social emotional learning field trips

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Virtual Field Trip

Bringing sel to life: skills for the classroom and beyond.

Through the eyes of their peers, we will introduce students to the key pillars of emotional intelligence: self-awareness, self-management, responsible decision-making, social awareness, relationship skills. Student viewers will meet other real-life students who share a pledge called "Words to Live By." Viewers will follow these students throughout their day as they explain and model how the words of the pledge help them better understand themselves, control their actions, strengthen their relationships, and use their wings to soar! 

#soarwithwingsvft

Extend the learning of the Virtual Field Trip with these student activities packed with ready-to-go, standards-aligned learning activities for you and your class before, during, and after the excursion.

Virtual Field Trip Parent Companion Guide

This companion guide is designed to help students begin to self-reflect and connect with family members during and after viewing the Virtual Field Trip. It is designed to extend learning as your family begins to apply the social and emotional concepts in the Words to Live By to your lives.

Virtual Field Trip Educator Companion Guide

The pre-field trip activity in this companion guide is designed to help K-2 students begin to self-reflect and connect with their peers before the Virtual Field Trip. A quick activity is provided to focus students’ attention during the Virtual Field Trip, and the follow-up activity is designed to extend learning as students apply the Words to Live By pledge and its concepts to their own lives.

During this activity students will describe qualities that make them unique, explain the social and emotional concepts presented during the Virtual Field Trip and apply the concepts of Words to Live By to their own daily lives.

Strengthen your students' social and emotional skills with these ready-to-go, standards-aligned digital lesson bundles.

Strengthen your own wings with professional learning. Find out the whys and hows of teaching social and emotional skills in the classroom.

Why Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)?

Social emotional learning programs can improve the overall climate and can prevent or reduce violent behavior, including bullying.

Bosaki, S., Marini, Z., & Dane, A., 2006.

• Our Mission

The Absolute Awesomeness of Field Trips

I am writing this post from the mountains of northern Thailand, ten days into a four-week adventure with my seven-year-old son and husband. This is the first serious travel we've done with our son -- the first time in a country where we don't speak the language, don't have family, and don't understand many of the customs. Pre-child, I was a traveler.

I'd really like to slow down a little and surrender to a day at the pool -- and visit fewer temples and markets. These concessions, however, are unequivocally worth it. It's worth it to see my son experience a very different culture and learn about himself through this carefully planned field trip.

And that's what's loud on my mind these days: field trips! The awesome unique power of field tripping! Being a mother has made the perpetual teacher brain even harder to turn off. I can't stop thinking about how to maximize the learning opportunities everywhere. Prior to our trip, at the end of the school year, my son did a report on Thailand. Then, on the airplane, (I'm embarrassed to admit this) I made my son list everything he wanted to learn about Thailand. Yes, we are making a K-W-L .

And then, after several days of touring Buddhist temples and observing monks, I was spontaneously compelled to make a Venn Diagram and we compared Buddhism to our own religious tradition.

In the Field

Experiencing the Venn Diagram in this setting was absolutely thrilling because what happened was that my son found many more similarities than differences. Beautiful! I'd never seen the Venn Diagram as a tool for building world peace. Sure, we could have done this in a classroom, but to do it here and to learn in this way, I know the impact will be long lasting and have a unique impact.

So maybe we can't take our students across the world, but life-changing field trips can be done within our own cities and states. Last year, Lorena, a student I taught 15 years ago, contacted me through Facebook. She was in her final year of college and plans to be a teacher. She was in the third grade class that I took on a three-day trip to Yosemite National Park in the middle of winter. It was a magical trip and many of my students in Oakland, CA, had never seen snow. Lorena wrote, "You changed our lives with that trip. It's what made me want to be a teacher, to be able to give that same gift to other kids."

As a teacher, I sought all opportunities to get my students out of their familiar surroundings and into different neighborhoods, cities, and natural environments. We also did the usual museum trips and science center stuff, but I loved the trips which pushed them into unfamiliar territory.

Nudging them out of their comfort zones taught them about others as well as themselves. It helped them see the expansiveness of our world and perhaps inspired them to think about what might be available to them out there. Many of my students (all low-income, from deeply urban neighborhoods) had never left our city. I had many second graders who'd never seen the ocean, a 30-minute drive away.

So much happens on field trips: the learning is social, emotional, and academic. One year, my sixth-grade partner teacher and I took our 45 students to the Grand Canyon for almost a week. The academic content was connected to the science standards (landforms, erosion, etc.), and they learned a whole lot. But the social and emotional learning -- the bonding and connecting that happened on that trip -- was invaluable and definitely not something we could have replicated within the confines of the classroom.

Planning Ahead

Summer is a fantastic time for teachers to plan field trips. There are many opportunities that are free for schools if you sign up early enough. For the trips I did to Yosemite and the Grand Canyon, we raised thousands of dollars and easily got donations. But start asking early!

Planning field trips in the summer is also a fun way to start thinking through curriculum and connecting the classroom learning to real experiences. And trips don't have to be all entertainment. Field trips that engage students in experiential learning are also powerful; they become fieldwork.

Today, we're off to feed and bathe elephants a a sanctuary for abused elephants . It was founded and is run by a tiny Thai woman who we've been reading about. She's almost single-handedly saving thousands of elephants in Thailand. When we return to our hotel, my son will add to his long list of "What I Learned" on the K-W-L.

What do you see as the impact of field trips? What are favorite field trips you've taken kids on? When planning field trips, what tips do you have for teachers? Please share your thoughts and ideas!

• Introduction
• Wellbeing and Its Importance in Schools
• What frameworks exist to promote school wellbeing?
• What is the best approach for my school/district?
• Valuable Tools and Consideration
• Your Call to Action
• Student Wellbeing Interventions
• Positive Emotion
• Three Good Things
• Counting Blessings
• Envisioning Your Best Possible Self
• Understanding Humor
• Three Funny Things
• Outdoor Learning
• Bringing the Outside In
• Bibliotherapy
• Recognizing and Utilizing Personal Strengths
• ARCS Model of Curiosity
• Carousel Brainstorming
• Genius Hour
• Perspective Taking and Role-Play
• Arts Integration
• Drawing and Coloring Therapy

Culturally-Enriching and Arts-Based Field Trips

• Culturally Responsive Practices
• Social Belonging Intervention
• Emotional Self-Regulation: RULER method
• Modeling Emotional Self-Regulation Skills
• Teacher Praise
• Relationships
• Modeling Love, Kindness and Forgiveness
• Active Constructive Responding
• Dialogue Journals
• Secret Strengths Spotting
• Peer Praise Notes
• Acts of Kindness
• Volunteering
• Fast Friends
• Buddy Bench
• Educating Students about Benefit Appraisals
• Gratitude Letters
• Savoring Strategies
• Taking in the Good (HEAL)
• Mental Time Travel
• Brief Mindfulness Activities
• Mindful Bell
• Mindful Breathing
• Body Scan Relaxation
• Mindful Walking/Movement
• Five Senses Mindfulness
• Mindful Photography
• Mindful Self-Compassion
• Accomplishment
• Future Thinking & When/Where Plans
• G-POWER Goal Setting
• Embedded Self-Regulation Strategies
• Growth Mindset
• Grit and Deliberate Practice
• Developing Students' Resilience and Coping Skills
• Health and Vitality
• Healthy Sleep Habits
• Classroom Physical Activity
• Creative Playground Equipment
• Healthy Body Image Intervention
• Student-Led Health Program
• Interventions for School Employee Wellbeing
• School-Led Interventions for Teachers and Staff
• School Leadership Teams
• Professional Learning Communities
• Peer Mentoring and Coaching
• Supporting Teacher Autonomy
• Mindfulness Training
• Compassion Training
• Humor Training
• Incentivizing Physical Exercise
• Individual Interventions for School Employees
• Positive and Reflective Journaling
• Self-Regulation and Coping Strategies
• Self-Affirmation
• Self Compassion Letter
• Discovering and Utilizing Character Strengths
• Job Crafting
• Mindfulness
• Additional Interventions to Consider
• Dedicated Wellbeing Spaces
• Individual Wellbeing Plans for School Employees
• Comprehensive Wellbeing Programs
• Other Resources
• Additional Wellbeing Frameworks
• Five Ways to Wellbeing
• Wellbeing Conceptual Framework (Huppert & So)
• Flourish Model
• Suggestions for Further Research
• Websites and Networks
• Scholarly Articles
• Translations

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Intervention Overview

In recent years, there has been a dramatic decline in the amount of students attending enrichment field trips to museums, zoos, historical sites, and arts venues (McCord and Ellerson, 2009 as cited in Watson et al., 2019). Some argue that this decline is occurring because organizing and funding these trips can be burdensome for teachers and school leaders and take from in-classroom learning time (Greene et al., 2014). Additionally, some of these learning-based field trips have been exchanged for more “fun”, rewards-based trips for students, such as attending sporting events, amusement parks, and movie theaters (Greene et al., 2014). However, recent research suggests that there are many benefits to student learning and wellbeing that come through visiting museums and attending live theater and musical performances. Watson and colleagues (2019) argue that these culturally enriching field trips increase students' tolerance, social perspective taking, critical thinking and historical empathy. In addition, arts-based field trips can improve classroom engagement and behavior (Erickson et al., 2019). 

As you plan a cultural field trip for your classroom or school, we encourage you to reach out to local museums, universities, and arts venues to determine the fees that may be associated with your visit. Many of these organizations may offer free or discounted experiences for students. In a review of arts museums throughout the United States, Randi Korn and associates (2018) found that 51 percent of museums never charge a fee for school groups, and only 14 percent always require a fee. Some museums are also willing to help cover transportation costs (Randi Korn and Associates, 2018).

Intervention Guide

Does it work.

A few recent studies have assessed the social, emotional and cognitive benefits of culturally-enriching and arts-based field trips. In 2014, Greene and colleagues measured the effects of a local art museum tour on students’ critical thinking skills, historical empathy, and tolerance. Surveys were administered to over 10,000 students at 123 schools in Northwest Arkansas who had participated in a free school tour at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Students were also asked to complete a short essay about a work of art they had learned about on the tour. Students who attended the tour displayed higher level critical thinking skills, as evidenced by the observations and details included in their essays, as compared to the control group. Additionally, students who attended the tour reported higher levels of tolerance and historical empathy than those who did not attend. The increase in tolerance and historical empathy was most significant among students from rural and underprivileged areas of the state, and among students from minority populations (Greene et al., 2014).

