Do American kids go on field trips...?

Question

Do American kids in public schools go on field trips to museums, zoos, aquariums, or historical sites? Do parents come a long as chaperones? If they do, how often do they go? Where do they go--specifically--do you know of a place school kids in your area go to on field trips? I was just curious because I never see big groups of kids out places on field trips here.

Answer 1

Yes, American kids go on field trips to zoos, museums, etc. And yes, some parents go as chaperones.

Most field trips are within the USA but sometimes, groups go to other countries too. Italian clubs may go to Italy, etc.

Answer 2

Yes, I have a 5 yr old daughter that just started kindergarten. This is the 4th week of school and she's already sceduled for a field trip in October. There going to the "Creative Discovery Museam". Usually grade school kids go on field trips 2 or 3 times a year. High school and middle school kids usually dont have field trips unless it's for a special project.

Answer 3

Go to nearly any zoo, aquarium, museum or park on a weekday during the school year and you will be overrun with squealing little kids. In the L.A. area, Los Angeles Zoo, Aquarium of the Pacific, and the Children's Museum all are packed with kids on any given weekday (usually in the mornings). Maybe you are going to these places on the weekends or in the afternoons? Most field trips take place in the mornings so the kids can get back to school by the end of a regular school day. YES.. parents do go along on the trips as chaperones! Most classes take at least one field trip a year - some go 3 to 4 times a year.

Answer 4

Schools here have cut back on field trips. My daughter is in 3rd grade and has probably only gone on maybe 6 field trips. 2 of those were to the fire station. They've gone to an animal exhibit and the local museum. They've never been to a zoo, large museum or anything of significance. It's sad really. It's not just a "day off" for kids. It's a chance to get out of the classroom and explore. I saw so many cool things as a kid. So, in off time, I try to make up for what the school lacks. We take days and just go off someplace for her to learn new things.

Answer 5

Usually parents go on field trips. Enough parents so that there are 4 children for each adult. I worked at a school where there were 2 field trips a year. The first was the Kinderkoncert which was put on by the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and the other was The St Louis Zoo.

Answer 6

Many public schools have cut back on school-day field trips because
a) they are expensive,
b) transportation must be arranged, usually by district busses due to contracts with drivers and liability issues,
c) chaperones must all be background checked which is time-consuming (don't want to send a parent who's also a sex offender off with a group of kids),
d) they take time away from subjects covered on standardized tests.

HOWEVER, more and more daycares and after-school programs are picking up the slack.
I worked in a school district-sponsored elementary after-school program, and we went on field trips once a month or more. Every 3rd Friday we'd take 30-50 kids to the YMCA to swim, with 2-4 adult leaders to supervise the kids in the locker rooms and around the pool. Once a quarter or so, we'd visit another school for a special program or presentation, like a drama class play or a visit from the "Reptile Guy," or we'd visit someplace of local significance like a fishery or wildlife preserve. Every two months we would have a "reading adventure" where everyone in the school tracked their reading minutes and those who met a certain goal and met classroom behavior standards got invited to a themed Saturday field trip, chaperoned by a combination of paid staff and parent volunteers. We went places like Fort Clatsop where Lewis and Clark spent the winter, an aviation museum, the zoo, the beach, and around town to look at holiday displays and have hot chocolate and stories with "Santa" at a local mansion-turned-venue.

Answer 7

Yes, American school children go all those places and more. I teach P.E. and we go bowling, swimming, and to a golf course to introduce lifetime activities that are not easy to teach in elementary schools. My son will be taking a 3 day field trip to an island off the coast of Georgia to study the wildlife and ecosystems. Parents are often asked to go, I know some teachers that don't take field trips b/c they can't get parents to help.

Answer 8

I teach second grade and we go quite frequently--to museums, historical places, concerts, plays.

We do get parent volunteers to go along as chaperones.

My kids also go on a number of field trips.

My personal experience is with Catholic schools. But I also know from other parents and fellow teachers that the public schools in my area (New England) go on frequent field trips.

Answer 9

Yes, I have been on a lot of field trips with my child. Zoo, Parks, plays etc. The teachers usually send out a letter asking if any parents that would like to come along to contact them. In the school year they only go once maybe twice at the most. they kids really enjoy it.

Answer 10

Yes kids go on field trips. Parents usually come along as chaperones and I have seen them go a couple of times a year to the zoo or a musem, or some place of interest.