Field Trips in Early Childhood Settings: Expanding the Walls of the Classroom

Abstract

The above thoughts were shared by a 4-year-old following a field trip to a local bakery. The trip was part of exploring the process to make bread. The children in this classroom had previously ground wheat berries in a mill to make flour, sifted the flour, researched yeast on the Internet, and followed a recipe to bake the bread before sharing it with their families during a classroom luncheon. During this time they expanded upon language and ideas during dramatization of "The Little Red Hen" as their awareness of wheat and making bread from seed to table took on personal meaning. For a field trip to be successful for young children, it must be meaningful—in terms of their own knowledge and inquiry skills. Field trips embrace and expand what is meaningful in the classroom community (Lisowski & Disnger, 1991). Field trips can expand children's concepts of the world around them (Feeney, 1994; Saul, 1993; Skrupskelis, 1990). Lucy Mitchell, one of the pioneers of early childhood education, considered the field trip to be a vital part of the social studies program (Mitchell,