Watson and colleagues (2019) also evaluated the impact of arts-based field trips on critical thinking, tolerance and social perspective taking, but instead included a live theater performance and symphony performance in addition to an art museum field trip. Social perspective taking was defined as the ability to understand that “people view the world in different ways” (Watson et al., 2019, p. 5.). For this study, fourth and fifth grade students in an urban area were randomly assigned to attend three arts-based field trips (art museum, live theater, symphony performance) or a control group which did not attend any of the field trips. Students’ answers to post-intervention surveys indicate some improvements in the tolerance and social perspective taking of students who attended all three field trips. In addition, the level of conscientiousness of female students was increased, as evidenced by more careful and thoughtful responses to survey questions (Watson et al., 2019). In a separate report of the same study, Erickson and colleagues (2019) assessed the impact of arts-based field trips on student engagement in school. Engagement was assessed by a reduction in behavioral infractions, and a survey, in which students reported their response to the statement “School is boring” from “disagree a lot” to “agree a lot” (Erickson et al., 2019, p. 15). It was found that students who attended the field trips reported more enjoyment of school and had fewer behavioral infractions following the field trips (Erickson et al., 2019).

References:

Erickson, H. H., Greene, J., Watson, A., & Beck, M. I. (2019). Does Art Make You Smart? A Longitudinal Experiment of the Effects of Multiple Arts- Focused Field Trips. Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/edrepub/88

Greene, J. P., Kisida, B., & Bowen, D. H. (2014). The educational value of field trips. Education Next, 14 (1). http://erl.lib.byu.edu/login/?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/educational-value-field-trips/docview/1471028763/se-2  

Randi Korn & Associates (2018). Survey of Single-visit K-12 Art Museum Programs . Unpublished manuscript, National Art Education Association, Reston, VA. https://arteducators-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/170/4b932a73-ee3e-4c14-9a4f-8855246c093a.pdf?1451956052  

Watson, A., Green, J., Erickson, H.H. & Beck.M. (2019). Altered attitudes and actions: Social-emotional effects of multiple arts field trips. University of Arkansas: EDRE Working Paper. https://scholar.google.com/citations?view_op=view_citation&hl=en&user=jC6f_o8AAAAJ&alert_preview_top_rm=2&citation_for_view=jC6f_o8AAAAJ:zYLM7Y9cAGgC user=jC6f_o8AAAAJ&alert_preview_top_rm=2&citation_for_view=jC6f_o8AAAAJ:zYLM7Y9cAGgC

This content is provided to you freely by BYU Open Learning Network.

Access it online or download it at https://open.byu.edu/addressing_wellbeing/culturally_enriching .

• About this Book
• Introduction
• Cooperative Learning
• Culturally Responsive Teaching

Field Trips

• Flipped Classrooms
• Internships
• Math Manipulatives
• Outdoor Education
• Special Education Inclusion
• Study Abroad
• Translations

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A field trip is an experiential learning opportunity in which students leave the traditional classroom setting to learn within their community. During field trips, K–12 students can participate in a wide variety of experiences to expand upon their current knowledge and to apply what they learn in school. Behrendt and Franklin (2014) pointed out that field trips cannot be replicated within the confines of a classroom; rather, they are experiences that occur within a natural and relevant context. By participating in these trips, teachers enable their students to use their knowledge in real-life settings. There are many different kinds of field trips that vary based on the subject matter being taught. They range from art museums to nature reserves and include both virtual trips and in-person excursions. No matter the location, students are invited to connect with the class content in a personal way (Behrendt & Franklin, 2014). Overall, field trips are a student-centered approach in which students put their learning into action outside the classroom.

Student-Centered Approach

A student-centered approach is just as it says: it is centered around the students rather than centered on the teacher giving instruction (Pearce & Lee, 2021). Field trips embody being student-centered by giving students more autonomy in their learning. As Pattacini (2018) said, “A student-centered learning and teaching approach implies greater involvement of students… They are given many opportunities to voice their opinions and share their experience. Throughout the module, the students are adopting different roles…” (Rethinking Student Roles section). In contrast to the traditional teaching style of lecturing in the classroom, field trips provide a plethora of opportunities for students that they otherwise could not have. Pearce and Lee (2021) stated that field trips "allow students to discover different learning environments, provide enrichment opportunities, and respite from the daily school routine” (Field Trips section). By implementing this student-centered approach, field trips provide countless positive outcomes for students that go beyond just academic success.

The objective of field trips is to provide a variety of opportunities for students to grow both academically and affectively. The benefits extend beyond the traditional classroom setting and have been linked to increased engagement and motivation in school, higher test scores, enhancement of critical thinking skills, and better understanding and retention of content. Not only do field trips provide academic benefits, but they also promote affective learning, such as historical and cultural appreciation. In addition to developing cultural awareness, field trips can magnify students’ emotional well-being and foster positive attitudes towards their communities.

Academic Outcomes

Field trips have been used as an educational tool for many years to provide students with hands-on learning experiences outside of the classroom. As a result, student engagement in learning has increased. In a study by Florick et al. (2021), several groups of fourth and fifth grade students were invited to visit the Woodruff Arts Center and their art partners in Atlanta, Georgia. The purpose of this study was to examine the benefits of multiple field trips as compared to only one field trip throughout the school year. To conduct this study, some groups of students were selected to participate in several field trips while other groups of students attended only one field trip. The results of this study showed that those who participated in multiple field trips were more engaged in learning and had a better attitude towards school, as they demonstrated fewer absences and behavioral violations (Florick et al., 2021).

Furthermore, field trips can improve academic achievement, such as test scores. In the same study mentioned above by Florick et al. (2021), after attending either one or multiple field trips, both groups of students were administered their end-of-year exams, and it showed that the students who participated in multiple field trips scored higher on their exams than those who attended only one field trip (Florick et al., 2021). Whitesell (2016) also analyzed the effects of field trips on middle school students’ standardized test scores in science and found that students who went on a museum field trip scored higher on their science achievement test than those who did not attend a field trip. These studies suggest that field trips can have a positive impact on academic engagement and achievement.

In addition to increased student engagement, field trips can enhance critical thinking skills and improve retention of details. A study conducted by Greene et al. (2014) explored the outcomes of field trips by inviting groups of local K–12 students to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas. After each museum tour, students were given surveys to assess their art knowledge and critical thinking. The survey results illustrated that students who participated in the art museum tours were better able to recall details about the paintings they saw. Additionally, these students also demonstrated higher levels of critical thinking skills when they were shown unfamiliar paintings and were able to analyze and discuss these new paintings. Furthermore, Das (2021) shared findings from a study that asked K–12 students to gauge whether field trips increased their knowledge following their participation in a virtual field trip. The findings showed that as students engaged in virtual field trips, they had a better understanding of the content being taught in the classroom (Das, 2021). Field trips bring the curriculum from the classroom to life and teach students how to apply it to their lives.

Affective Outcomes

The benefits of field trips are not only limited to academic achievement, but they also expand to positive affective outcomes, such as social and emotional benefits.

Field trips provide an opportunity for students to build social connections and learn in a collaborative environment. According to Greene et.al (2014), K–12 students who participated in the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art tours learned about various artworks and demonstrated higher levels of historical tolerance and cultural empathy. In other words, they learned how to understand and appreciate others’ perspectives on history and culture. Moreover, the same study found that field trips can promote a sense of belonging, particularly for students from disadvantaged backgrounds who may have limited opportunities to engage in extracurricular activities (Greene et al., 2014). By attending field trips, these students were able to connect with other students and their communities at a much deeper level.

Not only do field trips yield social benefits, but they also provide a much-needed break from the structured and sometimes stressful environment of the classroom, offering students a chance to connect with their emotions and develop positive associations with learning. In a study conducted by Heras et al. (2020), a group of 11- and 12-year-old students in Spain participated in a nature-based field trip and were asked about their perceptions of field trips and nature-based activities following the field trip. These students were chosen because they attended a school program focused on raising environmental awareness and helping their students appreciate the natural and cultural heritage of their community. Based on student responses, the researchers concluded that nature-based field trips can significantly impact students’ emotional well-being. The students reported feeling relaxed, happy, and more connected to nature after their field trip; they also recalled positive memories from their trip.

Similarly, Musselman (2020) described how elementary students found a sense of wonder and curiosity while exploring scientific topics in their community. During a field trip, students had hands-on experience learning about the effects of wind and water on landforms and how sea barriers prevent coastline erosion. As a result, students gained firsthand understanding of the relationship between humans and nature, as well as an opportunity to make a positive impact in the world. Field trips can enhance the overall learning experience and contribute to students’ holistic development.

While many recognize the importance of student-centered field trips, there are several obstacles that hinder teachers and school administrators from providing field trip opportunities including cost, logistics, and content preparation. Depending on the trip, the cost can be a key deterrent. Many schools are already on tight budgets, so adding expensive trips can be difficult. Even if the actual event is free, the price of transportation can cause educators to avoid planning trips altogether (Clarke-Vivier & Lee, 2018). These kinds of cost analysis decisions require both teacher and administrator approval. Some school districts simply may not have access to events due to these issues of cost and extra transportation. Based on the location of the school, some may not have many field trip options available to them (Behrendt & Franklin, 2014). There may not be events or venues close by that offer the desired educational content. In addition, surveyed teachers named logistical planning as another obstacle to their success for these academic excursions (Clarke-Vivier & Lee, 2018). Teachers must coordinate with the field trip facility, organize transportation, and establish student safety measures. Some described the time put into planning field trips as “lost time” because they had to organize large groups and chaperones, which took away from time teaching the course content (Behrendt & Franklin, 2014). In order to be successful in planning field trips, teachers need to find a trip that is applicable to their course content and then prepare students for the experiences that they will have. They may plan pre-trip or post-trip activities that require time away from the required curriculum for the school year. When considering the major benefits of field trip experiences, it is important to note this extra effort from the teachers to both carry out the experience and ensure the students are sufficiently prepared.

As educators continue to actively involve field trips in their teaching, students will experience a higher quality education and educators will experience better classroom results. Beyond the classroom, students also experience social and emotional benefits when they have the opportunity to participate in field trips. While teachers do not have complete control over making a field trip happen, they can submit requests and proposals to the powers that do decide. It is also important that these significant benefits are clearly communicated to the people who do make the decisions (administrators and school boards). Overall, student-centered learning through field trips has many positive outcomes for students that far outweigh any challenges they provide and can be implemented in the classroom in a variety of ways. Nature-based, arts-based, or even virtual field trips will all provide the positive outcomes that teachers are looking for as they work to provide a quality education for their students.

Behrendt, M., & Franklin, T. (2014). A review of research on school field trips and their value in education. International Journal of Environmental & Science Education, 9 (3), 235–245. https://doi.org/10.12973/ijese.2014.213a

Clarke-Vivier, S., & Lee, J. C. (2018). Because life doesn’t just happen in a classroom: Elementary and middle school teacher perspectives on the benefits of, and obstacles to, out-of-school learning. Issues in Teacher Education , 27 (3), 55–72.

Das, A. (2021, November 9-11). Virtual field trips and impact on learning [Conference presentation]. Innovate Learning Summit 2021, Online, 85–89. https://www.learntechlib.org/p/220274/

Florick, L., Greene, J. P., Levenberg, R., & Pogue, R. (2021). The benefits of multiple arts based field trips. Phi Delta Kappan, 102 (8), 26–29.

Greene, J. P., Kisida, B., & Bowen, D. H. (2014). The educational value of field trips. Education Next, 14 (1), 78–86.

