Safe and Fun Field Trip Ideas for Your Kids

The school year is quickly approaching and we can expect it to be unlike any other. With many students having class completely virtual or doing a mix of online and in-person schooling, families are finding it challenging to keep their children focused and entertained.

One way to prepare for your task at-hand is to plan some fun field trips for your little learners! Mixing up their school day with a field trip can lessen feelings of cabin fever and keep your kids active both physically and mentally while learning at home.

Check out these great ideas for field trips your kiddo can take online, in the backyard and at safe locations.

Virtual Fieldtrips

A field trip is a great way to bring to life what your little scholar is learning in class. It’s one thing to read about dinosaurs, but it’s something else to see a real fossil from thousands of years ago in a museum! While it might not exactly feel like the real thing, many museums and attractions are offering free virtual tours that are perfect for your child to explore and learn. The best part? These tours are being offered from some of the most renown institutions across the world!

Here are some free, interactive tours your learner can do right from your dining room table:

1. Van Gough Museum (Opens in a new tab): Travel to Amsterdam to learn about Vincent Van Gough and see some of his most storied works of art.

2. Dino Day Out (Opens in a new tab): Join Miss. Catie’s virtual class and tour a dinosaur exhibit in The Canadian Museum of Nature! Miss. Catie offers lots of fun, quick virtual field trips and classes online, too.

3. M&Ms Factory Tour (Opens in a new tab): Does your kiddo have a sweet tooth? Then they’ll love an exclusive, start-to-finish tour of how their favorite candy is made. Bonus points if you treat your kiddo to a pack of M&Ms for being a good listener during the tour.

4. Son Doong 360 (Opens in a new tab): Take a trip to Vietnam to explore the largest cave in the world: With a 360-degree view, live sounds of nature and the ability to pick your course, it'll start to feel like the real thing. Plus, you can go at your own pace, allowing your child to take their time reading the facts about each section and pick which spot was their favorite!

5. International Space Station (Opens in a new tab): Take your child’s creativity to new heights with free tours of real-life spacecrafts, provided by NASA!

6. Nature Lab (Opens in a new tab): Does a cold or rainy day have your little learner stuck inside all day? No worries! They can explore nature from the comfort of your home. From learning about food and carbon to the role of soil, these free, educational resources will give your kiddo a new appreciation for the environment.

There are plenty of options online that’ll take your kid to places and experiences they’ve never seen before. Just make sure they’re staying safe online and check in often with them while they’re exploring.

Backyard Field Trips

Sometimes the perfect adventure is just outside your backdoor! Spending a day or a half day outside in your backyard is a fun, interactive way to change things up and keep your kids energized to discover and grow. We have the tips you need to transform your backyard to a field trip experience they won't forget!

Here are some backyard field trip ideas:

1. Grow a garden. Create a home garden or expand a section of it specifically for your kid. With your help, children of all ages can learn how to plant, grow and maintain flowers, vegetables or whatever they desire. This is great hands-on learning experience that’ll help them in the classroom as they learn about life cycles and biology — and they’ll grow some small green thumbs!

2. Outdoor art project. Save your countertops by taking art projects to the backyard! Whether it be Drop! Splat! Painting (Opens in a new tab) or Swing Painting (Opens in a new tab), they’ll love the chance to let their creativity soar — and you’ll love not having to worry about a huge mess. However, we advise you save this field trip to be scheduled right before bath time!

3. Backyard obstacle course. Kids will especially miss gym class this year and let’s face it — they’ll need to get some built-up energy out. Transform your backyard to be the obstacle course of their dreams (Opens in a new tab) with common items found around your house like hula-hoops and pool noodles. Pro tip: Get the whole family involved — winner gets to decide what’s for dinner!

4. Science Day. Take your yard from grass to science class! There are plenty of easy and safe science experiments your little scholar will love! Whether it’s watching an ice volcano (Opens in a new tab) erupt, creating a sundial (Opens in a new tab)or crafting their own anemometer (Opens in a new tab), they’ll discover just how cool science can be.

Safe Field Trip Destinations

Cabin fever can be too much at times, and your kids will need an adventure outside your home. Lucky for you, there are many ways to get your kid out of the house for a field trip while keeping them safe. Here are some safe places to take learning out of the house:

1. Go on a hike. After your kid spends hours staring at a screen all day to learn, they’ll need a break! Hiking is a great way to keep everyone active, learn about wildlife and disconnect from technology. Just make sure to pack a mask, snacks and plenty of water before you go!

2 Have a picnic. A picnic is a great way to enjoy some fresh air and some quality time together. Plus, they can help you every step of the way — preparing the meal, getting the supplies you need, picking out the picnic spot and packing fun games to play after your tasty meal! This could be the start to a special tradition with your little one (or big one!).

3. Go birdwatching. You might have a birdfeeder at home, but you’ll likely see a variety of birds in more remote areas. Have your binoculars and bird book ready to travel to a remote place and count how many different birds you discover!

4. Take a drive. Who doesn’t love a good road trip? Let them pick their favorite songs and drive to places they’ve never seen before! If the ride starts to get long, play fun road trip games like “I Spy” or “The Alphabet Game” to keep them focused.

Whatever you decide to do, make sure it makes sense for you and your kids. Creating fun memories for your little can help change how they look back at 2020 as the year they got to spend some extra special time with you.

Was this article helpful? Check-out our back-to-school hub for more resources to help prepare your family for the school year ahead.