Over 50 AWESOME Fun, Free, & Cheap Field Trip Ideas for Homeschoolers!

I remember one of the best parts of attending public school as a child were the Field Trip days! As soon as the permission slips were sent home, the excitement set in and the countdown was on! Would we be riding in a school bus? Would we carpool? Would we be back for lunch and afternoon recess? Would we get to go home early that day? Such fun memories!

And then the school budgets were cut and funding for ‘extra’ things like field trips was tossed out the window. I remember as an elementary teacher the dread I felt in having to tell my students that there would be no field trips that year or we could only afford to take a trip to the neighborhood park.

There is so much for kids (and adults) to learn in the world outside of just reading text books and the classroom environment. There are so many rich and exciting adventures to be had and memories to be made!

I think one of the best things I love about homeschooling (and about us being independent unschoolers), is that literally every single day has the chance to be an awesome Field Trip day! Kids interested in tide pools? Head to the nearest beach! Kids love reading about mummies? Check out your local museums! Kids never heard of people eating squid or octopus? Head to the nearest Asian market!

The important thing to remember is that a “Field Trip” does not have to just be a ‘tie-in’ to what is found in required grade-level curriculum. It can be anything that fosters new knowledge, sparks curiosity, explores real-life learning, prompts kids to ask questions, inspires personal growth, fuels passion about a subject…..anything!

Here are 50 AWESOME Fun, Cheap, & Free Field Trip Ideas for homeschoolers – Or anyone!

RESTAURANTS – Kids love to go out to eat, so getting to see how their favorite eatery works is so much fun! We loved touring one of our local In-N-Out restaurants. The tour was free and the kids got a behind the scenes look at the prep kitchen (the french fry machine, the produce being chopped), receiving room (massive crates of farm fresh potatoes and onions), and the burger grilling area. And, after the tour, the kids were all treated to a free meal!

TIP: The cost and educational offerings may vary greatly. Some places may offer a cooking demo or allow kids to make their own meal. One of our local pizzerias offers a tour where kids can make their own personal pizza for $5. A local snow cone shop does tours that include a real snowball fight and a snow cone for $10.

WHERE: Stop in to your favorite fast food joint, chain restaurant, ice cream parlor, sandwich shop, donut shop, or Mom & Pop coffee shop and ask about tours. A visit to an ethnic restaurant (think Chinese, Vietnamese, Philipino, Japanese, Mexican, Italian, Moroccan, Indian, etc.) would make for a great cultural experience!

MUSEUMS – We live in Southern California and there are so many awesome museums to explore – everything from art to science to space to natural history! We also soon discovered that museum admissions can be awfully pricey, so we looked into purchasing a “museum pass” that included unlimited admissions to nearly 20 venues. Just a couple of visits has more than paid for the cost of the pass!

TIP: Look online to see if there are any museums in your area that offer ‘homeschool’ days or participate in city-wide free museum days where admission is free for kids and/or teachers or prices are reduced.

WHERE: hands-on children’s museums, modern art, natural history, space, engineering, sports, military, state history, Smithsonian Institutions, archaeological, dinosaur, geology, Egyptian, Hall of Fame, anthropology, astronomy, technology, agriculture, even virtual museums that you can visit from the comfort of your home!

GO EXPLORING – We recently traveled to San Diego to check out a really cool shipwreck I saw on the news! Before we went we looked up aerial photos of the site and old pictures of the ship in its heyday. We had a blast thinking about the stories of the people that traveled on the ship and what life was like in the “olden” days!

TIP: Bring along a camera and let kids document whatever cool things they discover along the way and save the photos for future reference or projects. Pack a ‘treasure’ bag and start a collection (rocks, leaves, insects, shells, pine cones, pressed flowers, etc.) to remember your excursions! Use broken crayons to make rubbings of signs, leaves, historical grave markers, etc.

WHERE: Try geocaching, hiking, rock climbing, whale watching, snorkeling, bike riding…

AGRICULTURE (U Pick Farm) – Schedule a trip to a local u-pick fruit or vegetable farm! Many farmers are happy to give tours of the farm operations (barns, animals, tractors, harvesting equipment, seeds). After the tour, kids can grab a pail and pick while learning how food grows. It is important to note that farm prices are a bit higher than the supermarket (and many farmers require you to pay for all that you’ve picked), so be sure to set a limit on exactly how much kids can harvest.