Heras, R., Medir, R. M., & Salazar, O. (2020). Children’s perceptions on the benefits of school nature field trips. Education , 48 (4), 379–391.

Musselman, S. (2020). Connecting with community. Science and Children, 58 (1), 43–47.

Pattacini, L. (2018). Experiential learning: The field study trip, a student-centered curriculum. Compass: Journal of Learning and Teaching , 11 (2). https://doi.org/10.21100/compass.v11i2.815

Pearce, M. K., & Lee, T. (2021). Comparing teaching methods in an environmental education field trip program. Journal of Interdisciplinary Teacher Leadership, 5 (1). https://doi.org/10.46767/kfp.2016-0037

Whitesell, E. R. (2016). A day at the museum: The impact of field trips on middle school science achievement. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 53 (7), 1036–1054. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21322

This content is provided to you freely by EdTech Books.

Access it online or download it at https://edtechbooks.org/student_centered/field_trips .

Field Trips

Field trips - social / emotional learning.

Parents, teachers, principals, and administrators - are you looking for program providers that can help you meet Social Emotional Learning standards while meeting the spending needs of AB86?  Look no further than our qualified staff at PRPD.  Throught the Healing Trauma Through Nature initiative, funded through the North Valley Community Foundation, we are proud to provide resilience-based workshops, field trips, and adventure programming (kayaking, hiking, ropes courses, and more) that will help your students experience standards-based curriculum.  Our Recreation Supervisor can create a custom field trip or after school program for your students.

Below is a glimpse at the programming options included in our Field Trip services. Please, ask questions and make suggestions on curriculum integration into your LCAP or site specific goals. 

Paradise Lake – Picnic Side, Directions

Paradise Lake – Boat Launch Side, Directions

Bille Park, Directions

Lil Falls Trail in Magalia, Directions

Lake Oroville Dam Trail, Directions

Table Mountain Trail, Directions

Upper Bidwell Park, Directions

Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve, Directions

The Forebay Aquatic Center, Directions

Activities and Curriculum  - highlighted items link to lesson plans/examples

• Photography(digital cameras provided) 
• Drone Flying - licensed pilot present
• Teambuilding Activities 
• Nature Journaling
• Traditional Survival Techniques – Bow Drills, searching and finding water, nutrition in the wild, finding a safe place during the night 
• Preparing a meal in the wild
• RC Cars/Monster Trucks ( Only at Bille Park)
• Hiking on moderate incline and decline ( Only at Lil Falls Trail in Magalia and Lake Oroville Dam Trail) 
• Rock Climbing and Rappelling ( Only at Upper Bidwell Park)
• Binocular based Bird Watching and identification ( Only at Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve)
• Fire Wise Curriculum ( Only at Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve)
• On the Water Recreation ( Only at Paradise Lake - Boat Launch Side and The Forebay Aquatic Center)
• Sailing( Only at The Forebay Aquatic Center)
• Rowing ( Only at The Forebay Aquatic Center)
• Kayaking ( Only at Paradise Lake - Boat Launch Side and The Forebay Aquatic Center)

Commonly requested themes and social emotional curriculum include:

• Self Care(Planning Ahead)  
• Perseverance
• The Art of the First Impression (eye contact, hand shake, posture, language)
• Fun with a Purpose
• Sensory Tuning aka: Investing Attention vs PAYING Attention
• The Art of Conversation (Active Listening Skills)
• Kindness, Connection to land

Already booked a field trip or excursion? Below are several download friendly files such as the Field Trip Prep(what to expect) document, the Activity Registration Waiver, and the Forest Therapy Waiver for both adults and children . 

Terrain Park Digital Waiver Link

Youth Camps

Want to keep your kiddos active this Summer? Check out our camps!

Youth  Classes

Youth Classes are a great way to experience all the great benefits of recreation on the Ridge. 

Friends in the Field Program

The Friends in the Field, or FIF program, was recently funded through the North Valley Regional Center to increase the outdoor education opportunities…

Summer 2024 PRPD Activity Guide

Welcome to the Paradise Recreation and Park District's Summer 2024 Activity Guide!

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Ongoing Compliance Information

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Leverage Virtual Field Trips to Engage Students in Authentic Learning Experiences

Explore how to leverage virtual field trips to engage students in authentic learning experiences.

Field trips have long been a tradition in education. They are an excellent way to engage students in real-world learning experiences that cannot be replicated in the traditional classroom setting. These real-world experiences provide a powerful and authentic way to help students make connections and find relevance in their learning.

We know that the greater their real-world experiences, the easier it is for students to make connections to new learning. This is essential to developing understanding. For example, it is easier to comprehend the concepts related to animal habitats and their physical characteristics when we have observed a wide range of animals in their replicated habitats, such as on a tour of the South American rainforest exhibits at the local zoo. We also know that relevance is key to engaging students in their new learning. When students find the learning interesting and worthwhile, they are more likely to stay engaged and motivated to persevere as they work to develop their understanding. When the learning experiences are from the real world, it is easier for students to see how their new learning relates to the world around them. Field trips can provide this relevancy. For example, when students visit a local medical engineering company, they can better appreciate how science, math, and the engineering design process positively impact people. They literally see it in action.

As important as these experiences are for learning, planning traditional field trips takes considerable effort. There is a lot of logistical planning in order to coordinate chaperones, permission slips, and bussing. There are also geographic and time constraints, which limit our opportunities. By the time our students arrive at school and we bus them to a field trip destination, they are left with a limited window to explore and discover before we need to return to school in time for them to catch their bus home. This investment of teacher time, bussing costs, and lost learning time due to travel usually means that students often only experience field trips on a very limited basis, if at all.

Fortunately, because of increased access to technology and the expansion of interactive resources online, the opportunities for students to experience field trips has become both more feasible and wide ranging. We can now more conveniently facilitate these experiences within our classrooms via virtual field trips. With virtual field trips, there are no geographic limitations, minimal teacher logistics, and decreased loss of student learning time due to travel, and many times, there is no cost. As a result of reducing these traditional field-trip barriers, we can now provide students with multiple opportunities to meaningfully experience the world around them. For example, in one day, students can tour NASA’s Commercial Crew Program , investigate the exhibits at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History , explore the Pyramids of Giza , appreciate the art at the Louvre , take a live virtual tour of Amazon’s fulfilment center , and even travel back in time to Colonial Williamsburg . The opportunities for real-world experiences via virtual field trips are exciting and literally at our students’ fingertips!

Along with removing barriers, virtual field trips also offer additional benefits.

• Equity: Virtual field trips can help mitigate the inequities that often result from economic limitations of families and schools who cannot provide students these otherwise valuable, but expensive, learning experiences.
• Social and Emotional Learning: Because students can have multiple and varied experiences, they can gain greater and broader perspectives about the people, places, and things in the world around them. This broader perspective can help foster greater social and emotional learning skills, such as empathy.
• Access: Students who have a passion for the topic can revisit most of these virtual field trips as often as they want and extend their learning beyond the time constraints of the classroom.
• Differentiation: With traditional field trips, chaperones need to ensure that students don’t become lost, so they typically direct students through the exhibits in a group. With virtual field trips, it’s okay for students to lose themselves a bit as they navigate, wander, and explore the virtual experience. Students can be given more control over the pacing and path in their learning, which is very empowering, and thus, very motivating.
• Career Exposure: During field trips, such as at the zoo or a medical company, students are also exposed to career opportunities that they may not otherwise have considered. These experiences may spark their interest and passion to continue learning in order to achieve newly identified career goals. The more exposure that students have to various career options, the better they will be at determining which career and postsecondary path is best suited for them.
• Teacher Workload: Teachers can also regain valuable time and reduce workload. Rather than doing repeated headcounts and using precious time recruiting chaperones, we can better leverage our time to design learning experiences and support our students as they actively engage in their virtual field trips.

Locating Virtual Field Trips and Preparing for the Experience

Identify your purpose.

It’s important to be intentional in our planning for virtual field trips so that they are meaningful learning experiences. To ensure your field trip has purpose and value, you will need to first identify the learning objectives that are aligned to your standards and consider how a virtual field trip can support the intended outcomes. The virtual field trip could be used as a spark activity at the start of a new unit, it could be integrated within a unit to weave authentic experiences into the learning, or it could be used at the end of a unit as a culminating activity.

Locate Virtual Field Trips

The next step is to locate a field trip that aligns to your learning objectives. You can do a web search to locate a virtual field trip or use one of these curated lists that provide resources ranging from art to culture, history, science, zoos, national parks, and more.

• The Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration (CILC) offers free learning programs for students of all ages every weekday at 1:00 pm ET. These virtual programs are typically 45 to 50 minutes and provide opportunities to “visit” museums, national parks, zoos, aquariums, and science centers.
• A service by the New South Wales Department of Education, DART Connections “allows teachers, parents and students to find incredible Live , By Request , or On Demand learning experiences offered by museums, galleries, research institutes, scientists, writers, athletes, artists, musicians, zoos and many more.”
• Nepris “connects educators and learners with a network of industry professionals, virtually, bringing real-world relevance and career exposure to all students.”
• Google Arts & Culture “features content from over 2000 leading museums and archives” from around the world.
• The Ultimate Guide to Virtual Museum Resources, E-Learning and Online Collections (Museum Computer Network)
• The 75 Best Virtual Museum Tours Around the World [Art, History, Science, and Technology (Upgraded Points)
• Virtual Field Trips and 25 Virtual Field Trips for Your Classroom (Ditch That Textbook)
• 25+ Amazing Educational Virtual Field Trips (WeAreTeachers)
• Virtual Field Trip Apps and Websites (Common Sense Education)
• Explore.org provides access to hundreds of live cams and films from around the world. They also offer educators free access to lesson plans and resources.
• If your budget allows, you can purchase Google Cardboard virtual-reality viewers to use with iPhones or iPads. These will provide students with a more immersive experience and are advertised as being simple, fun, and affordable.
• You can locate and use appropriate videos from YouTube’s Virtual Reality channel and also use Cardboard apps
• Teachers are also crowdsourcing and sharing collections. For example, see this Virtual Field Trips Wakelet by Candy Tech Ideas.

Select Virtual Field Trips

When selecting a field trip, consider how interactive the experience is designed. Some field trips are designed for a more passive experience, while some are much more interactive. Just like with traditional field trips, the more interactive the experience, the more that students will engage.

Some virtual field trips are completely asynchronous, and others provide opportunities for live synchronous tours with a real tour guide. Having a live guide restricts you to specific dates and times when they are available, but it makes the experience more engaging and enriching when students have someone who can guide them and answer their questions. The asynchronous trips allow you complete flexibility, but you may need to build in opportunities that support students’ questions as they explore.

Prepare for the Virtual Field-Trip Experience

It is also important that you explore the “destination” ahead of time. As you explore, you will be able to identify and locate the key artifacts, resources, and experiences that you want to be sure the students investigate. Based on this exploration, you can then design activities to support student learning before, during, and after their virtual field trip.

