By Anne Pesola, Museum Manager at the little White School Museum

In the last 5 years, field trip numbers have decreased all over the country. From Covid-19 restrictions, to transportation issues, schools just don’t seem to be visiting museums anymore. While it is a huge setback, it does not mean we should give up on trying to reconnect with the schools! Listed below are just a few ideas to help reinvigorate your field trip and school program efforts.

1. Make it Relevant!

This may hurt for some people to hear, but most children do not want to hear about the architecture of the building or the very detailed history of the town. They want to relate to the material and be able to see themselves living in the past. Don’t dumb down your information, but rather, find a new way to approach it. Why not use some modern pop-culture references? Building a town/building in Minecraft is not that different from how settlers had to do it in real life! Get the students talking and laughing, it’s amazing how much more they will remember!

2. Make it Flexible

No two classrooms or schools are the same, so why try to force everyone to have the same experience? If one school wants to visit but cannot get the transportation, make a traveling version that can be taken into the school. If one class needs a lot of accommodations, slow the programs down and create time for breaks or snacks. Include alternative supplies for crafts or steps for games. This generation of students is not used to field trips and your program may be the first one for most of them!

3. Link Everything Back to State Standards

This one is a given, but has become increasingly more important in recent years. The more work you do for the teachers, the more likely they are going to be able to justify taking students on a field trip. Listed at the end of the article are links to the Illinois Social Studies Standards, but don’t be afraid to also look at science, math, English, and art standards! If you’re making a STEM or STEAM field trip, include as many standards as you can.

4. Go to Teacher Events

Tired of all your emails to schools going ignored or sent to spam? Try meeting the educators in person! Most school districts have a “Welcome to our School” event for new teachers. These are great events for you to get to know some of the new and returning teachers. You may also run into the school principals, who can be just as helpful because they may be the ones who are going to make the decision if the school can afford to send classes to your museum. Talking to teachers is important, but the higher up you go, the better your chances are!

5. Think Outside the 3rd Grade Experience

Finally, don’t forget that field trips are not just for 3rd and 4th graders! Every school grade can benefit from a visit to/from a museum. Get creative in what programs you want to offer. Does your local high school have a civic course? Is there a creative writing class that always needs space to perform? Are the local daycares looking for short day trips? Children both young and old deserve a day outside the classroom, so don’t be afraid to look beyond what has been done before. Do you have any other pieces of advice you’d like to share with others? Comment about your field trip experiences below!

Links to Illinois Social Studies Standard Resources:

● https://www.isbe.net/Documents/IL-Social-Science-Standards.pdf

● https://www.illinoiscivics.org/standards/

● https://www.isbe.net/Documents/K-12-SS-Standards.pdf