from the forest for everyday survival and the list continues.

In today’s time, field trips are way different as time and needs have changed dramatically. Yet the tradition continues. We often hear schools organizing a visit to a factory, museum, a geological area, grocery store, etc. A field trip or an excursion is a journey of an individual or group of people away from their normal environment. Out of the classroom and into the world is an attempt to learn through experiencing and experimenting, it bridges the gap between reading and reality. Instead of thinking about how things may be, to see them as they regulate the imagination by reality.

We are in our last leg of the year and holidays are about to begin. It is one of the best times of the year for adults and children alike. It’s the time of the year where we break from mundane routine and indulge in traveling, meeting family and friends, pursuing indoor and outdoor sports and doing all that our heart desires. So, how about making the best use of these experiences? Let's get to know some benefits of field trips by school.

Below are some simple steps that can enrich an excursion and make it into a field trip-

1. Disclose the place of visit with great enthusiasm to your children

Disclose the place of visit with great enthusiasm to your children
Children always pick up the energy levels of the surrounding to make the process of deciding a holiday location a fun activity too. You could give them options by making them pick up chits. This gives them ownership of the choice they have made and gets them more invested. Let them feel it’s their choice to visit the place.

2. Indulge in a little “preparation activity”

Indulge in a little preparation activity before you reach the place. If it’s a visit to a museum, make them figure out the timings, travel time, entry fee, mode of transport, weather conditions, etc. Always prepare and condition their mind for the visit.

3. Be engaged when you reach.

It’s a great idea to have a guide, camera, scribbling pads or audio devices that can have recorded information about the place. All these things help to build and retain knowledge. Have open-ended discussions. Indulge in questioning, this will help them clarify and satisfy their curiosity and gain maximum information.

4. Do a little follow up activity

This may include questionnaires, writing a short description of the process they have seen or making anecdotes of their learning. Illustrating what they liked can also be an assessment tool to understand how much they have learned out of the field trip. There are many interesting ways to assess depending upon the interest of the child.

so, next time you’re into an ice cream parlour or your favourite Starbucks store don’t forget to make it into a field trip for your young one. Children love to inquire as to learn is their innate nature. All we have to do is to create an environment that encourages and supports that learning. The rest will fall into place.

May their holidays be filled with field trips and engaging moments so that their classroom lessons are just reflections of those experiences!!

Contributed by- Jigisha Gathani
- Sr. Kg. Uno HRT
JBCN International School, Parel