You will also want to consider the technology requirements and test them to ensure that they work as expected within your classroom environment. For example, are any of the key links being filtered by district firewalls? And don’t forget to consider the time differences if it is a live event. You can use the Time Zone Converter from Time and Date AS to make sure that you know when the virtual field trip will occur in your area.

Design an Engaging Experience

Based on what the virtual field trip offers, you will need to design learning activities that help focus and engage your students during the experience. These activities should detail the learning outcomes and tasks. What specifically do you want students to observe and document to demonstrate their learning?

As you design the virtual field-trip experience, also consider how you can empower your students. The amount of voice and choice, as well as the degree of control over the pace and path of their experience, will be determined by the age of your students and their experience with virtual field trips. Offering some degree of student control can be empowering and motivating.

During their initial experiences, you will want to provide students with more guidance, structure, and scaffolding. However, as they gain experience, skills, and confidence, it will be important to release more of the responsibility and the control over to the students. You can empower them by letting them: generate the questions to be answered during their explorations; determine how they will explore, wander, and navigate the experience; select with whom they will partner during the journey; and decide how they will process and demonstrate what they learned. The more student-centered that you can make the experience, the more that they will be intrinsically motivated to engage in the learning.

Maintain a Growth Mindset

Maintaining a growth mindset is also key as you prepare. For your first experience with virtual field trips, keep it low stakes. Use it as an opportunity to experience and experiment in order to learn how it works. You can let students know that it’s the first time you are doing this. It is an excellent and authentic opportunity to model that we all learn by trying. Let them know that you prepared well and are hoping for the best, but that it’s okay if things don’t work out exactly as expected. It is good to remind them that new learning is sometimes messy and that you will try again based on what you learn from this first experience.

Preparing Students for the Virtual Field Trip

Before the virtual field trip, it’s important that students know the purpose and outcomes for the experience. They should know why they are visiting the destination selected.

Spark Their Interest

Rather than telling students what they should learn, you can generate excitement, pique their interest, and spark their curiosity by encouraging them to generate the questions that will drive their virtual field-trip exploration. The manner in which you spark your students’ curiosity will be driven by your learning objectives as well as by your own creativity and passion for your subject. Some common sparks include sharing a statement, quote, picture, video, comic, political cartoon, experiment, object, artifact, joke, music, map, primary document, or story.

New learning is built upon the connections we make to our previous knowledge or experiences, so the “spark” should also activate their prior knowledge as well as be something that is intriguing and thought provoking. The goal is to connect their virtual field-trip experience with their current knowledge and experiences as well what they are learning in class. For more details and ideas for how to spark student curiosity, see the AVID Open Access article, Spark Curiosity and Ask Questions for Inquiry Learning: Step 1 of the Searching for ANSWERS Inquiry Process .

Leverage the KWL Strategy

The highly effective KWL strategy is often used to help students close the gap between what they already know (K) and what they wonder or want to know (W). Learning (L) is what occurs as they gain understanding, knowledge, and skills while answering the questions related to their wonderings.

• K now: You can first guide them through identifying what they already know (K) by using this Ask Questions template or Starburst Star from the ANSWERS Inquiry Process . These templates can help guide students through the process of activating their prior knowledge and connecting what they know to the upcoming virtual field trip.
• W onder or W ant to know: In the process of identifying what they already know, students will be better able to recognize things that are not familiar. This gap of knowledge can spark their curiosity and lead to questions about what they wonder or want to know (W). The Question Formulation Technique (QFT) from the Right Question Institute is an excellent strategy to guide students in generating their own questions. In the process of identifying what they wonder, you will also get an idea of their current level of understanding and possible misconceptions they might have about the topic that you can address prior to their virtual field-trip experience.
• L earned: Students can then use these questions as they investigate and search for answers during their virtual field trip. This process of finding answers that closes the gap between what they already know (K) and what they wonder or want to know (W) is what will help them develop their new learning (L).

Introduce New Vocabulary

Before the trip, it can also be helpful to introduce any new vocabulary or remind them to use digital tools such as Dictionary.com , Vocabulary.com , or Visuwords.com to help them define new words that they may encounter during their experience.

Provide an Overview or Orientation

Before their virtual field trip, you may also want to demonstrate and model for your students how to explore and navigate the experience. However, it’s important not to over-guide your students or over-direct their experience. If you do, they will then become more passive participants in the experience. It is far more motivating to release greater control of the experience to your students and empower them to explore, wander, and make their own discoveries.

Engaging Students During the Virtual Field Trip

The best way to engage your students is to encourage them to explore the destination to its fullest and to empower them as much as possible during the experience. Allow them to navigate, wander, and explore unguided as much as possible. Empower students by giving them some voice, choice, and control in their experience. As the teacher, your role should be to serve as the facilitator of their experience.

Strategies to Engage Students

It is essential to design the virtual field trip so that students are sure to experience the key resources and information. It is also important that they have a means in which to document their learning and the answers they discover. For example, you can design scavenger hunts and leverage a jigsaw approach to engage students during the field trip.

• Scavenger Hunts: You can gamify the experience by having students earn badges as they locate and document key information, resources, or artifacts. They can take screenshots that serve as selfies in front of the artifacts to document their findings. They could then post these selfies in a collaborative slideshow, an LMS discussion, or a PicCollage .
• Jigsaw: You can have students work in groups to divide and conquer the exploration. They can each be tasked with specific questions to find answers and document their findings using digital tools such as Flip ( Tips ), Padlet ( Tips ), or an LMS discussion board. After finding the answers, they can then report back to their group to share their findings.

Strategies for Students to Process and Document Their Learning

As students explore the virtual field trip, they should both process and document the information that they are learning. The following digital tools can help them capture this documentation as well as process their new learning.

• Mind Maps: Show connections between ideas by using mind mapping tools like MindMeister , Mindomo ( Tips ), Bubbl.us , Creately , Diagrams.net , Canva , MindMup , or Coggle .
• Graphic Organizers: Organize the information using the draw features in Microsoft OneNote , Google Drawings ( Tips ), Google Slides , or Microsoft PowerPoint .
• Sketchnotes: Combine handwriting and drawings by using tools such as Sketchboard , Explain Everything , Drawing Pad , Google Jamboard ( Tips ), or Autodesk SketchBook .
• Audio Notes: Record notes by using the audio recording tools in Google Docs , Microsoft OneNote , or an online tool like Online Voice Recorder .
• Annotated Screenshots: As students find artifacts and resources, they can take screenshots, and then annotate them using a variety of annotation tools, such as Nimbus Screenshot ( Tips ) or Awesome Screenshot for Google Chrome, Windows Snipping Tool or Snip & Sketch for Windows, or Annotate Image for Mac.
• Annotated Website: Students can also annotate and take notes directly on many websites using various Google Chrome extensions, like Hypothesis , Sticky Notes , Page Marker , Scrible Toolbar , or InsertLearning ( Tips ).

Helping Students Demonstrate and Reflect on Their Learning

After the virtual field-trip experience, students should be expected to demonstrate what they learned from engaging in the experience as well as how they learned.

Demonstrate What They Learned

Students should create something that allows us to see what they learned. This evidence of learning can be used to share and celebrate their learning as well as to provide them feedback on their learning. It is also another opportunity for them to make connections between what they knew prior to the field trip and what they know now as a result of engaging in the experience. The following are some digital products and tools that students can use to demonstrate the learning that they gained from the virtual field-trip experience.

• Possible products: collage, timeline, poster, infographic, slideshow, and meme
• Possible tools: PicCollage , Canva , Smore , or Google Drawings ( Tips )
• For more products and tools, see the AVID Open Access article, Picture This: The Power of Images in Student Creation .
• Possible products: audiobook, interview, song, speech, and podcast
• Possible tools: Online Voice Recorder , TwistedWave , Audacity , or Soundtrap ( Tips )
• For more tools, see the AVID Open Access article, Hear It, Say It, Play It: The Power of Audio in Student Creation .
• Possible products: screencast, newscast, documentary, and advertisement
• Possible tools: Loom ( Tips ), Screencastify , Vimeo , or Explain Everything
• For more ideas, see the AVID Open Access article, Imagine, Record, Create: The Power of Video in Student Creation .
• Papers or news articles: Microsoft Word or Google Docs
• Websites: Google Sites ( Tips ), Weebly , or Wix
• Comics: StoryJumper , MakeBeliefsComix , Storyboard That , or Pixton
• Books: Book Creator ( Tips ), Flipsnack , or StoryJumper
• Online discussions: learning management system (LMS) discussions or Parlay
• For more ideas, see the AVID Open Access article, Think It, Write It: Creative Writing Across the Curriculum .
• Possible products: animated story, animated concept, and animated GIF
• Possible tools: ChatterPix Kids , Blabberize , Stop Motion Studio , Clipchamp ( Tips ), Powtoon , Animoto , Animaker , or Scratch
• For more ideas, see the AVID Open Access article, Enter the Magical World of Animation .

Reflect on How They Learned

It is also essential that students take time to reflect on how they learned. Taking time to do this reflection will help them develop their metacognition skills. The following questions, sentence stems, and digital tools can be used by students to support their reflections.

• What did you discover that surprised you the most?
• What new questions do you now have?
• What strategies did you leverage that worked well for you?
• How have your knowledge and skills grown?
• What are your next steps to continue developing your skills and knowledge?
• Something unexpected that I discovered was _____.
• During this process, I have become better at _____.
• The next time that I do something like this, I will be sure to _____.
• I used to think _____. Now, I think _____.
• Journal Reflections: Have students write in personal journals using tools such as Google Docs , Microsoft Word , Microsoft OneNote , or Seesaw .
• Blog Reflections: Have students journal in blogs, where readers can respond to posts, making it a more authentic way for students to receive feedback from others. Blog options include Blogger , Google Sites ( Tips ), Weebly , or Wix .
• Exit-Ticket Reflections: Gather student reflections at the end of each day or at the end of each step in the process by using survey tools like Google Forms , Microsoft Forms , or SurveyMonkey .
• Whip-Around Reflections: Have each student take turns sharing their reflection response in a tool like Padlet ( Tips ), Flip ( Tips ), Miro , Wakelet , or LMS discussion boards.
• Breakout-Room Reflections: Have students share their reflection responses with partners or in small groups during videoconference breakout sessions.
• For more ideas that foster student reflection, see the AVID Open Access article collection, Facilitate Effective Student Reflection During Remote Learning .

Creating Your Own Virtual Field Trips

You may find that it works better to design your own virtual field trip in order to best align it to your learning objectives. You may also find that after students experience multiple virtual field trips, they are inspired and motivated to design their own virtual field trips or tours, as a way to demonstrate their learning.

You and your students can take the virtual field-trip experience up to the next level by designing your own virtual field trips using the digital strategies and tools below.

