1. Great Field Trips Out and About in God’s Wonderful World
LCMS Michigan District
All Professional Church Workers Conference
Good morning.

2. Psalm 104:24
O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom You have made them all. The earth is full of your possessions.
New King James
There’s so much to see and learn. What wonders God has made!

3. Wisdom from the Principals
“A principal wants the students to get a well-rounded education using every possible means. This involves exposing the students to many experiences that open their eyes to the real world. Great field trips, collectively, allow students to use all their senses to take in the wonders.”
Thanks to great principals!
From Tom Weiss, a lifelong learner, now on retiree field trips working with Laborers for Christ

4. More Wisdom from the Principals
opportunity for kids to represent Christ and their Christian school
great occasion for strengthening classroom community
might include service events for the kids
connection to classroom learning all year long
fun break from the regular routine
gives parents exposure to the class culture

5. + are an important part of the curriculum,
(from the school handbook)
Field trips:
+ are an important part of the curriculum,
and field trip days are considered
official school days …
+ should not exceed 5 per class per school
year; one should be a servant event
and one may be a social …
+ should not exceed an annual total cost
of $35 per student …
From our school handbook, guides and rules for field trips …

6. + must have a (rear) seat belt for each
Field trip drivers:
+ must have a (rear) seat belt for each
child …
+ must submit driver’s license number
and current valid insurance information to the school office …
+ must submit to a background check
through the ICHAT system (Internet Criminal History Access Tool) …

7. Field trip vehicles: + must not stop at any location other than teacher approved destinations … + must not offer viewing of anything other G-rated material on screens … + must not carry any type of tobacco or alcohol while on school business …
No stops along the way, not even for Slurpees!
Not on screens, on radio, on CDs, etc.

8. Field Trip Master List
A school field trip master list helps to ensure that many wonderful field trip experiences are provided for students as they grow through the years at your Lutheran School. Students will become experts about the great things in their area.
Our school policy is “no more than 5 per school year”, 1 of which may be non-curricular (skating, beach, etc.) At St. Peter, 25 teachers x 5 field trips = a lot of field trips!

9. Preschool Favorites
Historic Trinity Lutheran Church (preschool puppets)
Dinosaur Hill Nature Preserve
Deneweth’s Pumpkin Patch
Wolcott Farm
Cranbrook Planetarium (Big Bird’s Space Adventure)
Joe Dumars Fieldhouse (Soccer Day)
Westview Orchards
American Gymnastics Center
Shadbush Nature Center

10. Kindergarten
*Fire Station: October Fire Prevention Awareness Month *Barnes & Noble: story time with children’s specialist; tour of the store; receiving room, etc. *Lutheran High School North: band demonstration
Lutheran High North right next door
LHN band director, Dean Kratz, is also our band director

11. 1st Grade * Detroit Zoo * Blake’s Big Apple orchard * Humane Society
* Barnum & Bailey Circus
* Depot-to-depot train trip and picnic
The train ride was the favorite of Sandy when she taught in Wisconsin. She took the kids by Amtrak from Milwaukee to Sturtevant, about a 30-minute ride.

12. 2nd Grade
*Parade Company *Greenfield Village *Ann Arbor Hands-on Museum *Belle Isle Dossin Great Lakes Museum

13. 3rd Grade *Diamond Jack Riverboat Tours *Andrews 1-Room Schoolhouse
*Seven Ponds Nature Center
*Webber Wildlife Taxidermy Museum

14. 4th Grade
*Wolcott Mill *Concordia AA *Michigan Science Center / Ann Arbor Hands-On *Macomb Symphony youth concert at the Macomb Center for the Performing Arts
CUAA campus tour, Ann Arbor Hands-on, and the District office.
Wolcott Mill – great docents for early Michigan lessons
Symphony – goes with our science unit on sound; kids love the instruments

15. 5th Grade *Detroit Art Institute
*Stony Creek Metropark: Winter Survival
*Lansing State Capitol and
Michigan Historical Museum
*Macomb County Jail
*Martha T. Berry Nursing Home
Lansing trip – hire a tour bus – that’s part of the fun!