TIP: If you have a picky eater, this is a great way to encourage tasting! Let the kids help make a new recipe with what was harvested – we loved making these bakery-style Blueberry Muffins!

WHERE: Look for berry farms (strawberry and blueberry seem to be the most popular in our area), pumpkin patches, community gardens, or check the “free” section on Craigslist for “gleaning” opportunities with local residents that have an abundance of produce to share. Head to your local farmer’s market and ask the farmers if they offer any u-pick days or start a garden yourself! You can also visit a garden center, nursery, flower show, flower farm…

SUPERMARKET – We had a chance to tour our local Stater Bros. Market and found the whole experience so interesting! The children were led around the various departments and given samples (slice of cheese from the dairy dept., apple from the produce dept., potato wedge from the deli counter, etc.) and the tour guide taught us something in every department (Why are green bell peppers cheaper? Green peppers are picked early and take less time/water to grow!). The butcher showed how they cut and process the meats and even the machine that packaged it. The bakery gal showed the kids how she decorated a birthday cake and gave the kids a cookie. The produce guy showed us the enormous compost bin for all the rotting food. The warehouse receiving gal operated the forklift. And, of course, we all went into the deep freeze! After the tour our group was given a bag of treats and each kiddo got a knapsack full of goodies!

TIP: Find a local ethnic supermarket (Mexican, Asian, Russian, Indian, etc.) and let the kids explore all the different foods of the world. The food smells, the languages spoken, the variety, the people…all wonderful ways to broaden a child’s cultural perspective without the cost of travel!

WHERE: Ask at the customer service counter at your local grocery stores about tours or educational programs.

PUBLIC LIBRARY – We live in a really small town and our local public library is not the greatest. Boy were we thrilled to take a tour of the huge library in another nearby city! Our whole library could fit into the children’s section! Ha!

The kids were given a brief history of the city (when the Native Americans were here, when the explores arrived, names of famous leaders, when the city was formed, etc.) and then a tour of the inner workings of the library. They had an automated check-in system that was nothing short of the Jetson’s! Items dropped into the book return were placed on a conveyor belt one at a time and then a computer scanned the magnetic ‘security’ tag and sorted the item into huge bins by section! Amazing!

The children’s librarian showed the kids where to find reference books (and how to use them!), fiction, non-fiction, foreign language items, and movies. There was also a story time and kids got a pencil and book mark after the tour! Fun!

TIP: Let the kids sign up for their own library card (if they’re old enough and don’t already have one!). Help them to read the application and fill it out themselves. Great experience for all those future job and college applications! Older kids may appreciate learning how the Dewey Decimal System works and how to search for items on the library’s catalog computers.

WHERE: If you don’t have a public library in your town or you think it’s not that great, head to the next major city and check out the libraries there (you may still have ‘privileges’ there if the libraries share the same county). If you live near a town that has a state library that is always fun to explore. Or even a University library!

Here are some more fun ideas for field trip adventures!

HIGHSCHOOLS AND COLLEGES – Call the theater, art, music, science, or sports departments of your local schools and see if there are any upcoming plays, exhibits, fairs, concerts, field days, or games kids can attend. Inquire with the astronomy department about public access days at the observatory (maybe the kids can view a meteor shower!). The administration may even be willing to show the kids around the campus!

STATE & COUNTY FAIRS – Check out the website of your local fairs and see if there are any educational opportunities, tours, presentations, or even lesson ideas. Our local county fair offered tours to school kids before the fairgrounds opened to the public. The kids got to see the livestock barns, meet the farmers, touch the animals, see a fire safety presentation, and watch a show.