• Create projects and record virtual tours with Google Earth .
• Create a virtual tour “app” using Google Slides or Microsoft PowerPoint.
• Create an interactive image that can serve as a tour, using ThingLink or Google Drawings .
• Design 360-degree tours using Tour Creator .
• Create a virtual field trip in ClassFlow .
• Create a virtual field trip in Edpuzzle .

Virtual field trips are a powerful way to engage students in more authentic learning experiences. However, just like traditional field trips, virtual field trips should not be stand-alone experiences. Rather, they should be weaved into future learning. One way that we can accomplish this is to be intentional about continuously referencing back to the field trip experiences when relevant to other learning activities.

Ultimately, virtual field trips are a way to enrich students’ learning and provide them with access to experiences that they may not ever be able to have in person. In a sense, technology gives them a magic carpet to ride to not just anywhere in the world, but many places outside of it, too—like the Moon , Mars , the solar system , and into the stars beyond !

Extend Your Learning

• Virtual Field Trips (Ditch That Textbook)
• Virtual Field Trips: Benefits and Resources for Schools (EBSCO)
• Virtual Field Trips (Scholastic)
• Take a Museum Field Trip—Without Leaving Your Classroom! (Education World)

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21st-Century Social-Emotional Learning Lesson Plans [Examples & Tools]

In a hyper-connected world, having well-developed social-emotional skills are more critical than ever. Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is a form of emotional intelligence that helps kids improve their relationship skills, become more aware of others' emotions, and learn to manage their own emotions. That's why educators are being more intentional about incorporating social-emotional learning lesson plans into their curriculum. 

Thankfully, educators have access to a wide variety of tech tools for teachers that can make social-emotional learning in the classroom easier. For example, virtual reality can turn a stale lecture into an immersive experience. A digital makerspace can allow students to be more hands-on with their learning. The metaverse can produce real-life interactions with other students from around the world. 

A lot has been written about the role of social-emotional learning in school, and what it means for our children's future. But it can be hard to understand how this fits into the broader context of education. What is social-emotional learning? Why is it so important? And how does social-emotional learning relate to 21st century skills ?

This post will address these questions and offer some examples of social-emotional learning lesson plans to provide teachers with additional resources. We'll also touch on how Kai XR 's virtual field trips and digital makerspace are the perfect way to supplement social-emotional learning lesson plans! 

Keep reading! 

What is Social-Emotional Learning & Why Is It Important? 

There has been some debate on the definition and purpose of social-emotional learning. Some people think it's all about helping students learn to "complete tasks" and "follow directions." Others argue that it gives students a safe place to process complex feelings. And still, others wonder if SEL is just about "coping strategies for increased stress management."

According to the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) , SEL is defined as "the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy toward others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions." 

CASEL has developed a framework for educators to utilize when teaching social-emotional learning lessons. The framework fosters knowledge, skills, and attitudes across five social and emotional competence areas. It also establishes equitable learning environments across four key settings that support social, emotional and academic development. 

These four environments include: 

• Families & Caregivers
• Communities

It's these four environments that are responsible for developing the following fives areas of social and emotional competence: 

• Self-awareness - Self-aware students understand their own emotions and can name feelings. They also understand how their feelings affect other people.
• Self-management - Self-managing students use strategies to control their behaviors and impulses. They can handle difficult situations without getting overwhelmed or upset.
• Responsible decision-making - Students who can make caring and constructive choices about personal behavior and social interactions across various situations. They consider ethical standards and safety. 
• Relationship skills - Students with strong relationship skills can communicate clearly with others, cooperate with them and resolve conflicts peacefully.
• Social awareness - Students who are socially aware understand the perspectives of others and how their actions affect others. They know how to work cooperatively with others toward common goals.

So why are these areas of competency so important? But first, let's take a closer look at the benefits of social-emotional learning! 

Benefits of Social-Emotional Learning 

We spend a lot of time training students to be successful academic learners. However, society often neglects the importance of developing social and emotional skills in our students. These skills include making positive decisions, building positive relationships with others, communicating effectively, and resolving conflicts.

Social-emotional learning (SEL) can benefit children greatly, especially as they move into their teen years and adulthood. SEL addresses a social skills gap in education. The gap arises when behavioral and academic needs of the youth fall further behind their emotional needs. As a result, they are not getting the social skills taught in class or at home. This can make it difficult for students to be successful in school and life.

 When measuring the impact of SEL in education, the research speaks for itself. According to CASEL , when SEL is implemented in schools, the following outcomes are predicted:

• 27% more students would improve their academic performance by the end of the program
• 24% more students would have improved social behaviors and lower levels of distress 

One of the biggest challenges today is helping students develop 21st-century skills like critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, and collaboration. In addition, they can help teach career and technical education (CTE) skills like employability skills, technical proficiency, teamwork, and communication skills. The good news is that social-emotional learning helps kids develop both areas!

21st-century learning skills are a framework that helps students develop life and career skills, learning and innovation skills, and information, media, and technology skills. SEL can help prepare young students to tackle these more challenging skill sets with determination and lower stress levels. By learning how to stay positive when a project doesn't turn out as expected, they can understand the highs and lows of innovation. When they know how to build positive relationships, they can learn to leverage their connections to forge a career path. These two learning frameworks work seamlessly together to prepare students for college and careers. 

Career and technical education (CTE) skills are the technical skills needed to succeed in a wide range of careers. Courses focusing on developing CTE skills allow students to explore different careers and gain the skills required to enter the workforce. For example, think about the patience someone needs to operate a CNC machine cutting an intricate piece of sheet metal. They need to focus for a long time and notice if the machine starts to go off course. This kind of patience and attention to detail is something that kids can learn through SEL. 

SEL also has a wide-ranging impact on society at large. One of the primary goals of SEL is to address various forms of inequity and empower students and educators to co-create thriving schools and contribute to safe, healthy, and just communities. Helping students develop self-awareness and social awareness can help them make better choices about how they interact with the world around them. Responsible decision-making is critical in building a society dedicated to equity and inclusion. 

Examples of Social-Emotional Learning 

So what exactly does social-emotional learning look like in the classroom? The truth is, it can vary greatly! While all five components of social-emotional skills are essential, certain areas are more beneficial than others throughout each student's K-12 journey. 

Examples of Social-Emotional Learning In Elementary School

Social-emotional learning in elementary school is when students can begin to develop self-awareness and relationship-building skills. While many young children spend time in daycare or preschool, elementary school is the first time students start to build long-term relationships with their peers. What better time to teach them how to understand their emotions and others? 

The following are examples of SEL in elementary school:

• Having a positive self-image, including a sense of competence, autonomy, relatedness, and purpose
• Making responsible decisions based on one's values and goals
• Recognizing one's own emotions and the emotions of others
• Responding constructively to anger, frustration, or disappointment
• Showing empathy towards others by accepting differences among people and treating others with respect
• Being able to resolve conflicts peacefully

Kai XR helps elementary school educators explore SEL through virtual field trips . The immersive nature of a virtual reality field trip keeps young minds engaged and excited about the lesson. Our Laundry Day Around the World field trip is a perfect example of how educational VR can supplement your lesson. The short lesson spotlights how societies worldwide all have something in common: laundry day! Stories like this help young learners understand how people of different backgrounds can still live parallel lives. 

Examples of Social-Emotional Learning in Middle School

Middle school is a challenging time for students. They are transitioning from elementary to high school, and often struggle with their confidence as they encounter new challenges in academics and socialization. SEL lessons can help middle school students develop coping skills that will help them succeed throughout their academic careers. 

Social-emotional learning is not just about teaching kids how to get along with others; it's also about teaching them how to understand themselves better. This can be especially important for middle school students who are naturally going through many physical and emotional changes.

Social-emotional learning for middle school students should build upon the skills they already learned in elementary school. Some examples of SEL in middle school are: 

• Learning how to communicate anger and frustrations in a constructive way 
• Utilizing calming strategies when stressed or upset
• Identifying and de-escalating bullying or teasing in the classroom
• Understanding stereotypes and how they could negatively impact their classmates 

One of the best ways to help middle school students develop a sense of social awareness and responsible decision-making is by sharing exemplary stories from history. Through Kai XR's Explore, students can learn more about American Civil Rights activist Ruby Bridges . Her story is the perfect example of how one person, even six years old, can positively impact the world around her. Students will understand how discrimination and segregation shaped the American education system, and how Ruby, and other activists like her, pushed for equality and civil rights. 

Examples of Social-Emotional Learning in High School

Even in high school, social-emotional learning is integral to preparing students for life after graduation. High school students must improve their self-management skills to juggle their school subjects and work outside school. They must also lean into their self-awareness as they narrow their career path options. SEL is the perfect way to develop those skills further and prepare them for the real world. 

Here are some examples of how social-emotional learning lessons can be integrated into high school classrooms:

• Students learn techniques for reducing stress and developing healthy ways of coping.
• Students learn how to resolve conflicts peacefully by identifying emotions associated with conflict, finding solutions that work for everyone involved, and communicating clearly about what they want from each other. 
• Students demonstrate strategies for collaborating with peers to support and move group efforts forward. 

High school students are well-developed enough to understand the complexities of personal relationships, differences of opinion, and global events. A Kai XR lesson centered around My Brother's Keeper is a great way to open a discussion on how those three concepts may work together. The story about two brothers fighting on opposite sides of the Civil War helps students understand different perspectives and how they impact relationships. 

Elements of Social Emotional Learning Lesson Plan

Social and emotional learning (SEL) is a relatively new and increasingly popular focus in the classroom. But what are the best ways to teach these skills? And how can teachers incorporate them into their lesson plans? These days, teachers have many tools to teach SEL, including virtual reality, games, and more. 

Let's take a look at the top three recommended tools: 

• Social-emotional learning videos
• Social-emotional learning games
• Social-emotional learning questions

Social-Emotional Learning Videos

One of the easiest ways to develop social-emotional learning is through the use of videos. Education through videos, especially in a virtual reality setting, is a great way to keep students engaged and focused on the lesson. They can also make it easier for students to broaden their worldview by gaining exposure to cultures and communities around the globe. 

Social-emotional learning videos promote: 

• Engaged learning - Virtual reality helps students fully immerse themselves in the content and become active participants in the lesson.
• Visualization - An immersive video can help students observe concepts first-hand that would be impossible to achieve through a textbook.
• Accessibility - Students with various learning styles can enjoy lessons through video. In addition, it exposes them to the technologies they may not have access to otherwise. 
• Conversation - Students who are highly engaged in the lesson will find themselves in an active discussion. This helps students gain exposure to and learn from their classmates' perspectives. 

At Kai XR , we recognize the power of learning through immersive videos. It's why we were founded in the first place! We turn video content into interactive virtual field trips. Through experiential learning, students are exposed to new experiences that help them think critically about the world around them. It's the perfect application for social-emotional learning! 

Social-Emotional Learning Games

Social-emotional learning (SEL) games are a fun way to help kids develop essential social and emotional skills. These games teach kids how to manage emotions, build self-esteem, and interact positively with others.

Kids learn best through play, so SEL games can be a fun way to help them develop these skills.

