School Field Trips - Tips for Parents

As the school year is winding down, teachers are looking for field trip opportunities to expand their students' experiences with real life learning adventures. School field trips are a wonderful learning opportunity for students to explore what they have learned in the classroom. The real life experiences will benefit their understanding and give them lasting memories to treasure for a life time.


Parents can be a great help to teachers as volunteer chaperones for the planned trips. Here are a few tips to consider if you would like to help chaperone a field trip with your child's class.

1. Let your child's teacher know that you are interested in helping with the school trip. She may need help in securing the transportation and scheduling the event. She also may need assistance with the fliers that need to be printed for parent permission. Offer your time to the teacher and let her give you guidelines for extra help where it may be needed.

2. If you become a chaperone on the trip, know the rules and teacher expectations for the trip. Be prepared to follow the guidelines set by the teacher so the students will be safe and secure in your care.

3. Be open to help supervise a small group of students, along with your own child. Field trip groups usually divide into smaller groups for the learning experiences. Having an adult parent to help monitor them will be very helpful for the teacher.

Even if you will not be available as a class chaperone, encourage your child to listen and follow the safety rules for the field trip and to participate in the learning experience with the class. Students can have a wonderful time on their spring field trips and establish lasting memories that they can share when they return home.