My two youngest children, a three-year-old and a two-year-old are happily napping right now, after a fun time on a field trip. I love field trips for little ones. It lets them explore different things as well as socialize.
This field trip was sort of spontaneous. We went to a local botanical garden to which we own a membership, and we invited some friends along. There were three moms and a total of four kids, all in the two- to three-year-old range.
Our first stop was to explore an elaborate cathedral-like tree house. The kids had fun running up and down the stairs and trying out the different viewing machines, such as a colored scope that allowed them to view the vista in different hues.
Next was a walk past a frog-laden pond and through many different types of flower beds on our way to visit the electric trains. The conductor was busy setting Thomas the Train and his friends off through tunnels and past straight-aways. Other trains has their own settings, such as the “chocolate” train and the one carrying a farmer with pumpkins. My daughter spotted a tiny “princess” at the door of an elaborate miniature conservatory building.
After trains, it was off to the pumpkin patch, where the kids enjoyed throwing, stacking and rolling pumpkins and gourds in the hay, exploring a mini corn-stalk maze and sitting in vine-covered kid-sized pergolas.
The last stop before heading home was to yet another elaborate tree house, where the kids explored some more and learned about how the garden tried to save an old 130-year-old tree.
You might think that little ones might be too young for field trips, but there is so much that they can get out of them, including some fresh air. From learning adventures to just having fun and exploring the things around them, field trips can be a nice break from the routine.
Over the years, I have taken quite a few field trips with my young children, And I’ve learned a few things that make taking these trips a lot easier to do. Most of the time, it isn’t hard to have a positive experience.
Check back again. In the next post, I’ll share all of those tips to help you when you take a field trip with your young child, whether it is planned in advance or spontaneous.
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