I declare that I am still the Queen of Crazy Field Trips. Kids’ Day at the Fair was an absolute blast! My students had such an awesome time even if they had to endure the 30-mph crawl there since I’m not exactly the most confident driver. Once there, they got to go on rides, play games, pet all kinds of animals (including a kangaroo), eat a free hotdog lunch, and get a stuffed animal.
It was also great just to see all kinds of kids with all different exceptionalities have an opportunity just to be kids and to do things they may not have a chance to do otherwise. All the people who worked the rides that day, coordinated the parking, and handed out food were all volunteers who wanted to make the day special for students with exceptionalities. It was moving to see the community really come together and embrace our students.
Let me tell you, I was pooped by the end of the day, but my kids got on their buses with the hugest smiles and that made it all worth it.
Take a look!
Barely holding in the excitement
the paparazzi — a.k.a. Ms. Chang
I can't wait to be able to take students on field trips. Since I've been at the school I've been thinking of different ways to incorporate outside trips into curriculum. There are many different ways to engage the students rather just sitting in the classroom even if it's taking a walk outside of the school. This seems like a very cool day for your students.
Posted by: Alyse | November 28, 2011 at 05:02 PM
Very nice! The kids looked like they really enjoyed the trip. These types of things are great for the kids because it gives them something to look forward to and motivation to keep moving forward.
Posted by: Jesse James | November 28, 2011 at 12:05 AM
That looks like it was fun! We recently took a group of students to the STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) summit which involved the kids experiencing different presentations about jobs and activities in those areas. The students were supposed to complete a (slightly difficult) scavenger hunt with the experience, but knowing our students functioning level, I skipped the hunt so that they could explore! Not everything was relevant, but it did not matter. My students saw things they've never seen before, took home some cool things, and asked questions. The best way to learn is to ask questions, so I believe that this was an education trip for them, wether they completed that hunt or not. Trips are a multi-sensory experience for students and so provide the best learning experience. Also, they are the most memorable. Keep up the trips!
Posted by: Alyssa | November 17, 2011 at 04:10 PM
Looks like you had a great time with your students. It's always great to incorporate your students into field trips. Also, it gives them a different way to learn about what is being taught in the classroom. This is also a great way to show the community how well behaved your students are while out of the classroom.
Posted by: Rachael | November 15, 2011 at 07:44 PM
This post just made me smile! I love the pictures, the idea, love it! I am glad the whole thing came together and that everyone had a blast.
Posted by: Ashley | November 14, 2011 at 07:48 PM
Looking at all the pictures, it looks like you all had a lot of fun! I hope that when I am a teacher I am able to take special trips like you do. I feel like it would brighten the students day to be able to go out and see what they can do no matter their disability. I am able to go out with my students to the local grocery stores, bowling, parks, and etc.. However, I feel like going to more interesting and fun activities other than very focused of transition would be exciting too. I feel that the school I am is very focused on transition and its needed, but we need to have some fun along with learning too. I hope to see more pictures about your field trips for future use!
Posted by: Kathleen | November 14, 2011 at 06:05 PM
I'm so glad you have been able to take your students on field trips. When I think back to elementary and middle school, so many of those memories are from the trips we took. Most of us don't remember daily classroom lessons and practicing skills, but field trips seem to stick with us forever! It's sad when I see schools putting aside these invaluable experiences to focus on "more critical" things. On field trips, students not only get the opportunity to learn new concepts, but also the chance to practice life skills, such as how to interact in the community. I hope to be able to get my students out of the classroom as much as possible so they can have the same memorable experiences I had.
Posted by: Karyssa | November 13, 2011 at 10:15 PM
That seems like such a fun field trip. I am so glad that it was a success and that your children had such a great time. I strongly believe that field trips are important because they allow for hands on experience, as well as provide a different forum for learning. They are activities that many children enjoy, and I think that children with special needs should enjoy field trips as well.
I worked with a summer school program a couple of years ago through my local school district. I assisted two teachers in taking students on various outings in the community. They went mini golfing, they went shopping at the mall, and they went to a baseball game. This class went hand in hand with another one that instructed on various social skills and how to act when out in public. Through these trips, the children were able to put their lessons into practice. This was a great way to expand on their learning, and allow them to get out of the classroom.
