The Elementary School students are perhaps the easiest to placate. Take them out of the classroom and put them in a new location with a couple of questions to find out answers to and you have them off and running. One of the best field trips is to take them with a book on flora and fauna to a park. Then ask them to identify the plants and small animals that they see around them.
Allow them to collect samples that they can bring home and stick in a notebook. If you want them to do a bit of writing, have them label the name of the plant or leaf they brought. They can also write down the date and where they found the sample. This works with insects and soil as well. Try different locations over the months to get a good sample collection going.
Teenagers around the world are not exactly known for their patience. Homeschooling a teen can be quite a task in juggling considering that as a homeschool parent you also have a couple of other, younger students following at their heels in the homeschool classroom. You need trips that work for the young ones and still isn’t boring for the teenager.
Field trips that appeal to their intellect can be a good way to bond with them, even as you ensure an educational experience. Consider taking them to a symphony performance if they are musical. Knowing just how all that beautiful music is made will help them appreciate the musicians better. If possible ask them to practice playing their instrument on the pieces they heard in the symphony.
Manufacturing plants are always an interesting place to tour. It can be anything from a juice bottling plant to an auto assembly plant. Explain the mechanics of what they are observing and have them think up of new ways to perform the tasks that they saw. They can discuss the best ideas with you and then write up a report on what they feel they could improve on. Ask them to really think out of the box.
