Don’t Forget The Digital Toys On The Next Field Trip!

On school field trips, students are usually told to leave the electronics at home.  As a home school educator, I take a different approach.

It’s not that I tell my kids that they have to bring their electronic gadgets; well, I do remind them to pack their cameras.  I’ve found that electronics are usually an asset on field trips.

On long car trips, digital media - including Ipods and GameBoys -entertains, amuses, and even educates.

At our destination, digital media often allows us to extend and enrich field trip lessons.  Digital learning can enhance the experience before, during, and after a field trip.

Digital Photography on Home School Field Trips

A digital camera is the one essential item on our field trips. 

During a field trip, a camera-related project can enliven any visit. Sometimes we take our cameras an a planned hunt, such as a Zoo Shutterbug Safari, and other times we photograph whatever captures our fancy.

A camera is also a handy research tool.  We use it to photograph exhibit captions so that we can remember all the information without having to take copious notes.

Afterwards, the photos can be used to inform and illustrate a written assignment such as a blog post, journal, poster, or essay.

Alternatively, consider using an inexpensive camcorder on field trips, like the Flip Video Alex used at  Coral World.

 

Digital Audio On Home School Field Trips

Reading On The Road with an audio-book can turn a long road trip into an opportunity to share and discuss a complex novel such as Animal Farm.

Select a book related to your field trip destination, and it can be an excellent way to provide background, spark interest, or inspire questions.

At a museum or historical site, an Audio Guide - especially the Family version - can help children understand what they are seeing. 

On our recent visit to the Greek Galleries at the Metropolitan Museum, Alex followed the trail in the Animals All Around Family Guide Brochure and he listened to the Audio Guide when he reached each exhibit.

The family guide brochure gave us a framework for tackling what could’ve been an overwhelming amount of Greek Art, and the Audio Tour provided insights with kid-appeal.  Both contributed to an enjoyable art museum visit, even though this is not my son’s favorite field trip destination.

Digital Video On Home School Field Trips

By chance, our first stop on on a recent visit to the American Museum of Natural History, was at the IMAX film, Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure.

Afterwards, it made sense to look for the fossilized remains of prehistoric marine inhabitants as we toured the museum. 

In the Lizards & Snakes: Alive! exhibit we found a marine monster within the largest order of  reptiles, Squamata.  Later, we found even larger specimens on the Dinosaur Floor.

Once again, digital media helped us discover interesting exhibit items while giving us the story behind the visual display.

Digital Learning Field Trip Resource List -

Many field trip destinations maintain a website with resources for Educators and Families; however, you don’t have to limit your search to the specific place that you intend to visit.

Often, you can find fabulous ideas and resources on the websites of similar destinations in other parts of the country.

For a real, or virtual, trip to the art museum:

NGA Classroom - From the National Gallery, this amazing resource connects art and curriculum by offering a database that can be searched by Curriculum Subjects, Topics, or Artists.  Example: online interactive unit on Art & Ecology.

Explore and Learn - Downloadable publications for educators, online activities, and fun projects from the Metropolitan Museum.  These will enrich any study of ancient through modern history.  Example: Visit The Tomb of Perneb when studying Ancient Egypt.

The Huntington - Art lesson plans, images, and other resources for learning about art.  Some of these art-related lessons can be used at any art museum, while the online materials could be used anywhere. Example: PDF lesson plan on The Poetry of Art.

 NGA Kids - Printable family guides to exhibits at the National Gallery and a beautifully vivid Art Zone where you can make interactive art online.

Cell Phone Tour -  Listen to architect I.M. Pei  discuss the importance of sculpture in relation to his architecture.

For a real, or virtual, trip to a science museum:

Resources For Learning from the American Museum of Natural History - Educator’s Guides, Online Games, and a database of science topics, that can be searched by sub-topic, grade level, or resource type.  Example: Check out the Special Collections on The Horse, Snakes & Lizards Alive!, and Water.

National Geographic On Sea Monsters - Videos, Fun Activities, Lesson Plans, Wallpapers, and Photos.  You can find more science resources from National Geographic on National Geographic Kids and the Home Page.

Think Science! Pathways - Lesson plans on Space, Light and Sound, and Test Flight from the California Science Center.

Teacher Resources, with curriculum connections, and Resources For Students, with online games and science fair resources, from the Ontario Science Center with a link to great General Science Web Links.

For a real, or virtual, trip to the zoo:

Shutterbugs On Safari - Downloadable camera-based exploration program that can be used at any zoo or animal park.

San Diego Zoo Education - Curriculum, Classroom Kits, and Activities that can be used in, and out, of the zoo.

Bronx Zoo Educator Resources - Lesson Plans, Interactive Online Activities, and Zoo Activities.

National Zoo Activity Sheets - Although these activity sheets were created to be used at the National Zoo, they can be used at any zoo, or for an online scavenger hunt.

Related articles:

Journals and the Flip Video on Travel Learning: The Art of Observation.

Find more science links on Love Bugs: Learning About The Natural World.

Links to free audio books on Wired On The Road.

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Tagged as: Audio Book, Audio Guide, Digital Learning, Digital Photography, Field Trip, Home School, Imax, video