5 Reason to Plan a Farm Field Trip for Your Students
Teaching kids in a classroom is a challenge. Even if you can get your students to listen and pay attention, it’s always hard to get them to see how your lessons connect to the real world. Farm field trips are an unbeatable way to relate the subjects you’re teaching with the outside world. When visiting a farm, kids will learn how their experiences in math, science, and geography classes relate to a real-life career.
This article highlights 5 great reasons why your next school field trip should be to a farm.
1. For Hands-On Experience
One great reason to take kids on a farm field trip is because of the hands-on experience they’ll get. While schools do what they can to give kids practical experience, nothing can match the real experience you get from farm activities.
One complaint that children often have about their education is that what they learn doesn’t connect to the real world. A farm field trip gives students the chance to understand how they can apply the things they’ve learned to a real situation.
For example, kids can see their knowledge from biology classes put into practice when they see how an egg incubator works. They can also see real-world examples of mathematics in action when they look at things like the number of eggs laid by hens.
Many of the lessons that kids have to do in modern education are abstract and theoretical, so getting some real-world, hands-on experience is a great change of pace.
Hands-on experience is a great way to facilitate learning. Kids will engage with their studies more and ask the kinds of questions they would never think of in a classroom setting.
2. The Experience of Farm Staff Compliments That of Teachers
Another great thing about farm field trips is that the farm staff have a lot of practical knowledge to teach the kids. Teachers tend to have a lot of theoretical and abstract knowledge, but they lack experience putting that knowledge into practice.
With farm staff, it’s the exact opposite. This means that on a farm field trip, farm staff and teachers’ knowledge and expertise can synergize. This allows kids to “connect the dots” between the subjects they learn at school and how they can apply those subjects out in the “real world.”
A common complaint from school kids is that the things they learn in school do not apply to the “real world”. A farm trip could involve a lot of educational activities for kids that show them the real value of the skills they’ve learned.
If you want students to be successful, you must illustrate the link between what they learn in the classroom and post-school success. Students may become much more motivated to learn when they see first hand how they could put their knowledge into practice.
3. Studies Show Field Trips Increase Grades
The modern education system is very results-oriented. Parents, teachers, and the administration all want to see kids get the best grades possible. The good news is that a farm field trip could help your kids perform better.
Studies have shown that going on field trips is linked with better performance on tests. Kids all learn in different ways, but the teaching methods in a classroom only set up a certain kind of student for success.
Going on a field trip and relating the trip to subjects like math and science enables kids who don’t learn so well in a classroom to understand the material a little better.
After a class has gone on a field trip, you will likely find that certain students’ grades will noticeably improve.
4. Farm Field Trips Promote Appreciation of Nature
It’s well known that spending time in nature is good for both mental and physical health. It’s also a sad fact that many kids are almost totally disconnected from their relationship with nature.
Going on a field trip to a farm is a great way for kids to experience their connection with the natural world first-hand. For some students (particularly those from an inner-city), this kind of field trip might be their first chance to see animals like cows, pigs, and chickens.
A trip to a farm can facilitate the growth of a child’s sense of self, as they make sense of their relation to the wider natural world.
5. Students Learn More About the World of Work
One of the big issues with school is that it doesn’t really teach students what it’s like to make a living. When many kids graduate school and go into the world of work, they are shocked at how it all works.
Going on a field trip to a farm gives students the chance to experience how making a living really goes. Teaching children about the value of hard work in a classroom setting is all well and good, but it’s difficult to drive the message home.
When visiting a farm, students will experience what hard work is and how working hard can benefit you. A field trip to a farm is an excellent way to start a conversation with students about what sort of career they want to do when they finish school.
Book Your Trip Today
If you want to book a trip that your students won’t forget, you can’t go wrong with a farm field trip. A trip to a farm is a great way to apply your lessons to the real world and get your kids to think in new ways.
A farm trip is great for your students’ educational journey. It’s also a fun day for students and teachers alike. If you’re ready to book your farm field trip, look at our website for more information. We hope to see you and your students on the farm at some point in the future!
