How to Offer Homeschool Field Trips the Virtual Way
I love a good field trip! Field trips have been a staple of homeschools for many years. Field trips can be one of the best ways to broaden learning and open up minds to more knowledge, and possibilities. That’s the fun thing, because it’s during a field trip that a child can see beyond what they know to think about what might be possible.
For example, we recently toured Mt. Rushmore. When we were walking through the museum we discovered that President Thomas Jefferson had expansive knowledge. In addition to being the author of the Declaration of Independence, he was also was an horticulturist, philosopher, mathematician, and architect. My son, has long wanted to become an architect, he’s never wavered from that desire. Yet, he’s often commented that he’d also like to be a doctor, historian, and other professions.
When he read that President Jefferson was all of those things, he turned to me and said;
“That means that I can be an Architect AND President!”
That’s what I mean by possibilities. Field trips open up a child’s mind to something that could be possible that they’ve perhaps never considered before. But, the reality is I can’t afford to take my son on multiple field trips each month. Plus, the time it takes to hop in the car, make the drive and then the time getting back home after the trip make it hard to get other schooling in. So, sadly, we often skip field trips.
This post is a sponsored review post. I am being fairly compensated for my time in reviewing, and writing this post. I’ve received access to the Homeschool FieldTripZoom for free in exchange for this honest review. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links to 3rd party sites that may result in paid compensation.
That’s why I was thrilled to discover FieldTripZoom. This is an excellent way to incorporate an incredible amount of field trips into your homeschool. And,the coolest part is you don’t even have to leave your home. There are over 250 live streaming events from 90 providers each year. These field trips cover a wide-array of fields of study, from music to science, history to art and is for all ages K through 12. Best of all, the entire family can watch and participate.
How the Homeschool FieldTripZoom Field Trips work:
- You need internet access and a device for viewing.
- You subscribe to FieldTripZoom Homeschool Educational Services for just $49.95 and get a one-year subscription. Be sure to see below for an exclusive discount for GPA readers.
(that means you can take as many virtual field trips as you’d like for an entire year.) - Select the field trips you want your family to participate in and click BOOK to register. They’ll send you a confirmation and then you’ll get a reminder on the day of the event.
- Management Note: I also added the trips to my Google Calendar. Then I could see it inside my online Homeschool Planner because I have those calendars synced. Then I could easily add it to my son’s daily schedule.
- On the day of the event, you’ll get an email reminder 1 hour in advance of the event. They’ll send you the link to follow, so it couldn’t be easier for your kids to participate.
Easy Field Trips from Home
It’s so simple! Really! Even if you weren’t home by adding the link to your child’s digital lesson plan for the day, or sending them the link via email, they can simply click the link and automatically be connected to the event.
Maybe you are thinking, ok so it sounds affordable, but how does it really work? I mean, you can’t tour a museum in a half hour or hour via a remote connection, right?
Well, yes, that’s true, but you can get exclusive access to a discussion about a historical topic, or watch science experiments happening live at museums, science centers, and historical parks all over the country. Some of the museums bring out collections of artifacts that they show in the Zoom, that are never on display for the public. Isn’t that so cool?
These virtual field trips are live streaming and interactive. The presenter can ask questions and within the meeting connection offer the viewers a questionnaire. The attendees then choose which answer they believe to be correct based upon what was discussed in the presentation. Additionally, viewers can chat with each other, or not, depending on how you as the parent want your kids to interact. Separately there is an option to send a question or comment directly to the presenter without all the viewers seeing your child’s questions.
You know what… that really makes me feel comfortable letting my son login to view these presentations! I know I can turn off the chat feature and still let him interact with the presentation and I can rest assured that he’s safe.
Some Field Trips Coming up in December
Often each topic is presented 2 or 3 times so you can choose the time that works best for your family. Also, watch for the age/grade range because sometimes presentations are offered for younger kids and a different presentation for older kids.
- From Horse to Wheels: The rise of mechanization in the military – presented by First Division Museum at Cantigny Park
- How WWII rationing changed our dinner table – presented by National Churchill Museum
- A Day That Will Live in Infamy: America Goes to War – presented by The National D-Day Memorial
- The Need for Innovation: How Technology Innovation Impacted World War II – presented by Pima Air and Space Museum
- Alaska’s Amazing Skates! – presented by Alaska Sea Life Center
- Sharks Alive – presented by Mote Marine Laboratory
- Exploring the Scientific Method and the Wright Brothers First Flight – presented by Prima Air and Space Museum
225th Anniversary of the Bill of Rights
- Bill of Rights – presented by Newseum
Best of all, these field trips can happen from the comfort of your own home, or grandma’s house, or even in the car if you need to. Since, they happen at home, you can totally show up in your pajamas and no one would even know. They can be viewed anywhere that you have an internet connection and a device that allows video viewing.
Special FieldTripZoom Discount for Great Peace Academy Readers
How cool is this? You can get 10% off 2016/2017 FieldTripZoom Zone Pass by using my exclusive coupon code: 01344 but hurry the code expires on December 31, 2016
Connect with FieldTripZoom Online
Want to stay up-to-date on all the fun field trip offerings from FieldTripZoom? Be sure to follow them on your favorite social media network
- Or, subscribe to their YouTube Channel, to watch some of their recorded presentations.
The coolest thing homeschool mammas is that because we live in a digital age we have more possibilities available to us. We are no longer limited by distance, and budgets are made so much easier when we can purchase access to a wide host of events for just a small fee.
Remember it’s $49.95 for a 1 year subscription. Even if you only did 1 zoom per month, that would be just a little over $4 per event, and that’s for ALL your kids. Oh and don’t forget with my exclusive code you save 10%!
What do you think? Are you ready to expand your homeschooling into virtual field trips?
You May Also Like
You May Also Like
Ohio Homeschooling Guide & Directory
Take the Fear Out of College Prep with Online Homeschool Courses