Some of the benefits of social-emotional learning games include the following: 

• The hands-on nature improves student engagement and retention
• It provides a chance to practice new skills in a safe environment
• It takes the stress out of learning with play 

Social-emotional learning games help students to develop skills like empathy, emotional self-awareness, communication, and collaboration. These essential life skills can be used in the classroom and beyond. They are also helpful in building relationships with peers and teachers, which is vital for students who may be struggling socially or emotionally.

Social-emotional learning games can also help students to improve their mental health by reducing stress levels, anxiety, and depression. In addition, games can help students cope with bullying or loss while giving them a sense of control over their emotions.

Did you know we also offer social-emotional learning online games for free when you're subscribed to our explore platform? Games like Hide and Seek , Rain or Shine , and Explore Super Mario are great ways to incorporate fun into your lessons! 

Social-Emotional Learning Questions

Tools like videos and games are not as effective without questions that can help students understand their social-emotional learning lessons. Therefore, social-emotional learning questions are one of the essential elements of your lesson plans for social-emotional learning! 

Social-emotional learning questions should:

• Deepen relationships 
• Help understand others' perspectives
• Develop self-awareness
• Manage emotions

Social-emotional questions can be asked at the beginning of each class or after a lesson. Educators can use them as a warm-up activity or to get students thinking about the content they're about to study. Each question should have a purpose in mind, so they are not just questions for the sake of it.

These are some sample questions that you can use as a starting point:

• Who is someone you look up to, and why?
• When do you feel proud of yourself? 
• When have you changed your mind after hearing someone else's perspective?
• What is your life are you most grateful for? 
• What are some things about yourself that you would like to improve?
• What is your favorite thing about yourself?
• What makes you happiest?
• How do you calm yourself down when you are upset? 

Many of Kai XR's virtual field trips are paired with a teacher resource that outlines engaging questions to ask before and after the lesson! 

Take Your Social-Emotional Lessons To the Next Level

Social-emotional learning is an essential part of the future of education. By incorporating social-emotional learning into your classroom, you can help students: 

• Improve their critical thinking
• Regulate their emotions
• Improve self-confidence
• Strengthen relationship-building skills
• Improve resilience 
• Make better decisions

If you're ready to take your SEL lessons to the next level, Kai XR can provide all the educational resources you need. From virtual games to immersive videos, Kai XR's virtual experiences are the perfect tool for SEL activities. In addition, our lessons offer a safe and inclusive space for students to explore their emotions and express themselves. 

To learn more about how our technology can support your child or classroom, explore our packages or schedule a demo . 

Was this helpful? You might also like the following: 

• Take Social Emotional Learning Videos to the Next Level with VR
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• Should Educators Introduce VR to Their Digital Literacy Lesson Plans?

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The benefits of multiple arts-based field trips 

By Jay P. Greene, Laura Florick, Rebecca Levenberg, Rebecca Pogue | Apr 26, 2021 | Feature Article

Arts-based field trips can boost students’ academic performance, improve school engagement, and support social-emotional well-being. 

We know that student learning is not confined to classrooms or the academic curriculum. Children are learning wherever they go, and schools can enhance student learning by providing a variety of experiences, whether through classes, extracurricular clubs, or social activities, that help them build skills and understanding in all kinds of areas that extend beyond academics. And sometimes nonacademic learning can fuel academic learning.  

The near-term benefits of arts-based field trips, for example, have been well documented in previous studies. Students who participated in such field trips saw significant gains in social-emotional learning (Greene et al., 2018; Watson et al., 2019), including higher levels of tolerance, empathy, and social perspective taking, as well as academic gains (Erickson et al., 2019; Greene, Kisida, & Bowen, 2014). Notably, these benefits were most significant for students of color and students from less-advantaged backgrounds (Kisida, Greene, & Bowen, 2013).  

In a recent study, Heidi Erickson, Angela Watson, and Jay Greene (2020) sought to find out what effects  multiple  arts-based field trips might have on students. This three-year investigation, conducted in partnership with the Woodruff Arts Center in Atlanta, Georgia, demonstrates that when students attend multiple field trips, many of the academic and social-emotional benefits endure for years.   

Background of the study   

The Woodruff Arts Center is home to three partners: Alliance Theatre, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and High Museum of Art. With more than 800,000 visitors each year, it is one of the largest arts centers in the country. It is also the No. 1 arts educator in Georgia, serving more than 135,000 students and more than 5,400 educators during the 2019-20 school year.    

School districts in Metro Atlanta, where the arts center is located, face many challenges, including but not limited to students’ low scores on 3rd-grade reading and 8th-grade math proficiency tests. According to the Metro Atlanta Regional Education Partnership’s annual report (Learn4Life, 2020), only 44% of students in Metro Atlanta are reading on grade level when they reach 3rd grade, and children who have not developed reading skills by that time are four times more likely to drop out of high school. In addition, only 45% of 8th-grade students are proficient in math, a key gatekeeper to high school graduation.  

In recent years, tightened budgets in the area have led schools, particularly those serving less-affluent students, to limit or cancel the number of annual field trips. To see what difference field trips might make for students, the Woodruff Arts Center enlisted a research team from the University of Arkansas to investigate the social-emotional and academic benefits of attending arts-based field trips. The participating school district already had an established and ever-deepening partnership with the Woodruff Arts Center and was even planning to become an arts-center district with arts-rich schools. This study would help both the Woodruff and the district address institutional priorities.  

Study design 

Over the course of three years, the researchers randomly assigned 2,100 4th and 5th graders from 15 elementary schools in the partner district to either a treatment group, which would take a field trip to each of the Woodruff Arts Center’s three Art Partners in a single school year, or to a control group, which would receive one arts-based field trip through their school’s regularly scheduled programming. That is, the study compared students who had multiple arts field trips to similar students who received only one.  

Nearly all students in the 15 schools identify as Black or African American, and the majority of students in the study sample perform below grade level on the Georgia Milestones end-of-year exams. Also, 78% of students in the district are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.  

The field trips are all part of existing programming designed for young audiences at each of the three venues. Students experience an hour-long professional theater performance designed for children and families, a volunteer docent-led tour and a hands-on studio experience led by a teaching artist at the art museum, and an hour-long symphony concert paired with projected video descriptions and images. At the beginning of each school year during the study, teachers whose students were assigned to the treatment group (i.e., who would go on three field trips) participated in a full-day professional learning event facilitated by the Woodruff Arts Center, where they learned about the exhibitions, productions, and performances and about strategies to incorporate the experience into their classroom instruction.   

Throughout the three consecutive years of the study, a subset of students received two back-to-back years of treatment. This enabled researchers to study the effect for students going on trips for just one year and for two consecutive years, as well as the effects one and two years after the trips.   

To determine the effects of the trips, the study used two data sources: student surveys and district administrative data. Treatment and control students were surveyed at the beginning of the school year in students’ first year of the study to establish pretreatment measures, and follow-up surveys were administered at the end of each year of the study to collect post-treatment measures. The survey consisted of several scales used in previous arts field trip studies. These include measures of students’ tolerance, school engagement, social perspective taking, and desire to participate in and consume arts. Students were asked to choose their level of agreement to statements like these (used to measure students’ interest in consuming art):  

• Visiting art museums is fun.
• I plan to go to orchestra music performances when I am an adult.
• I would tell my friends that they should see a live theater performance.  

District administrative data provided additional information, including student demographics, course grades, standardized test scores, school attendance, and disciplinary infractions.   

Social-emotional effects.  After one year of going on multiple field trips, students’ survey responses showed a greater desire to consume arts in the future and more agreement with the statement, “I believe people can have different opinions about the same thing” than control students (see Figure 1).  

Academic effects.  Test-score results showed positive outcomes of attending multiple trips that persisted even two years later. Students who attended all three field trips scored higher on their Georgia Milestones end-of-grade exams and earned higher course grades two years after the trips than did students in the control group (see Figure 2).  

Behavioral effects.  Significant effects of the field trips on student behavior were only evident one to two years after the trips, when the students entered middle school, and the effects only appeared in the first student cohort. When students from this first group entered middle school, they had fewer absences from school, and during the year after attending the field trips, they had fewer behavioral infractions than control group students. In addition, treatment students demonstrated less careless answering on the survey (see Figure 1), a measure designed to capture their level of conscientiousness while completing a school task. (This increase in school engagement may explain some of the improvement in academic outcomes.)   

Teacher feedback.  Teachers whose students went on multiple field trips had mainly positive impressions of the experience, including the professional development session held in advance of the trips. As one participating teacher commented, the session was “Relevant, engaging, necessary! I appreciated that these workshops were grounded in applicable strategies that we can take back to the classroom.” Teachers also remarked that the trips were potentially  “life changing” for some students and that students were inspired by the possibility of becoming artists themselves. They also expressed a desire to offer more trips in the future.  

Photos courtesy of Woodruff Arts Center.

Policy implications and further study  

The results of this study provide evidence that ongoing exposure to multiple, high-quality, arts-based field trips can benefit students’ academic progress, social-emotional well-being, and school engagement. This study also demonstrates that these benefits can persist even years after the trips.   

The research team will continue collecting data on the students in this study over time to observe if these effects continue to persist more than two years after the field trips or if there are other observable effects as students enter middle and high school (such as whether they choose arts electives). A qualitative companion study is underway to better understand students’ and teachers’ experiences with arts-based field trips, to follow up a previous 2019 qualitative study by Angela Watson.  

Schools that serve economically disadvantaged populations like those in this study are under constant pressure both to prepare all students for standardized tests and to help struggling students reach grade-level proficiency. These results suggest that non-academic learning opportunities, such as educational field trips, can not only support students’ social-emotional growth but may also help them become more engaged in school and potentially support long-term academic progress. Such experiences could also help students discover new avenues for expression, explore the world outside their neighborhoods, and make school more engaging. Students benefit from being presented a broad array of learning opportunities, whether they  take place inside the classroom or in the community. Learning should not be confined to what happens in the classroom during the school day.     

References  

Erickson, H.H., Watson, A.R., & Greene, J.P. (2020).  An experimental evaluation of arts field trips.  (EDRE Working Paper No. 2020-03). Annenberg Institute at Brown University.  

Erickson, H.H., Greene, J.P., Watson, A., & Beck, M.I. (2019).  Does art make you smart? A longitudinal experiment of the effects of multiple arts-focused field trips  (EDRE Working Paper 2019-05). University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.  

Greene, J.P., Holmes, Erickson, H.H., Watson, A.R., & Beck, M.I. (2018). The play’s the thing: Experimentally examining the social and cognitive effects of school field trips to live theater performances.  Educational Researcher, 47  (4), 246-254.   

Greene, J.P., Kisida, B., & Bowen, D. (2014). The educational value of field trips.  Education Next, 14  (1), 78-86.   

Kisida, B., Greene, J.P., & Bowen, D.H. (2013, November 23). Art makes you smart.  The New York Times , p. SR12.  

