Homeschool Field Trip Ideas – How to Make the Most of Them

Homeschool Field Trip Ideas

We all need a break sometimes in our daily lives and homeschooling life is no different! Some days are just plain hard! As with anything in life taking a step back from what is frustrating you or your kids is the best way to clear your minds and start fresh. 

Field trips are a great way to schedule those breaks in or can be an impromptu way to save the day! Making education and learning exciting is one of the biggest perks of being a homeschooling parent. 

Adding in a fun yet still educational homeschool field trip may be just what your crew needs. Whether it’s your kiddos or you (or both!) who need the break, take it!

Don’t hesitate to add in some fun and remember you are in charge of how your kiddos learn and grow. Hands on experiences are always a great way to help with both! 

Below I’ve compiled some helpful ideas on how to:

• Get great deals on homeschool related field trips
• Add trips into your unit studies 
• Make the most of each season and month with related field trips 
• Remind yourself-of some of the benefits of field trips
• Add these much need breaks into your homeschool life

Check local homeschool Facebook groups/pages for group trips and rates

You may already be partnered with a local homeschool group or co-op, with planned homeschool field trip ideas, which is great.

If however, you are just starting out homeschooling, or even if you just want some fresh ideas, there are lots of homeschool groups & pages on Facebook. 

On these pages you will most likely find a lot of local-to -you ideas for field trips, as well as some great group rate deals for places that charge admission. You may even find groups/pages devoted entirely just to local field trips & deals like homeschool special discount days. 

For instance, I have a Facebook page I found through one of my FB homeschool groups that is just focused on field trips.  I check weekly for ideas, and not only are there always groups going together on these field trips, but also recommendations for great nature hikes & reviews of local places. 

Having these pages as a resource is a nice way to expand your homeschool social network as well. Field trips are a low pressure, more casual way to meet other families who are likely feeling the same way as you wanting to connect with others. 

Theme with unit studies

Unit studies are an awesome way to add in some homeschool field trips. Having a “theme” can help when you’re not sure where to start with planning field trips into your days. 

If you have preschool or younger elementary aged kids, and say are working on a unit study on fall and apples, a trip to an orchard would be a great field trip idea. Learning about & then seeing how apples grow and picking apples can be a wonderful fall field trip. 

A meteorology based unit study can be followed up with a trip to your local science center to see & play with some hands on weather related exhibits.  

Learning about animals pairs obviously well with a field trip to the zoo. A lot of zoos offer homeschool days or classes specific to homeschoolers.

Another idea if you are studying animals, and especially if your child is interested in working with animals in the future, is contacting your local veterinarian. They will most likely offer to talk to your children and show them how they care for pets that are brought into their office. 

Historic homes, museums, local factories and so many more ideas can so seamlessly be tied into whatever your children are learning. 

Search online for whatever topic you’re studying or planning to study along with “field trips” and your city name. You’ll likely be surprised at all that comes up as results. 

I came across this great list of homeschool field trips that can help get you started with what’s available in your home state. 

Seasonal ideas

One of my favorite parts of homeschooling is the ability to lean heavy into the current season with my kids. Seasonal homeschooling is a big trend right now and for a good reason. 

It’s fun! It also breaks up the monotony of the day to day routine, especially great in winter months when you may feel trapped indoors. 

Seasonal homeschooling can also create some beautiful traditions with your homeschool life which in turn can create some beautiful memories for your kids.  Embracing the season you’re in and incorporating a homeschool field trip or two is a great way to add to these memories. 

As I mentioned above, in fall a great field trip is apple picking! If you don’t live near an apple orchard, visit a local farm to see what vegetables are in harvest, or even just a pumpkin patch will do. 

Get outside, explore, let your kids take photos of the fruits or trees or veggies. Choose one to sketch or paint or research a bit more about. Or just have some fun! Some kids learn better with just being free to enjoy the field trip.

Spring is another great time of year to get outside and explore! Visit farms in the spring, maybe the same one you visited in fall and note the difference in what is being grown. If you’re studying bees, looking up a local apiary may be a wonderful extension to learn more about the beauty & necessity of bees. 

Winter can be the time to head indoors and visit museums, science centers, take a cooking or baking class, check out local historic homes to learn more about your own community. Again, a simple search online of what’s available locally will help you realize all that is available near you. 

Monthly ideas 

Like everything these days (social media has created a monster out of this haha!) there is a theme for each month. These themes can tie nicely into your homeschool field trip ideas. 

A couple of years ago we delved deep into aviation studies in November, national aviation month. Some of what we did included learning about the Wright Brothers, Amelia Earhart, visiting a local small airport and then visiting a local park with a WWII plane that is on display. This brought it all together and really created a well rounded study. 

Check Pinterest for some ideas for monthly themes, or of course Google can come to the rescue! 

Benefits of field trips

The first and most important (to me at least!) benefit of coming up with some homeschool field trip ideas is the much needed break it brings. Getting out of your normal routine can be just what is needed at times. Here are a few other benefits I’ve found:

• Hands on learning – kids tend to remember so much more when they can experience learning. Touch, feel, see something in action – helps it all click so much better!
• A new perspective – seeing how people lived during a certain time period in person is way more impactful than just reading about it in a book. Same for how food is grown, how engines work etc.
• Individualized learning in a group setting – each child, and adult actually, will take away something different from every experience in life. A homeschool field trip is a great way to allow all your kids to connect with a shared topic but each learns something specific to them. 
• Real world experience – not sitting in a classroom all day is one of the best perks for your child of homeschooling. Adding in field trips just amps this benefit even more. Meeting & interacting with other people from all different backgrounds, observing the world around them and simply being out and about is such great experience for kids of all ages. Being in a classroom all day cannot even compare to this benefit. 
• FUN – field trips are just plain fun! When your kids are having fun, they’re likely to be learning more. Memories are being made! Having fun with your kids will also be one thing you’ll never regret!

Field trips = much needed breaks!

Have I mentioned this benefit enough, ha?!

Taking breaks is so important for your kids but also SO important for you as their homeschool parent. Get out of the house, see what you can find and make some beautiful memories.