When I become a teacher I will implement field trips for my students because I know the positive benefits that can be gained from this. I think I may be a bit nervous at first because it is a huge responsibility to take on, but, because I think that field trips are essential to well-rounded instruction, I will overcome my fears and worry. Hopefully through my field trips, my students can learn in a new way and experience many new things.
Thank you for providing me with a great field trip idea.
Posted by: Leighann | November 13, 2011 at 02:15 PM
@Alysha We were able to all fit in 1 minivan. I currently only have 4 students who are in my room the majority of the day.
Posted by: allisence | November 12, 2011 at 09:53 PM
I'm so glad your trip went well. It sounds like your students had a really good time. I never thought to look into the community for opportunities like that, I will make sure to do so when I have my own classroom. I really like that all of the volunteers were people who wanted to make sure your students had the best experience possible. I can't believe they got all that free stuff!! Were you able to fit all your students into one van or did you need to take another?
Posted by: Alysha | November 12, 2011 at 07:49 PM
I am glad to hear that your field trip was so much fun for you and your students. Like I said before I love field trips but they are a lot work. A field trip is a lot work before you go because you have to plan everything and then once you get there they can be a lot of work too. At the end of the semester, my class is taking a Christmas life skills field trip. We are going to a water park and then going out to lunch. I am really excited about this because there are some students that need to learn how to act in public and it is really great that we get to start so young and practice before the students are out in the real world.
Posted by: Megan | November 12, 2011 at 02:34 PM
I am glad your field trip was such a success! It is awesome that there were so many volunteers from the community to make this possible! We definitely need to make sure that we are getting our students out in the community to learn appropriate social skills in different settings. It is also a good experience for people without disabilities to get involved and work with these students so that they can accept and appreciate them for how truly awesome they are!
Posted by: Kayla | November 11, 2011 at 06:42 PM
Thanks for sharing this field trip experience with us! It looks and sounds like your students had a great day being at the fair. It must feel like a great accomplishment to get your students out into the community so they can see and experience different aspects of life (animals, rides, community members) that they may not get to experience otherwise. Field trips also help students learn how to behave and act in a public setting. I am sure you were exhausted at the end of the day, but it sounds like you work hard to make your students happy! I guess that is what teachers do, because we want the best for our students! I think you have worked really hard to make these field trips happen for your students, so congratulations on your 'Kids Day at the Fair' field trip! Good luck on your future field trips!
Posted by: Courtney | November 09, 2011 at 08:32 PM
Oh This Looks So Fun!!!! I smiled the whole time I looked at the pictures. It's awesome that these students got to expereience field trips that didn't include a muesum but they still got to bring home souvenirs to show what they did. The pictures are a great way to get parents to see that they learn on these "crazy" field trips instead of just saying "oh yeah they learned about these animals". These types of field trips also encourage the kids to keep coming back to learn more - whether it's in the classroom or another field trip later on. It gets them excited and curious of what is to come later on in their education career!
Nice Work!
Posted by: Janine Stanton | November 09, 2011 at 09:44 AM
Thank you for sharing pictures from the field trip! It looks like it was so much fun for you and the students! I think it was great to hear about the community. I am glad they were comfortable and the community had a great time working with the students with exceptionalities also!It is sad how other peoples reactions to those who may be viewed as being different can make or break their experience.It looks like being queen of crazy field trips has really paid off, if the students have a lot of fun and enjoy their day that's all that matters. If you can get the students out into the community and make more hands on learning experiences, overall I feel the students will learn better or gain a better understanding of what they learned. They can even see field trips as something fun or a reward for working hard. All of the ways a student may view a field trip is great, as long as they learn and have a fun time learning. Feel free to keep sharing about your field trips! they give me so many great ideas and I love seeing the pictures of their experiences, it really looks like they had an amazing time!
Posted by: Carissa | November 09, 2011 at 09:20 AM
That looks like so much fun! Just from looking at those pictures you posted it put a smile on my face. It was really heart warming to here that the people who were working that day were all volunteers! It is nice to hear of a community who will pull together and do fun things like this for other in the community. I'm glad to hear that you and your students had such a wonderful time!
Posted by: Caitlin | November 08, 2011 at 06:38 PM