Learn4Life. (2020).  State of education in Metro Atlanta annual report 2020 . Metro Atlanta Regional Education Partnership  

Watson, A. (2019).  Inside the black box: Stakeholder perceptions on the value of arts field trips  (EDRE Working Paper No. 2019-14). University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.  

Watson, A., Greene, J.P., Erickson, H.H., & Beck, M. (2019).  Altered attitudes and actions: social-emotional effects of multiple arts field trips  (EDRE Working Paper 2019-06). University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.  

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Jay P. Greene

JAY P. GREENE is the director of the National Endowment for the Arts Research Lab and a distinguished professor of education reform at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.

Laura Florick

LAURA FLORICK   is a researcher at the National Endowment for the Arts Research Lab at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.

Rebecca Levenberg

REBECCA LEVENBERG   is the director of foundations and grants at the Woodruff Arts Center in Atlanta, GA.

Rebecca Pogue

REBECCA POGUE   is the head of elementary school programs at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, GA. 

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Social and Emotional Learning through Outdoor Trips

“Ahhhhh, George*, stop being such an idiot,” the rain soaked, 13 year old girl in front of me screamed as she threw down her heavy back. George halted, mumbling the last few words of the song he was singing loudly only a second before. The rest of the group stopped mid-step. They stared at Stephanie and then looked at me, unsure of what to do. Stephanie was not a quiet student, but she tended to keep her cool around others. When she did get upset, it was usually for an obvious reason, but this outburst was a mystery. She began to shout, curse words punctuating her insults at George, who now looked shellshocked. I asked the other trip leaders to move the group down the trail, leaving Stephanie and me to get some much needed space. Once they were out of earshot, I turned back toward Stephanie. Despite the rain, I could still see the large tears rolling down her cheeks.

Heavy Pack and Heavy Feelings

Every year, in the last week of September, Arthur Morgan School takes students on six day backpacking trips . They hike over Roan Mountain on the Appalachian Trail or in the shadow of Cold Mountain in the Shining Rock Wilderness. Sometimes they visit Linville Gorge . No matter which trip students go on, they always face physical and emotional challenges that push them to grow, not only as individuals, but as members of the school community.

Hitting the Emotional Wall

In Stephanie’s case, this was her moment. Stephanie was student who liked to appear in control. She was always willing to help out with chores, was a strong hiker, and a reliable source of positivity and optimism on the trail. However, after four days of roughing it and being stuck with her fellow hikers, she had had enough. Through large sobs, Stephanie vented about every difficult moment she had experienced on the trail that week; every time she got annoyed with another student for being selfish or inconsiderate; the stress she felt when the group got lost the day before; the weariness of not knowing how much further she had to go after a poor night’s sleep. George came up briefly in her frustrations. He hadn’t stop singing when she asked him to, but it was now obvious he was just the final straw on a weight Stephanie had been carrying for days. She was tired, sore, and missing home.

I stood still, quietly listening to Stephanie spew out her frustrations and tried to keep myself from smiling. I wasn’t enjoying the fact that Stephanie was in pain, but truthfully I live for these emotionally instructive moments. For 17 years, I have lead students on backpacking trips, and on almost every trip, there is a moment when a student hits their wall. They cry, they yell, they curse, they refuse to hike. They come face to face with their limitations, both physical and emotional. And in it’s in that moment that they grow the most.

Learn more about AMS’s outdoor program!

Getting Rid of the Emotional Mask

Middle schoolers often put up a facade. Each day when they walk into school, they wear an emotional mask that hides their feelings from teachers and friends. They act like they are impenetrable, unable to be hurt. It protects them from bullying and teasing. Thanks to AMS’s holistic culture , many students learn to lose their mask and be themselves, however the transition takes time. The social and emotional learning AMS offers is not automatic. Many students come from public school and are mistrustful of a community which says it’s safe to be themselves.  They heard the rhetoric before and it was proven false. They don’t want to risk putting themselves out there and getting hurt again. So for the first few weeks of every school year, new students tend to walk and talk delicately around their peers. Then comes the six days backpacking trip!

Spreading the Emotional Learning

That night around a campfire at the shelter, Stephanie and George joked with one another. I think I even heard them sing together for a moment. Newer students watched as forgiveness and acceptance were offered freely.

After the trips, there is not an immediate change in the school’s culture, but important steps were taken. Not every student, not even most of them, had an emotional breakthrough while on the trip, but chances are, they witnessed one. Through example, they saw a friend struggle and still be accepted.  They learn that it is safe to be themselves and let their emotions show. As the year continues, they will do the same.

-By Nicholas Maldonado *The names of students have been changed to protect the innocent.

• Grades 6-12
• School Leaders

Learn How to Support Stressed and Anxious Students.

Field Trip Reflection Sheet (Free Printable)

Make your time outside the classroom meaningful.

Field trips are amazing! They give kids the chance to explore a new place, learn more about specific topics, talk to experts, and see demonstrations and examples you just can’t do at school. Whether you’re taking a field trip to a local library or zoo or you’re participating in a virtual field trip to a space center or aquarium, you’ll want the field trip to be a pivotal learning experience. That’s where our Field Trip Reflection Sheet comes in.

The impact field trips have on students often has to do with how they engage with the information they learn. Incorporating a field trip reflection worksheet helps students focus on what’s important to them and what it means for their learning and life. Get the free Field Trip Reflection Worksheet by simply filling out the form on this page .

What kind of reflection sheets are in the bundle?

You’ll find two field trip reflection sheets, one for elementary schoolers and one for middle and high schoolers. Each reflection sheet works for either in-person or virtual field trips.

Elementary School Field Trip Reflection Sheet

Elementary schoolers can identify where they are going and what they are going to learn about before they head out of the building or log in to the field trip. Then, during the field trip, students record observations and information they learn. After the trip, students choose one response as a reflection to help consolidate their learning.

Middle and High School Field Trip Reflection Sheet

Before the trip, older students activate background knowledge so they’re primed to connect new information with what they already know. Once on the trip, they record observations and information. After the trip, students can choose a question or answer a teacher-directed question to consolidate what they learned.

What are some field trip reflection questions?

Here are ideas for field trip reflection questions that you can incorporate into the Field Trip Reflection Sheet:

• What was the most important thing you learned on today’s field trip?
• What should someone else know about this topic?
• What was your favorite part of this field trip?
• Who else would enjoy this field trip and why?
• How does the information you learned on today’s field trip connect with what you already knew?
• What is one way that the information you learned today confirms what you already knew? What is one way that it challenged what you already knew?
• In five years, what will you remember from this field trip?

Use the Field Trip Reflection Worksheet as a way to keep students focused. You can also use it as an exit ticket or assessment after the trip. This is especially helpful for field trips that require parent chaperones as you can see what students were doing during the trip and provide some accountability for students’ learning.

Get your free Field Trip Reflection Sheet printable!

To get your free printable bundle, just fill out the simple form on this page for instant access.

Need field trip ideas? Check out these 260+ field trip ideas (in-person and virtual).

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The Importance of Field Trips

• June 13, 2023

Field trips are a highlight for many students throughout their early education. Whether it’s a trip to a local amusement park or a visit to a museum to learn world history, field trips are valuable academic tools that offer an exciting change of pace to a child’s daily education. 

At St. Timothy’s School , we offer local, state and international field trips for our pre-k , lower school , and middle school students to encourage real-world learning experiences. Complementing our everyday core curriculum, our field trip offerings allow students to develop strong intellectual, social-emotional, and spiritual foundations. Read below to learn more about the importance of school field trips. 

Field Trips Incorporate Real-World Learning

Field trips offer valuable learning opportunities that help students establish connections between the classroom curricula and real-world concepts. For example, after reading about aquatic life in their science textbooks, students might benefit from a trip to the coast or the aquarium to gain a deeper understanding of oceanic ecosystems. Doing so allows students to broaden their perspectives and discover how their education has a real-world impact. 

Field Trips Boost Academic Performance

Field trips provide students with hands-on learning experiences, often more memorable and exciting than conventional learning methods like reading a textbook. As a result, students learn and memorize these concepts quickly, making them feel more confident in their learning capabilities. When returning to the classroom, they can use this confidence to excel not only in the field trip-targeted concept but also in other academic areas. 

Field Trips Encourage Social-Emotional Learning

In addition to academic development, field trips also promote social-emotional learning . By exposing children to new environments where they can interact and collaborate with peers, field trips allow students to become better communicators, problem-solvers, and critical thinkers. Whether it be a historic theater, art museum, or a local pumpkin patch, field trips expose children to new ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving that significantly contribute to their social-emotional development . 

Field Trips Drive Excitement

Field trips offer a change of scenery that sparks excitement in students, giving them something to look forward to throughout the school year. Field trips can also inspire students’ newfound excitement in specific academic areas. For example, a student might discover a love for science class after visiting the zoo and learning about environmental ecosystems. Field trips drive a sense of excitement and inspiration that can’t be found anywhere else!

Private Education at St. Timothy’s School

St. Timothy’s School is an independent school in Raleigh, NC, that offers various enriching field trip opportunities to create a well-rounded student learning experience. From overnight beach field trips to travels to Washington DC, we provide numerous opportunities for students to engage outside the classroom. Visit our website today !

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4523 Six Forks Road, Raleigh, NC 27609

[email protected]

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Copyright © 2023. St. Timothy’s School. All Rights Reserved. St. Timothy’s School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all of the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, financial aid programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.

Field Trips for Preschoolers: How to Plan and Prepare for a Memorable Experience

• May 15, 2023

The purpose of this guide is to serve as a roadmap for educators and parents alike, helping them plan and prepare for preschool field trips that leave a lasting impression. We understand the significance of these excursions in fostering social, emotional, and cognitive development in young children. Whether you’re an enthusiastic educator or a devoted parent, this outline will equip you with the necessary tools and insights to create an unforgettable field trip experience.

Benefits of Field Trips for Preschoolers

Field trips are more than just fun outings for preschoolers; they offer a multitude of educational and developmental benefits that contribute to their overall growth. These excursions provide an immersive learning experience, allowing children to explore, discover, and make meaningful connections with the world around them. Let’s explore the numerous advantages that field trips offer to preschoolers:

• Experiential Learning: Field trips for preschoolers provide hands-on learning opportunities beyond traditional classrooms, enhancing children’s understanding of various subjects.
• Stimulated Imagination:  Field trips expose preschoolers to new sights, sounds, and textures, stimulating their senses and inspiring creativity.
• Social and Emotional Development:  Field trips  encourage children to interact with peers  and adults in different settings, enhancing communication and cooperation skills.
• Appreciation for Diversity:  Field trips expose preschoolers to different cultures, traditions, and perspectives, promoting tolerance and empathy.
• Language Development: Field trips for preschoolers provide rich opportunities for language development through active listening, communication, and conversation.
• Sensory and Motor Development:  Field trips often involve physical activities that  promote gross motor skills , balance, coordination, and spatial awareness.

