Field trips are a fun way to add that special note to your homeschooling. When there is some safety concern or physical disability you need to plan ahead, but you can still do it!
Recently we went to the zoo. The kids had a blast. We needed to think ahead and anticipate the worst.
1.Take all medications with you. Don’t get caught on the far side of the park without your child’s inhaler.
2. Call ahead. Ask what would happen if there was a medical emergency? What would happen if my sutistic child ran away? Depending on where you are going the questions change.
3.Does your child need a monitor? This is a dicey subject but think carefully. Is your child prone to running away? Can they respond to rescuers? A monitor used for the field trip may be a useful tool. There are monitor avialable in many states now for free. There are also private products that have a smaller range but are affective as well.
4.Prep your child. Do worksheets or read themed books for the coming trip. This will prepare them to understand more of what they see. Making the trip less overwhelming and more enjoyable.
5. If you are going on a large trip consider a babysitter. Strange thing for a homeschooling parent to say… I meant to go WITH you. I had the pleasure of camping with a family that had several small children. The mother and father had several long term obligations with the camp but still wanted their children to come along and enjoy. The babysitter came along and would watch the children when needed. For the rest of the time she got a vacation as well. fun!
6.Don’t build your expectations to high. I have a boy with asperger’s he would get “set off” by the strangest things. I began getting very discouraged because he would have these rages when I suggested a trip or we tried something different. I was taking his autistic behavior personally. I expected him to behave like a normal peer. That was not physically possible for him. I made my expectations more inline with his abilities. As the rages subsided we were able to do more outside his comfort zone.
I hope you are encouraged to add more trips to your homeschooling journey!
Loving the sun and the tigers!