Spring Field Trip Ideas for Virtual School Students
Everyone is eager to leave the house and enjoy the outdoors when spring arrives. Winter weather keeps everyone inside and sometimes prevents us from traveling far, making spring even more welcome—especially to virtual school students, who learn and play at home. You and your student, however, can get out and learn beyond the virtual classroom by going on a spring field trip.
To explore your options, check out this list of spring field trip ideas. The list is organized by spring-related themes to help you decide what subject you want your trip to focus on.
Plant Life Field Trips
Spring plays a significant role in the life cycle of plants. Investigate spring plant growth and reproduction by visiting one of the following places:
- A botanical garden
- An arboretum (Check when Arbor Day is scheduled in your state!)
- A greenhouse
- A plant nursery
- A flower garden or plantation
- A bulb farm
- A produce farm
- A local park or nature reserve (Take a hike and identify new plant growth)
- A local flower market or festival
- A florist
- A grocery store
- An agriculture program department if one is offered at a local university
Make the most your visit by calling ahead. Ask to speak to an owner or manager to see if anyone is willing to give you a tour or grant you an interview.
Baby Animal Field Trips
If your student is interested in animals, take a field trip to learn more about the reproduction and parenting of wildlife. Plan a visit to one of the following:
- A zoo
- A wildlife park or reserve
- A local farm or farm park
- A petting zoo
- A bird sanctuary
- A fish hatchery
- A pet store
- An animal shelter
Consider volunteering at an animal shelter with your child for a rewarding hands-on experience. At a pet store or shelter, you could always surprise your student by saying that he or she can pick out an animal to take home as a pet!
Spring Weather Field Trips
Spring weather can be sunny or stormy, warm or cold. Learn more about weather on a field trip to one of these places:
- A local news station (See if you can meet a meteorologist)
- A National Weather Service office
- A science museum (Check if they have children’s activities that focus on the weather)
- A windmill farm or wind turbine farm
- A kite-making class
On spring days when you can’t take an outdoor field trip, stay in and try these fun rainy day crafts for kids.
Field Trip Worksheets and Other Activities
An easy way to enhance your field trip is to take along these field trip worksheets, which were created by the Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies. There is a worksheet for museum visits and one for zoo visits. These worksheets can help students think critically about new concepts to make field trips more educational.
If you want to do something else during your field trip, make sure you plan it in advance. Here are just a few activities you could try:
- Sketch plants, animals, exhibits, and more
- Do a scavenger hunt
- Take pictures for a field trip photo album, slideshow, or scrapbook
Spring Field Trip Follow-Up
After the field trip, try some activities at home to reinforce what your student has learned. If you need ideas, ask your teacher, or look for additional spring activities on Pinterest or on other websites.
Where will spring take you and your student this month? Tell us where you plan to go. Let us know if you have questions about planning a school field trip with other students, parents, and teachers!