Summer is here! And with that comes the time and opportunity to explore all those field trip ideas near you (or even not near you!). Whether you break from formal lessons for the summer or school year-round, these are excellent supplemental ideas to add. Field trips are wonderful for the hands-on and visual learners, aid in the strengthening of bonds over shared experiences, and in some cases can increase understanding and empathy for a time in history or people group. Regardless on if you plan to stay home or travel, we've got field trip ideas for you!
Not able to travel this summer? No problem! Almost every community has a public library so you can still get out of the house and have a little fun this summer. Find out how and print off a printable in "Let's Go on a Library Scavenger Hunt"! Perhaps museums are something your family enjoys. Did you know there is an Aviation Museum in almost every province in Canada? That's an unique field trip! Learn more about how a plane flies and find the nearest museum to you in "Aviation Museums Across Canada."
Every province has as national park. Take advantage of the beautiful weather to explore a park near you. Find your nearest park (or maybe one you've always wanted to visit) and learn about their special program for kids by reading "National Park Kids Xplorers Program." There is nothing like learning by immersion, and open air museums with living history do just that. Regardless of what coast you live on, you have an opportunity to visit and learn about history in this way. "Kings Landing, New Brunswick - Travel Back in Time for a Day" and "Reliving Canada's Gold Rush in Barkerville, BC" both tell of these types of experiences. There is so much to learn even by reading the information and watching the videos. There is so much benefit to adding these types of experiences into your homeschool. Get out and enjoy what's near you today!
Be sure to scroll down to see all the helpful content on fun and educational field trip ideas and don't miss the More For You section that has additional resources to gain more insight on this theme.
Perhaps you might be considering going away on a family trip to visit places around the world. This can be costly and not a feasible option for your family right away. However, there is always an adventure waiting for you in a book! The best part is books are free — all you need is a library card. You may not have considered doing a library scavenger hunt, but the library contains a wealth of information for your community and can be a great asset for homeschoolers on the whole.
Visiting an aviation museum is great at any time of the year, whether as a field trip or planned as part of a family vacation. With a variety of planes and history found at aviation museums, family members of all ages will find something of interest and acquire knowledge in a new area.
Canada is a large country, having the second largest land mass of all the countries in the world. Much of the land mass is in the 48 National Parks and National Park Reserves. If you haven’t heard the term “national park reserve” before, you’re not alone. Essentially, national park reserves are land where the federal and Indigenous governments are still debating ownership of the land, and therefore the indigenous peoples are still able to hunt, fish, and trap on it.
Located in Prince William, New Brunswick, just 20 minutes west of the capital city of Fredericton, Kings Landing is a large open-air museum complete with farm animals, over 70 historic buildings, a 19th century village, and costumed characters. Step back in time and learn about the lifestyle of people who lived along the St. John River Valley in the 19th century. The details of buildings, events, characters, and the village are so well researched that a visit here is able to be an engaging educational experience.
Barkerville is located in central (or northern, depending on where you live) British Columbia. It is a community set back in time east of the town of Quesnel. Spend a day at Barkerville, and try your hand at panning for gold as well as experience the feel of a historical town, learn about the time of the gold rush, and visit some stores from this time period.
More for You
Need fresh ideas for fun and educational field trips? The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine has inviting field trip ideas you may not have considered yet.
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"Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6).