The world is currently facing an unprecedented time for school trips. With some uncertainty, going on the same trip as previous years with your class might be unlikely and designing an alternative trip can be challenging. With certain restrictions in place and potential unease from parents, staying closer to home may seem a more desirable option than trying to plan your normal school trip abroad.
What are the benefits?
But what can students gain from doing a school trip in their “backyards?” More often than not, most people choose to travel far on vacations and during their free time over travelling to closer areas, or even in their own countries. Quite a few students have probably never travelled to areas just a two hours’ drive from them. It’s sometimes the places closest to us that can be the most foreign.
Aside from the knowledge gained from academic topic the trip is based on, students also have an opportunity to improve soft skills. Courage, teamwork, character, and “thinking outside the box,” are just a few of the skills that students can gain from a camping trip or ropes course. A stronger sense of nationalism can be developed by showing students their neighborhood historical monuments or having them hear first-hand from a town “celebrity.” The gains from home school trips are endless.
The world is just on the other side of your classroom window.
It’s not just the soft skills that home field trips offer though. The world can be brought to students almost anywhere. Trips to companies, universities, parks, mountains, lakes, and NGOs allow students to observe and experience their textbook lessons in action. Home class trips allow students to make connections between what they are learning in the classroom and how the knowledge is applied without giving you the hassle of booking hotels and purchasing flight/train tickets. The only trick to designing such a successful academic trip close to home is just knowing what you would like the students to learn and experience and letting The Learning Adventure do the rest.
Class trips to areas close to your school or students are just as valuable as trips abroad and offer more benefits. These trips are usually cheaper, satisfy travel restrictions, and give teachers and parents less anxiety. The world really is only a few kilometers away from your classroom window. Even now, it is still possible to explore it.
The Learning Adventure is a pioneer in educational travel.
As a pioneer in educational travel, The Learning Adventure has years of experience in organizing successful home academic trips under a range of circumstances. Contact us to learn about the types of home trips most suitable for your class and school and how we will bring the world to your students.
