FIELD TRIP PLANNING: A Step-by-Step Guide to Make Memories Without the Stress
- Rebecca DiBuono
- Jan 25
- 5 min read
Planning a field trip can be a daunting task, especially for those that have never planned before or under new leadership and therefor following different protocol. In this blog post, I hope to alleviate some of the planning anxiety with a step-by-step guide and tips along the way as I guide you through our most recent trip to the Florida Aquarium in Tampa.
Site Selection
When choosing a site for a field trip, I look for a location that is balanced between fun and educational. As per most districts, field trips must have at least one standard tied to the activities. In our case, we chose the Florida Aquarium in Tampa. This location supported the learning within our science curriculum of the study of animals, their environment, and adaptations. Luckily, our reading curriculum also featured a unit about classifying animals based on their attributes.
Budget Creation & Paperwork
This information was used to create a budget with itemized costs for transportation, admission, food, and possible additions. We also set a limit for students to bring money for the gift shop. Based on the total budget and estimated amount of students that will attend the trip, a cost per student and per chaperone can be calculated. In order to make this process easier and to keep track of counts for attendance, lunches, chaperones, and room assignments, use Google Sheets.
As with many district policies and procedures, appropriate paperwork must be completed with approvals. All conversations and contact with transportation and the field trip site need to be documented. This is also the perfect time to prepare your field trip forms with the required district forms that families need to complete (liability waivers and insurance information). Additionally, team members need to submit a leave of absence with no substitute needed and collect chaperone documentation.
Permission Forms
Once the field trip has been approved and a budget created, it's time to write information letters and permission forms. These are to be paired with any additional forms required by the school or district. For example, within my district, it is required that each student submit the district consent and liability form with attached health insurance in case of any emergencies while students are off campus.
Additional information for chaperones is also provided at this time. A lot of field trip sites will offer free admission for adults based on a ratio of adults per student. Keep this in mind for the total grade/group count to determine how many adults need to be paid. As a tip, keep the chaperone price at least the same amount as student pricing in order to offset students that are not attending and to pay for additional adults.
One of the most important pieces of planning a field trip is keeping consistent communication with families through multiple channels. On the same day that permission forms are sent home, email/message families to check student take-home folders and highlight the return deadline. After the initial sending of permission forms, send frequent reminders to families to ensure that all students are accounted for by the deadline.
PRO TIP: Send reminders on bright colored paper -- I like to use yellow -- in student folders or as bracelets for students to wear home.
Team Folders
Since I am the team lead for my grade level, I took primary responsibility for our first field trip of the year. To ensure that each member was organized and received the necessary materials, I created folders. Each folder consisted of trackers for student permission forms and lunches, chaperone lists, group assignments, room assignments for students remaining at school, student emergency contacts, and a class set of permission form packets and reminders.
In addition to the team folders, a Google Sheet was created to track student permissions, chaperones, and lunches. With the automatic calculation, we were able to communicate effectively with one another, the cafeteria, bookkeeper, and front office staff.
Day-of Logistics
In the week prior to the field trip, begin preparing your team. To make sure that everyone was on the same page, I wrote "The Plan" and described necessary tasks that needed to be completed and important information for the day. This included making copies of permission forms for the front office, dropping off and picking up coolers for lunches from the cafeteria, and bus assignments for each class. Along with "The Plan", team members received a sign out sheet for students to document parent pick-up since we would be arriving back at the school after dismissal.
The day before the field trip, reminders were sent to families informing them of behavior expectations, arrival/departure timeline, uniform information (a school shirt and sneakers), and approved items for the trip. Additional information was shared with adults participating as chaperones including arrival time and personal contact information in case of emergency.
The next morning, we were ready to go! Students arrived with pure excitement ― most of them had never been to an aquarium before. When all chaperones arrived, I gave them their groupings and ensured that each had a way of contacting me. They were also given a rough schedule for the day; however, most of the day was free exploration time.
Post-Trip Follow Up
Typically, field trip sites and transportation companies will deliver a final receipt. In order to account for additional payments or possible refunds, all documentation is turned in to the bookkeeper immediately. Any final paperwork, such as student sign out sheets, are submitted to conclude the field trip.
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can best be judged by the way its animals are treated." - Mahatma Gandhi
The following day, I sent a thank you to the team members and chaperones for their hard work and making sure that the day was a memorable experience for our students. Leading with compassion is a foundational pillar in my leadership philosophy, so I frequently remind teachers on my team that their commitment and dedication to our students is deeply appreciated and to continue striving for excellence as a united group.
Memories Are Forever
I hope this step-by-step guide has provided you with the guidance and confidence needed to ease the stress of planning a successful field trip. By following these tips and strategies, you can create an enriching experience for your group that fosters learning and adventure. I encourage you to share your own field trip tips and favorite destinations in the comments below. Your insights could help others in the planning process and contribute to a community of shared experiences. Happy planning!
FIELD TRIP RESOURCES AND FORMS
Are you finding yourself excited to plan a field trip, but have no idea where to
begin? This resource has everything you need to make the best field trip experience for your students, parents, and teachers!
Each section of this product has a divider cover page and description page that covers resources and forms to assist in planning a field trip. For best use, choose a one- or one and a half inch binder to organize all the resources for future use.
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