Places that you may think of as commonplace, also have a lot to offer in terms of teaching opportunities to homeschool students. Just like going to the grocery store can become a good way to teach organization and mathematics, going to the music store can invoke a passion for learning new musical instruments. Here are a couple more field trips that can be planned by a homeschool parent to everyday places.
Zoology at the Pet Store
Interactive zoology is great when taught in a pet store. The anatomy of different pets such as dogs, gold fish, and parrots can be studied. Ask the store staff to help explain the different types of food they will require as well as accommodation they will use.
There can be an add on instruction on their digestive systems, and other physical differences as well. The homeschool students can be asked to research the scientific names of the animals they see. They may also be asked to research their natural habitat conditions.
While younger children may not be able to understand the scientific names of various pets, it would be fun for them to learn about them alphabetically. Start out at A and have them find animals from each alphabet they can. You can also ask them to find animals of a specific color.
Botany at the Garden or Park
Allow the homeschool students to pick five different plants or trees in the garden. Now have them find out their common names, scientific names, potential uses for humans, and create a herbarium with their leaves.Let them add details such as when they flower, what fruit they give and more. They can create a whole report on what they found on their field trip and how they plan to use it.
Younger children who may not be able to complete a purely scientific study can be given a bag to collect bits of herbs and flowers that they like. These can then be studied in the homeschool classroom. Parts of a flower can be studied by dissection. They can also use the pickings from the garden to come up with interesting artwork.
