How to have a good field trip
My topic today is about how to have a good and successful field trip. As we all know field trips can be a nerve wracking experience for teachers, children, and parents. It is important to alleviate the fear that goes along with a venture into the unknown. What if I lose a child? What if my child feels sick? What if someone refuses to cooperate? We must come to grips with these difficult issues and proceed. We recently had an amazing outing to the zoo, and I’d like to share it with you so maybe you can have a similar undramatic experience of your own. First, we got off the bus. Then we looked up at the sky which was turning ominously gray. We thought,”we mustn’t venture too far from shelter, it might rain.” I must note that when we left school it was sunny and a balmy 28°. It was warm enough that we didn’t need jackets. Anyway even though we were well protected from the elements, we still felt slightly vulnerable. The lesson here is that it is absolutely necessary to be familiar with your layout. We had fervently studied the map of our location and knew where shelter was. So we headed for the Formosan Animal Area which was close to the entrance and also near the home of Lin Wang the former elephant who is permanently on display indoors. If it had started raining we could have gone inside to visit him. Fortunately, it didn’t rain. It started to clear, so we went up the hill to the Panda House. The potential danger here is that with such a popular attraction, there may be a lot of people inside so you may have to wait until crowds clear out a bit. It is also a good opportunity to take photographs with the Panda statues outside. Don’t forget to periodically do a head-count to make sure everyone is still there. This leads us to-what do we do when someone, but not necessarily everyone, has to use the restroom. We usually divide them up boys and girls and let them go together. After they have finished, washed their hands and recollected their water bottles, we count them again. On the way up the hill, the children were not only interested in animals, but also leaves, flowers, and butterflies. We let them pick up the leaves to examine, as it kept them content. We could have said,” Don’t touch that. It’s dirty. “But by allowing them to decide on their own, we avoided conflict. Of course they had to thoroughly wash their hands before lunch. Children seldom complain when it comes to food but if they do, we remind them that essential vitamins are necessary for good health and physical growth. To ensure everyone has a good time, you can preplan your trip. Tell the children a day or two before what they are getting into. Give them options and suggestions, and let them decide and /or vote on what they want to see. This way too, you can eliminate surprises. Enjoy your outing!

 

永和校區 J2外師
Mark Rosemond
Presbyterian College: SC, USA