Tips For Family Field Trips

Parents have a new role to explore - field trip leader!

A new survey of more than 300 teachers conducted by Target* reveals a number of teacher-approved "family" field trips parents can take with their children to reinforce classroom learning. According to the survey, 60 percent of the teachers - all part of the Target Teaching Circle panel - said their field trip budgets have decreased over the last one to three years, meaning students may miss out on the many benefits offered by such trips. So Target encourages parents to take the lead in extending educational experiences outside the classroom by taking family field trips throughout the summer months. Some suggestions:

Go grocery shopping to teach mental math skills and practice budgeting. Give your child a set amount of money and a short shopping list with simple items to help teach them the cost of different items.
Visit an art museum and bring sketch pads and pencils to interpret what you see. Talk about the different colors and materials used to make the artwork.
Go to the zoo after studying about animals. Talk about where in the world they reside and what the climate is like there. Then go on a scavenger hunt to find animals that are native to your own state.
Visit a local historical site or travel to a national monument and talk about the past behind it.
Read a play and act out the characters, then go to see a live performance of the play at a local high school, college or nearby theater to allow your child to identify with the characters.
Bring science class to life by visiting the local science museum for hands-on activities. Or, take a walk through a nature preserve - or the neighborhood park - and see what kinds of flora and fauna you come across.

Target is also doing its part to further school field trips through the Target Field Trip Grants program - providing funding to educators to help bring learning to life outside the classroom. Parents can encourage their child's teacher to apply for a $1,000 grant online at Target.com/teachers from Sept. 4, 2007 through Nov. 1, 2007. Target will be awarding a total of $1.6 million in grants.

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