16. 6th Grade *Nursing Home, Assisted Living, and Memory Loss Center
*Outdoor Education at YMCA Storer Camp
*Nursing Home, Assisted Living, and
Memory Loss Center
*Stony Creek Metropark
*Selfridge Air Base and Museum
Also shut-in at his home

17. 7th Grade *Greenfield Village *Ford Field Tour
*Chicago downtown overnight trip
*Eagle Village camp
*Creation Museum overnight trip
Jason, Ford field tour and Eagle Village with a former school
Andrea, Chicago alternating with Creation Museum from Bethalto (southern Illinois)

18. 8th Grade
*Washington D.C. class trip

19. On-Campus Field Trips
*Thanks to our organist for organ lessons and a pipe chamber tour… *and to our facilities manager for a mechanical/electrical systems tour.
“Organ Blower” sign on door – a whole room for the organ blower
Pipe chambers - WOW! Even Ed does not have a key
Organ lessons one Friday a month

20. Before the Trip Plan and teach meaningful related lessons.
If possible, visit the site before the field trip.
Request printed information for teachers.
Secure parental permission well in advance.
Prepare students for the experience.
Provide parents with vehicle group lists.
Provide drivers/chaperones with maps, site information, and itineraries.
Map and itinerary – we don’t need anyone getting lost on the way.

21. Before the Trip Explain behavioral expectations to students.
In written form on hard copy and/or , explain behavioral expectations to parents.
Verify field trip with the venue the day before or the morning of your excursion.
Leaves copies of permission slips and a list of car groups with your school office staff.

22. On Field Trip Day
Provide drivers and chaperones with copies of permission slips for all students in their care.
Remind students and parents/chaperones of behavioral expectations en route, and on site.
Pray with the group for safety, for a great learning experience, and for their Christian witness while out and about in God’s wonderful world.

23. After the Trip Discuss the experience with your students.
Plan and teach a lesson and/or activity to reinforce the learning of the field trip.
Write thank-you notes to your contact person, docent, or guide/instructor at the venue.
Write thank you notes to drivers/chaperones.
Write and draw about the trip. Share in pairs or with the class.

24. Free Field Trips !!!
*Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum and Library; Grand Rapids *Detroit Institute of Arts (bus transportation free as well) *Webber Wildlife Museum; Clinton Township *Detroit Historical Museum; Detroit *Matthaei Botanical Gardens; Ann Arbor (nominal parking fee
Don’t forget bakeries (Krispy Kreme), newspapers, post office, library, police department, etc.
Medical facility – St. John’s health facility gave us a great tour, complete with x-ray darkroom, electrodes (parent present), lying on the test table, kids had a ball!

25. More Free Field Trips!!!
* Teddy Bear and Factory Tour and Toy Museum, Chelsea
* Jiffy Mix Factory Tour, Chelsea
* Morley Candy Company, Clinton Township
* Belle Isle Nature Zoo, Conservatory, Aquarium; Detroit
free with State of MI Recreation Passport

26. Gifted and Talented
benefit of a gifted program in a Lutheran School: high level processors dreaming and thinking together with like-minded kids
theme units 4 to 6 weeks, each culminating in a final project or a field trip
unique field trip opportunities available only to small groups
Could say much more about the virtues of a gifted program, but that’s another conversation.

27. Theme unit 1: Ancient Greece
Greek language lesson with the pastor
compare/contrast map of ancient Greece and modern-day Greece with recognition of Biblical cities and sites
“toga party” with Greek food sampling
dramatization of Greek myths
production of a ‘travelogue’ on the mainland and islands of Greece
*“New Testament” field trip to Historic Trinity Lutheran Church
Olympics – things like “stack and carry the boxes”
Foods most likely to actually eaten – baklava, olive, feta cheese

28. Theme unit 2: Aviation *field trip to Selfridge Military Air Museum
principles of flight modeling and diagramming
flight navigation with latitude and longitude coordinates
aviation phonetic alphabet
mock airline corporate organization with auction for purchase of structural materials
paper aircraft design and flight contest, judged by church/school Fed Ex pilots
*field trip to Selfridge Military Air Museum
Alpha, bravo, charlie
Fed Ex pilots and CFO
straightest flight, most aerobatic flight, longest flight.
Flight simulator

29. Theme unit 3: Baseball *field trip to Comerica Park
baseball card statistics
biographies of sports figures and discussion about ‘heroes’ and their qualities
baseball dissection and reproduction using alternate materials
umpire lesson and practice with former NCAA baseball ump
letters to MLB teams and requests for franchise information and complimentary memorabilia
*field trip to Comerica Park
3 on 3 top and bottom half of an inning, took turns calling balls and strikes
Hoping for team shirts, tickets, etc., received window clingies, etc.

