A few years ago I went to a wedding on Cape Cod Memorial Day Weekend. Since our school year just ended, my wife and I stayed in New England and thought we would visit some early American history places. We went to Plymouth and saw the reproduction of the Mayflower, walked the Freedom Trail in Boston with its rich history, and traveled up the road to Lexington and Concord where the first shots of the American Revolution took place. I thought of how wonderful it would be to take my students on a field trip to these places.
One thing I found interesting is that since it was the first week in June, it was one of the last weeks of school for many schools in New England, and on our journey we encountered students from as far away as a few states on field trips to these wonderful locations. One memorable observation was that many of these students were uninterested, bored, and playing around. I saw the same attitude as my students taking a field trip to Timpanogous Cave less than an hour from my school. I wondered about a few things. First, would the kids playing on the Mayflower be as interested in hiking through the cave as my students would have been if they got to go to the Mayflower? Second, since it seems like kids like field trips, do they like them for the experience, or is it just a break from the school routine? Third, since budget cuts require us to be even more concious of spending, are there any really great field trips in the Salt Lake City/Provo area that you would recommend for upper elementary aged students?
We took our students to the Tibeten Temple (I think it is Orem), it was a wonderful experience!
ReplyDeleteThere has to be some great virtual field trips out there. While attending the 2010 Books for Young Readers Symposium Elizabeth Partridge, author of Marching For Freedom: Walk Together Children and Don't Get Weary, shared with us to sites that in some ways can become this virtual field trip.
ReplyDeletegoogle littrip, Picture America both sites give you visual narratives.