Planning Successful Field Trips

by Barbara Kaiser and Judy Sklar Rasminsky

Why go on field trips? They break the routine that makes the children feel secure at the day care centre and they're extra work to organize. Are they worth it? Are the children actually getting something out of them or are they created just to please the parents?

A good day care field trip broadens children's horizons -- it shows them a new bit of the world or a familiar bit in a new way. It makes subjects more concrete and deepens children's understanding of them -- a group of four-year-olds who are learning about transportation will understand it much better if they take a train ride, for example. And, a good field trip is lots of fun!

A day care lucky enough to be situated beside a large park with a greenhouse, library, swimming pool, arena and well-equipped playground may have less impetus to venture into the outside world than an isolated rural centre or a day care surrounded by sidewalks and tall buildings. Fortunately, children in every sort of day care centre can profit from the variety of experiences that well-planned outings provide. Good field trips teach children that there's a wonderful world to explore out there and that, at least on some level, it belongs to them.

Where should your day care go on its trips? The multiplicity of your possible destinations, your curriculum, the ages of your children, your financial resources and the location of your day care -- all of these factors play a role in your choices.

Some destinations -- like viewing department store Christmas windows -- are more appropriate for family visits; others -- like that perennial favorite, apple-picking -- are thoroughly covered by the local primary schools. But there are plenty of excursions to enjoy with day care friends. Robbie may not care much for bugs but when Paul becomes ecstatic about them on a day care visit to the insectarium, everyone including Robbie will catch his enthusiasm.

A field trip should enrich the centre's curriculum, although occasionally something unconnected to any day care theme, like a giant Lego exhibit, will appear out of the blue. Do take the opportunity to give everyone a good time.

The destination itself will determine who should go. A journey to the pumpkin patch is fun for anyone who can carry a pumpkin; a museum exhibit of Christmas trees from around the world -- which is clearly labeled "Do not touch" -- is better for the older children. Even 18-month-olds can enjoy the fire station if they go in a small, well-supervised group. That way the firefighters can give them some individual attention and they will be much safer if the fire bell rings and everyone has to be out of the way in two seconds flat.

A trip doesn't have to be costly to be worthwhile. For example, the teddy bear clinic at the children's hospital, the dental clinic, the post office and the fire station all willingly open their doors to day care centres without charge.

Children under five often ride for free on public transport, so if you're near a bus or metro, you'll keep your costs down and reach lots of places besides. As a bonus, the children will learn about using public transportation -- a real treat in areas where children habitually travel by car. Of course, if you need to hire a school bus to leave the centre, then your budget will restrict the number of excursions you can take.

Don't worry if there aren't many appropriate places to visit that are close to your centre. There is no point in going someplace just for the sake of going -- it is possible to provide a marvelous program without leaving your own back yard.

Although the supervisor's role in organizing field trips is often unappreciated, it is crucial. If the children are going to have a good time, the excursion must be well planned. Here are some tips for making your day care's outings special.

• Maintain a file of all field trips, past and future, with as much information as possible -- fliers, maps, observations and evaluations if you've been there, suggestions for preparation and follow- up. Add to your file whenever you have a brainstorm, read an article in the newspaper or hear about a destination that the children might enjoy. Keep your eyes open for special events and work them into your calendar.

• Involve your staff in the planning of trips. Field trip days often require staff to arrive early or forgo their lunch hours, and if the trip is their idea, they may be more willing to do whatever is necessary.

• If a new trip is suggested, do some research or delegate the task to the educator who came up with the idea. Because she'll have ownership of the project, she'll probably do a fabulous job.

Begin with a phone call to gauge which ages will benefit and to find out exactly what the children will see and do. Ask about cost, guided tours, food and drink, toilet facilities, picnic areas, resting places and how long a visit is likely to last. Inquire about emergency arrangements and the name and location of the nearest hospital. Request brochures, maps and ideas for activities geared to children if they're available.

Don't forget to get precise directions. How many buses or metros will you have to take? Where do you change? How long is the trip? Will you need to schedule a school bus, arrange for a van or ask parents to drive? What is the best route? Where will you park? How much will parking cost? While you're on the phone, find out if other day care centres have been there recently. Then call them and benefit from their experience!

• Carry out a recognizance mission without the children. (Again, a well-trusted staff member might do this job.) Then you'll have fresh, first-hand knowledge about the length and difficulty of the journey, the suitability of the exhibits and tours for the children, and the safety of the whole set-up.

Be warned, however, that scouting expeditions and phone calls to other supervisors don't guarantee perfection. It's always possible that a new, unsafe merry-go-round has been installed in a beloved playground or that its bathrooms have been closed for renovations.

• As you consider your educators' requests, look at the day care's budget, any overlap in destination, transportation requirements and whether the day care can provide a good enough staff/child ratio. Because the children are entering an unfamiliar, unchildproofed space populated by strangers, good staff/child ratios are vital, although your needs will vary from trip to trip. The fire station requires an extremely good adult-to-child ratio. But in the pumpkin patch, where trained animators preside over an environment designed for young children, a normal ratio is sufficient.

When you're figuring out your ratio requirements, don't count parents. They aren't trained (they probably don't know first aid, for example), and they don't have the necessary skills to deal with groups of young children. To make up the necessary complement of qualified adults, you may have to hire a substitute or two, ask a part-timer to stay a few extra hours or make the trip yourself.