30. Theme unit 4: Birds *field trip to Stony Creek Metropark
bird species classification
birdhouses and feeders constructed from recyclables
birdseed volume and consumption charting over many days
owl pellet dissection and meal identification
migration patterns
*field trip to Stony Creek Metropark
This is how I discovered owl pellets, favorite activity every year

31. Theme unit 5: Dogs *field trip to animal hospital
pet pros and cons debate: Dogs vs. Cats
vinegar “Sniff and Search” on the lawn
studies of Iditarod, WWII Army dogs, Hollywood dog training, American Kennel Club, Search & Rescue
Pavlov’s experiment of conditioned response using “puppy chow” made in class
veterinarian and dog visit at school
*field trip to animal hospital
Vinegar sniff and search: dog’s sense of smell may be as much as 100 times stronger than ours!

32. Theme unit 6: Flowers and Fruits
garden architecture blueprints
fruit and flower botany study
flower research and species identification
apple varieties: testing, tasting, and ranking of crunchiness, color, fleshiness, juiciness, etc.
applesauce made in class from apples purchased during visit to fruit market
*field trip to Belle Isle Conservatory

33. Theme unit 7: Nutrition *field trip to local grocery or market
weekly meal plan creation with all food group requirements
study of product ingredient labels
butter churning
continuum of fat in dairy products and sugar in cereals
blind taste test, including identification of sweet, salty, sour, and bitter
*field trip to local grocery or market
Blind taste test – check allergies FIRST!

34. Theme unit 8: Pioneers *field trip to one-room schoolhouse
cooperative work group study and simulation of the Oregon Trail journey
history and meaning of quilt patterns and quilting bees
trail maps and wagon train diaries
square dance lesson and “barn dance”
sampling of old farm tools and equipment
*field trip to one-room schoolhouse
Older couple from congregation taught us the square dances, fully dressed, official “caller”
Old tools – what is it? Make up scenarios and uses.

35. Theme unit 9: Pizza *field trip to pizza parlor
pizza parlor menu creation
Italian language lessons – live, CD instruction, and English/Italian dictionary
Neapolitan-style pizza baking and serving
wait staff practice for short-term memory and organization
restaurant management tutorial
*field trip to pizza parlor
“Original” with tomato, basil, and mozzarella (Italian flag)

36. Theme unit 10: Rainforest
charting compare/contrast average annual rainfall of various global habitats
sampling of rainforest foods
papier-mâché rainforest birds
letters to the president on the topic “Saving the Rainforest”
chewing gum manufacturing process from raw chicle to sweet chewy gum novelties
*field trip to Rain Forest Cafe
One of my favorites, two small (4 or 5 people) groups, led by the plant manager and office boss, hard hats and nets, hands back because we were right on top of the all the mechanisms. 30 phone calls –got in because I was “persistent”. We brought back treats for everyone to take home and classroom rewards for the entire school year.

37. Theme unit: Architecture Field Trip: downtown walking architecture tour Theme unit: Drama Field Trip: matinee, catwalk and backstage tour Theme unit: Weather Field trip: television news/weather station

38. Theme unit: Electricity Field trip: Christian Radio station Theme unit: Garbage and Recycling Field trip: Landfill and compost garden Theme unit: Elections Field trip: County party headquarters

39. Trusty Trip Tips from Teachers
“Watch the school calendar!”
“If kids misbehave, let them worry about the consequence until the next day.”
“Don’t assume kids and parents will know your expectations unless you tell them.”
“Count heads!”
College friend in response to facebook request – how far did she get before she realized?
Don’t assume …came from teacher, preschool director, principal. She knows.
BEFORE # We all love field trips, but they’re a lot of work, right? …
Go to # getting to the heart of the matter …

40. Life’s a field trip. Go with God!
Life is kind of a field trip. Go with God.