ANIMALS & WILDLIFE – Whether it’s livestock, jungle animals, predators, sharks, or endangered species there are lots of great places to explore creatures! Check out a local zoo, petting zoo, pet store, 4-H club, private farm or ranch, equine club, reptile store, animal shelter or sanctuary, wild animal preserve, wetland agency, vernal pool, safari park, aquarium, bee keeper, dept. of fish & game, dog trainer, aquarium, pond, swamp, fishing hole…

NATURE – Get outdoors and into nature – camp, fish, hike, climb… Check out a state park, national park, local park & rec dept., local hiking trail, river way, lake, creek, coastal beach, sand dune, rock museum, gemological society…

If you have a 4th grader (or homeschool equivalent) in the family, you can get free access to all national parks, lands, and waterways! For more information, go HERE. (Note this year’s passes expire 8/31/16)

COMMUNITY JOBS – ♪♫ These are the people in your neighborhood, in your neighborhood! ♪♫ Aw, Bob was the best, wasn’t he? Anywho, introduce kids to the people at work in their community! Check out the post office, recycling center, FedEx or UPS warehouse, public works dept., dry cleaner, dentist, bakery, barber shop, grocer, doctor, dog walker, department store, hardware store, water treatment facility, talk to a police officer, parking meter attendant, water district, fire station…

GOVERNMENT – Show kids how their town, city, or state works (bonus points if you ever make it to Washington D.C.!)! Visit city hall, the mayor’s office, the state capitol, a courthouse, local school board/district, city council meeting, polling place, ribbon cutting ceremony, a police station…

VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCES – Volunteering is a fantastic way to gain life experience and help out the community! Ask if there is anything you can bring as a donation. Visit a senior center (maybe the kids can do a craft, read a book, or teach a computer course), animal shelter (read to the animals, walk the dogs, pick up poop), church outreach (clothing drive, stock a food pantry, help feed the homeless, make ‘blessing’ bags), community garden, clean up (river, park, beach), soup kitchen, homeless or women’s shelter…

Check with your town’s museum organization to see if there is a free museum day. Or, you can grab a couple of free admissions to select Smithsonian museums!

STUDY LOCAL HISTORY – This is a great idea if you’re new in town (or maybe you can learn about a neighboring town!). Visiti your city or town museums (these are museums devoted to the founding of the town and surrounding area), historical buildings (first library, old school house, settler’s forts, Native American reservations, missions, etc.), old city cemetery, state historical landmarks, “old” town…

TRANSPORTATION – If you have younger kiddos, this is always a hit! Learn about public transportation by visiting your local train museum, train station, bus station, subway, ferry boat, trolley, Amtrak, pedicab, “Big Truck Day” community events, ride the city bus or commuter train, bicycle shop, race track…

We got to see the Indy cars race in Sonoma, CA for free! We were able to tour the garages, look inside the emergency equipment, walk through the racing pits, see the racing team tour buses, and talk to some of the drivers!

Here are some things to consider when planning a field trip experience:

Although you and your kids may be eager to visit a particular venue, not every field trip idea will be feasible. Personal safety, liability, age appropriateness, distance, cost, educational value, etc. are all weighing factors.
But don’t be afraid to ask! Ha! I have made it a habit to ask about tours or educational experiences at just about every place we go!
Keep a running list of all the places that offer tours and the information of the contact person.
If guided tours are not available (but the space is open to the public), you can have just as much fun exploring and learning on your own!
Pencil in tour ideas in your homeschool planner. Some venues may be seasonal or have limited schedules and you’ll want to remember to plan future trips well in advance.
Planning field trips as a homeschooler can be tricky if you are not part of a larger homeschool group. Some venues will offer tours only to schools. There may be strict age limits or a set minimum number for tour groups. There may be chaperone limits/requirements. The venue may only be open to the public on certain days or only on ‘homeschool’ days. Or you may get lucky and find a venue that is willing to plan a personal visit with just your children!
‘Homeschool’ days tend to be the busiest days to visit as people try to take advantage of the free or discounted admission. If you have a child that is easily overwhelmed with large crowds, you may want to avoid these days. Plan to arrive early and bring plenty of patience!
Be sure to always ask (and then double check right before the event!) about pricing, deposits, refund & cancellation policies, attendance limits, chaperone requirements (are parents free?), and what will be included in the tour.
If there are waivers or permission slips needed, be sure that all in attendance have access to the forms and they are turned in on time.
Prepare kids ahead of time for what they will be seeing or learning about. You can checkout books from the library, watch videos on YouTube, review curriculum units, or use pretend play to do a little pre-teaching. This gives kids guidance on what kinds of questions to ask the tour guide, what types of things to look for in the museum displays, and ways to make a personal connection to what they are experiencing.