Bear in mind that too many adults can be a disaster. In the aquarium or biodome, where there will be lots of reading and lots of questions, it is useful to have one adult for every four children. But where there are gifted guides, lots of adults translate into too many tall people that the children can't see over. And, you may not be able to squeeze everyone into the bus.

• Meet with your educators to finalize the list of trips for each group. Decide on the mode of transport, which age groups should go and whether a lunch or snack will be required. Figure out the time of departure and return. Then make your bookings. Because some places fill up early, you must reserve well in advance to get your choice of day and time. Book transportation, too.

• Expect your educators to write up objectives for each trip plus lesson plans for activities that will precede and follow it. Make sure they also include an evaluation of the trip itself.

• Create a master permission slip form to use for all your trips. The top portion should consist of a letter describing the outing, explaining how it enhances the day care's program, and indicating the destination, type of transportation, time the child should be at the centre, equipment the child must bring (e.g., sun hat, non-perishable lunch), and approximate time of return. Use the bottom of the page as a detachable permission slip so that parents can give their consent and still keep the information.

• Leave a space for parents to indicate whether their child is likely to suffer from allergies on this trip. If the whole centre is going on the expedition, worried parents can choose to go with you or arrange for the child to stay home.

• Leave another spot for parents to declare whether they'll be joining you. Children feel good when their parents participate and being involved offers parents a chance to appreciate the hard work of the educators and to meet their children's friends. But most parents don't really know how to help you and they feel uncomfortable when their own children act unpredictably, as they sometimes do when their parents are around. Parents will be more useful and have more fun if they know exactly what the group is doing and what their responsibilities will be. To avoid misunderstandings, prepare a short handout that describes the centre's expectations. It should say whether parents are responsible for their own child on the trip, whether you want them to help with one or two additional children, and who is responsible for their child if he/she misbehaves. These choices belong to the supervisor.

• Distribute the permission forms about a week before the trip. At the same time give the educators class lists to keep track of which parents have returned their forms. You should never take a child on a field trip without the parent's signed consent.

• Draw up a list of field trip dos and don'ts to give to new staff at the beginning of the year, and go over it with the whole staff before the first trip. Be sure to include the following:
  • Pinneys (identifying vests) or name tags labeled with the day care's (not the child's) name, address and phone number are a must.
  • Each teacher should be in charge of a small group of children and each child should know which adult he/she is with.
  • Each child should have a partner.
  • When the children are walking, there should always be one teacher in front, one in the middle and one at the end of the line.
  • The teachers should count the children after every transition.
  • Children should stand against the wall in the metro station.
  • Children should get the teacher's permission to go to the bathroom and never go alone.
  • Each educator should carry a complete, transportable first aid kit and know where the nearest hospital is located.
  • One educator from each group should have her/his own group's medicare numbers, special medical information and parents' phone numbers.
  • If you have an EpiPen (epinephrine in an automatic emergency injection form) for any child at the centre, be sure to bring it along; and bring any other medication required by any child.
  • Pack sunscreen and extra clothes and don't forget Kleenex, money and bus tickets.

Remind the staff that field trips are very task-intensive and not a time for them to be talking to each other. Tactfully let them know that they are role models who must not smoke, drink sodas or hot drinks, or eat candy and chocolate in the presence of the children.

But don't make too many rules. As one experienced tripper puts it, "The goal is to find the right balance between safety and fun."

• Should you go on the trip? Some directors enjoy field trips; others prefer to man the ship back at the centre. When the staff is new, it is important for the supervisor to go along to model behavior, provide guidance and ensure that the educators are taking the necessary precautions.

At a certain point, of course, you must have confidence in your staff and let them go without you. For their first solo effort, choose a trip that uses a school bus and has few potential hazards.

Appoint a lieutenant to be responsible in your absence. It should be someone whom you trust to stay cool in an emergency and who could abandon his/her own group to take charge of the entire day care if necessary. Provide your surrogate with emergency money (taxi fare to send a child and teacher back to the centre or the hospital), money for entrance fees and the list of all of the children on the trip with their medicare numbers and home phone numbers. Of course you are in charge when you are present, but remember that you are ultimately responsible for everything that happens, whether you're there or not.

Before departure, help the educators organize bathroom visits for the children, snacks, pinneys or whatever is required. Remind the staff to take a minute to reassess the situation when they arrive on the site (especially if this is their first look at the place!) and to have a short circle, even if they had one before they left. Reminding the children of the rules, talking about why they're there, and singing a few songs calms everyone down and gets the visit off to a good start.

When the groups return, everyone will be tired. Clear your agenda so that you can give your staff a short break by replacing them on the floor (those on the late shift will need it most) or assist with any children who need some extra TLC.

• At the next staff meeting, set aside a few minutes to evaluate the trip. Make a form suitable for any outing or take notes as you discuss whether the trip met its goals, whether the children had a good time and whether the parents who went along had fun. What worked and what didn't? How could the trip be improved? Would they repeat it? How successful were the pre- and post- activities? Write up your notes and put them into the field trip file for next time.

Barbara Kaiser is the founder and director of Narnia Daycare Centre in Westmount, Quebec. She and writer Judy Sklar Rasminsky are co-authors of The Daycare Handbook: A Parents' Guide to Finding and Keeping Quality Daycare in Canada.

This article first appeared in Interaction published by the Canadian Child Care Federation, Spring, 1995.

Posted by: the Canadian Child Care Federation, September 1996.

---