Houghton Mifflin PRE-K

Field Trip Ideas

Visit a local television weather station to see computers and maps and to meet a weather forecaster.
Prior to your visit, watch television weather reports or consult computer weather forecasts with children. Talk about how communities learn about the weather and why we need to know about it. With the children's help, list questions to ask the weather forecaster.
During your visit, have children observe the machines and equipment the forecasters use. Consult your list of questions. Take photos, if possible.
Following your trip, have children draw pictures of machines, maps, and other items they observed. Perhaps they can take turns acting as forecaster during the theme.

Plan a trip to an apple orchard or pumpkin patch. Before you go, ask children who have been to similar locations to share their experiences. Discuss what children will see there, including the terms “harvest” and “crop.”
While visiting, have children note the tools and equipment they see. Have them notice the jobs people are doing there. Encourage them to compare the sizes of pumpkins or the colors of apples. Remind them to look at the trees or vines to see how the apples or pumpkins are attached. Have children hold various apples and pumpkins to compare their weights.
Notice other fruits or vegetables that are sold at this location. Take photos, if possible. Bring back apples or pumpkins for the classroom, as well as vines, cornhusks, and other natural materials children can use later.
In the classroom, discuss items children observed on the trip. Ask them if they saw anything that they did not expect to see. Have them use the apples or pumpkins to reenact their visit, and then eat the apples or use them (or the pumpkins) in a recipe.