Field Trip Ideas

Hardware Store

  • Visit a hardware store. Walk around the many aisles. Encourage children to name some of the materials, tools, and machines they see. Prompt them to tell you how and where each item is used.
  • If possible, purchase some items to use in your classroom, such as sand, tiles, goggles, and hard hats. Encourage children to suggest possible items to purchase. Look for small pieces of material or scraps, which are often available at a discounted price. Take photos, if possible.
  • Have children page through the printed catalog of a hardware or home improvement store, or look on the web page of an online catalog. Have children discuss the photographs. Have them cut out pictures from print catalogs and make their own tool catalog to use during dramatic play.

Construction Site

  • Observe a construction site or roadwork crew. Even though children might not be allowed inside the actual site, they can observe it from designated areas around its perimeter. Even from a distance, children will be able to experience construction using all their senses.
  • Encourage children to name some of the materials, tools, and machines they see. Prompt them to tell you how and where each item is used.
  • Discuss what is being built or repaired and what needs to be done before the project is finished. Take photos, if possible.
  • Have children draw what they saw at the construction site. If you can, return at a later date to check on the progress of the construction.