Selecting the Ideal Field Trip Destination

Selecting the perfect field trip destination for preschoolers requires careful consideration to ensure an engaging and educational experience. The chosen destination should align with the curriculum, cater to their developmental needs, and spark their curiosity. Here are some essential factors to consider when selecting the ideal field trip destination:

• Curriculum Alignment:  The field trip should complement the curriculum and  learning objectives of the preschool program . Identify the concepts or topics being covered and choose a destination that provides relevant educational opportunities. For example, if the class is learning about animals, visiting a local zoo or a nature reserve would be an excellent choice to deepen their understanding.
• Age-Appropriate and Engaging:  Preschoolers have unique interests and abilities. Select a destination that caters to their age group, offering activities and exhibits that are accessible and engaging. Look for interactive exhibits, hands-on learning experiences, and age-appropriate demonstrations. Consider destinations such as children’s art museums, science centers, botanical gardens, or farms, often providing tailored experiences for young learners.
• Interest and Curiosity:  Tap into children’s natural curiosity by choosing a field trip destination that aligns with their interests. Talk to the children and involve them in the decision-making process. Discover their passions, whether dinosaurs, space, art, or nature, and select a destination that will captivate their imagination. When children are excited about the subject matter, their engagement and learning are greatly enhanced.

Additionally,  ensure that the chosen destination prioritizes safety  and accessibility for preschoolers. Evaluate the venue’s safety measures, including appropriate staff-to-child ratios, well-maintained facilities, and clear emergency procedures. Consider factors such as wheelchair accessibility, restroom availability, and ease of movement for children with diverse abilities.

Tips to Plan and Prepare for a Memorable Experience

Once you and your child  select the perfect field trip destination , the real excitement begins! But how do you ensure a truly memorable experience? With these expert tips and practical advice, you’ll discover how to plan and prepare for a field trip that will create lasting memories and ignite a love for exploration.

1. Make Them Feel Excited

Creating anticipation and excitement for a field trip is essential to ensure your preschooler has a memorable experience. You can set the stage for a day filled with wonder and adventure by igniting their curiosity and enthusiasm. One way to make them feel excited is by involving them in planning. Engage your child in discussions about the destination, its unique features, and what they can expect to see and do there. Watch videos or read books related to the field trip to spark their imagination and build excitement.

Additionally, you can create a countdown calendar or a visual representation of the upcoming trip, marking off the days until the big adventure. Share stories and anecdotes about your field trip experiences, capturing their attention and fueling their enthusiasm. By actively involving your little one in the preparation and building their anticipation, you’ll cultivate a sense of excitement that will make the field trip even more enjoyable and memorable for them.

2. Be Prepared the Night Before the Trip

The night before your preschooler’s field trip is the ideal time to make sure you have everything in order for a successful outing. Here’s a handy checklist to help you stay organized:

• Prepare a small bag with any necessary medications your child may need during the trip.
• Pack a variety of healthy snacks your little one enjoys, ensuring they have enough energy throughout the day.
• Don’t forget essentials like water bottles, sunscreen, and a hat to protect against the sun.
• Check the weather forecast and choose appropriate clothing layers to comfort your child.
• Ensure you have any required permission slips or medical information securely packed.

By gathering these items and completing the necessary preparations the night before, you can start the field trip day with peace of mind, knowing that you’re fully prepared for a memorable and enjoyable experience with your preschooler.

3. Pick the Right Clothes

Choosing the appropriate clothing for your preschooler’s field trip is crucial to ensure their comfort and enjoyment throughout the day. Here are some tips to help you pick the right clothes for the outing:

• Consider the weather:  Check the forecast and dress your child accordingly. If it’s sunny, opt for lightweight, breathable fabrics and don’t forget to apply sunscreen. For cooler days, dress them in layers so they can adjust their clothing as needed. 
• Prioritize comfort:  Select clothes that allow your child to move freely and comfortably. Avoid tight or restrictive clothing that may hinder their movements or cause discomfort. Opt for stretchy materials and comfortable shoes suitable for walking and exploring.
• Be prepared for activities:  Take into account the activities planned during the field trip. If there will be messy or outdoor activities, consider clothing that can withstand some dirt or stains. Packing an extra set of clothes in case of spills or accidents is also a good idea.

By choosing weather-appropriate, comfortable, and activity-ready clothing, you can ensure that your preschooler is dressed for a successful and enjoyable field trip. Remember, their comfort and ease of movement will contribute to their overall experience and allow them to fully engage in the activities and discoveries of the day.

4. Encourage Your Little One to Ask Questions

One of the best ways to enhance your preschooler’s field trip experience is by  encouraging children to ask questions . Curiosity is a powerful tool for learning and exploration, and by fostering a sense of inquiry, you can help your child make the most of their educational adventure.

Remind your little one that there are no silly or wrong questions. Encourage them to ask about things they find interesting or don’t fully understand. Encourage active engagement with tour guides, educators, or experts at the destination, as they can provide valuable insights and expand your child’s knowledge. By asking questions, your preschooler can deepen their understanding, develop critical thinking skills, and gain a deeper appreciation for the world around them. So, foster their curiosity and let their questions guide them on a journey of discovery during the field trip.

5. Ensure Your Kid is Physically Ready

Before embarking on a field trip, it’s important to ensure that your preschooler is physically ready for the day ahead. Here are some key points to consider:

• A good night’s sleep:   Make sure your child gets adequate rest  the night before the trip. Sufficient sleep will ensure they have the energy and focus needed for an enjoyable experience.
• Nourishing breakfast:  Start the day with a nutritious breakfast to fuel your child’s body and mind. Include foods that provide sustained energy, such as whole grains, fruits, and protein-rich options like yogurt or eggs.
• Stay hydrated:  Pack a water bottle for your child to keep them hydrated throughout the trip. Hydration is crucial for maintaining energy levels and overall well-being, especially during physical activities.

By prioritizing your child’s physical well-being, you can help them stay alert, energized, and ready to fully engage in the field trip experience. A well-rested and nourished preschooler will be better equipped to absorb new information, actively participate in activities, and maximize the learning opportunities presented during the outing.

6. Ask Your Little One to Take Notes

Encouraging your child to take notes  during a field trip can be a fun and effective way to help them remember the experience. Taking notes allows your child to document important details, reflect on their observations, and engage with the learning material in a more active way.

Teach your child about the importance of note-taking a day before the trip. Share how your field notes helped you remember your experiences and discoveries from your field trips. Encourage your child to use a notebook or a smartphone app to record their thoughts, observations, and questions. They can also take photos or make sketches to help capture the memories of the day. By taking notes, your little one can create a personal record of their field trip, review the material later, and share their experiences with others.

7. Check With All The Norms Set by The School

In order to ensure a hassle-free field trip experience for your preschooler, it’s crucial to familiarize yourself with all the norms and guidelines set by the school. Paying attention to these details can help prevent unnecessary complications and ensure a positive experience for your child. Here are some important points to consider:

First, check for any dress code requirements. Some schools may have specific guidelines regarding appropriate attire for field trips. Adhering to these guidelines ensures that your child is dressed appropriately and avoids any potential scolding or discomfort during the trip.

Additionally, be aware of any rules regarding gadgets or electronics. If the school has a policy against bringing gadgets on field trips, it’s important to respect this rule. Providing your child with gadgets when not allowed can hinder their engagement with the experience and may lead to disciplinary action.

Lastly, be mindful of any other specific instructions or guidelines provided by the school. This may include rules regarding food or snacks, behavior expectations, or any specific items that your child should bring or leave behind. By checking with the school and following these norms, you can help ensure a smooth and enjoyable field trip for your preschooler and their classmates.

8. Managing Cash When Traveling Alone

When your child is on a field trip, it’s important to ensure they have the necessary funds and know how to manage their money responsibly. Here are some tips to help them with cash management:

First, provide your child with the appropriate amount of cash for the trip. Discuss with them the importance of budgeting and making wise spending decisions. Encourage them to prioritize essential items like meals or souvenirs they want.

Consider giving your child a small wallet or pouch to keep their cash secure. Teach them about the importance of keeping their money safe and hidden. Remind them not to publicly share their financial information or display large amounts of cash.

9. Make Sure Your Child Save His Contact Number

It’s essential to ensure that your child has your contact number readily available when they’re on a field trip. By having this information, the teacher-in-charge can easily reach you in case of any issues or emergencies. Here’s what you can do to ensure your child has your contact number:

Encourage your child to memorize your contact number. Practice reciting it together until they feel confident in remembering it. Alternatively, you can write the number down on a small note and ask them to keep it in a safe place, such as their pocket or backpack.

Additionally, consider providing your child with a wristband or ID tag that includes your contact information. This way, your child will have your details readily accessible in case they need assistance or support during the field trip.

10. Inform the Teacher About Your Little One’s Circumstances

When your child has special medical circumstances or specific needs, it’s important to communicate this information to the teacher in charge of the field trip. By doing so, you can provide essential details and ensure that your child receives appropriate care and support. Here’s why it’s crucial to inform the teacher:

If your child requires specific medications or has medical conditions, informing the teacher allows them to be aware of the situation. This way, the teacher can provide reminders for medication timings or be prepared to handle any medical emergencies that may arise during the field trip.

In addition to medical circumstances, informing the teacher about any other relevant details regarding your child’s needs or preferences can contribute to a more inclusive and comfortable experience. Whether it’s dietary restrictions, allergies, or behavioral considerations, sharing this information allows the teacher to make necessary accommodations and ensure your child’s well-being throughout the trip.

Final Thoughts

Planning and preparing for field trips for preschoolers can be an exciting and enriching experience. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can ensure a memorable outing for your little one and their classmates. Remember to select age-appropriate destinations, prioritize safety measures, and engage the children through interactive activities.

At Baby Steps Daycare, we understand the importance of field trips in early childhood education. These outings provide invaluable opportunities for children to explore the world around them, develop social skills, and expand their knowledge. As parents, we want the best for our children, and organizing well-planned field trips is one way to offer them a well-rounded learning experience.

Here at  Baby Steps , we take pride in providing your preschooler with a nurturing and educational environment. We offer a range of enriching activities, including carefully planned field trips tailored to young children’s needs and interests. By partnering with us, you can rest assured that your child’s field trips will be thoughtfully planned, supervised by experienced staff, and designed to maximize educational and fun experiences.

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Fodor's Expert Review Church of the Intercession on the Nerl

Andrei's greatest creation and arguably the most perfect medieval Russian church ever built is less than 2 km (1 miles) from Bogolyubovo. On a massive limestone foundation covered with earth, the church sits near the confluence of the Nerl and Klyazma rivers and appears to be rising out of the water that surrounds it. Andrei built the church, completed in 1165, in memory of his son Izyslav, who was killed in a victorious battle with the Bulgars. Look for the unique carvings of King David on the exterior, the earliest such iconographic carvings in this region. Inside, the high, narrow arches give an impressive feeling of space and light. To get to the church from Bogolyubovo, walk a few hundred yards west of the monastery, down ulitsa Frunze and under a railway bridge; then follow the path through a field.

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