School trips

marisco_2

Schools take kids to some lovely places on educational trips nowadays dont they. I believe these experiences add so much to a childs overall learning of a topic.

My eldests year group have been learning all about Antarctica this term and Robert Falcon Scott. His teachers have arranged to take 60 children to Knockhatch, a nearby adventure park, so the children can learn skills they may use later on as Antarctic explorers He will spend the day with his friends learning to ski on a dry ski slope, doing toboganning, rock climbing and absailing. To say he is literally bouncing off the walls with excitement right now is an understatement. Such a fun day ahead for a lively, 10 year old lad.

Last term his year group went to 'Dickens World' when they were learning all about Victorians. He loved this.

His favourite one so far was a trip to 'Chatham Dock Yards' to add to their learning of Tudor times.

Seeing as we are scattered all over the country I was wondering what wonderful day trips your children have been on with their schools. Would be handy to hear about them so we can all get recommendations of great places to visit with our children, just in time for finding things to do over the Easter holidays.

My favourite ever school trip was to the Natural History Museum in London when I was about 8. I still have such vivid memories of that day and a wonderful cheeky photo of myself and some school pals sat outside that beautiful building while we had lunch

onlyroz

My son has just brought home a letter about a trip to Fishbourne Roman Palace:

http://sussexpast.co.uk/properties-to-discover/fishbourne-roman-palace

I've never been there myself but it sounds like a good day out. Earlier in the school year he went on a trip to the Harry Potter exhibition at the Warner Studios in Watford. I think in years 4-6 they go on some sort of residential trip in the summer but I'm not sure where. I think the year 6 kids usually go to the Isle of Wight.

lovesabargain123

Last term my son went to the Trafford centre for his school trip to go shopping!!! He was in year 10 at the time.....

marisco_2

They look like great days out.

My son will be going on a 1 week residential trip to the Isle Of Wight too when he is in year 6 next year. Something he is already looking forward to.

Today at the school where I teach we are doing a 'Victroian day'. All the little kids have been asked to come in as street urchins and we have face paint to help make them look extra grubby. I am all dressed up as a Victorian school mistress, cane and all. Im not putting my bonnet on till I am well and truly on school grounds though . That should get the little devils working hard, or rolling round on the floor laughing at me. The Rainbow theatre group come in and help us teachers bring it all to life. Cant wait to be playing some of the street games out on the playground with the kids. I am just a big kid at heart I think.

Lunar_Eclipse

Mine have been to Fishbourne, good place.

Favourite was probably a trip to Winchester, I think related to studies of the Tudors. Thought I'd mention it as a couple of you might be within a day out's distance and we have been as a family a couple of times to the museums there. As well as the main City Museum, the Westgate Museum is brilliant, especially if you go during the holidays when they often have visitors doing something special that's interactive. Both museums are small with a lovely feel to them, so they're manageable but full of information (& dressing up clothes.) There's also the hall with King Arthur's Round Table very close to the Westgate. Loads to see and do in such a small area. Highly recommend it.

Other school trip have been to the Houses of Parliament (Y6), a mosque (Y6), Osmington Bay residential to study tides, fossils etc, Preston Montford in Staffordshire (I think) for a Victorian trip, British Museum related to study of the Egyptians and a PGL activity residential in Y4.

My daughter in senior school has an annual theatre trip linked to the English curriculum (eg Shakespeare play) and is thrilled to be going to Harry Potter studios (again!) this year with school, as part of a film making topic.

balletshoes

These are some of the days out my daughters primary school has organised ~ eden camp in yorkshire (WW2), black country museum (victorians and probably DDs fave trip), west midlands safari park, national watersports centre nottingham, wollaton hall (practically on the doorstep), attenborough nature park, and newstead abbey.
my personal favourites to take the kids for the day is galleries of justice in nottingham and glamis castle in angus, scotland.

FBaby

Ha ha would have replied except it sounds like we're neighbours

Lagoon

Not speaking from the point of view of a parent with a child at school, but I do remember a few of my own trips. I once went to a school that was on the same road as a zoo. It took five minutes to walk there as a class. I went to that school for just two years, but remember going to the zoo many times. I can't imagine that was educational after the first time, but I wasn't complaining! It was a great day out, I love animals and it was always exciting to get out of school, but looking back it probably wasn't the most valuable educational experience.

Another at the same school was a visit to a Tudor house, though I remember that being fairly plain. I didn't go away with any new knowledge, and I remember being bored. On the other hand, the Tower of London was an experience I really enjoyed as there was a lot to see, and I enjoyed the architecture.

I remember going to a waste disposal plant. I guess we learnt about waste disposal and energy, there. All I remember is the horrible smell, and the feeling that with all the trucks driving near us kids, something could go wrong.

By far the best trip I went on was one to London to watch Blood Brothers. I came away feeling better for the experience, and believe I actually learnt something useful. I'm sure I must have been on other trips, but those are the only ones I remember.

I think it's a shame that most school trips felt disjointed and irrelevant. It seemed to be 'We'll take the kids somewhere vaguely educational, because that's what's expected'. No trips ever seemed to tie in with what we were learning at that time, though I think that would have made everything more interesting and helped to develop ideas. I plan to make a point, when I become a parent, of asking my child what they're learning at school and of taking them to relevant places.

Spendless

National Railway Museum
http://www.nrm.org.uk/

Jorvik Centre

http://jorvik-viking-centre.co.uk/


(both York)

Gainsborough Old Hall
http://www.gainsborougholdhall.co.uk/


The Deep -Hull
http://www.thedeep.co.uk/



Sherwood Forest

http://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/enjoying/countryside/countryparks/sherwood/

Cannon Hall

http://www.cannonhallfarm.co.uk/

meer53

My daughter is going to Saas Fee in Switzerland on Friday with school ! Skiing for a week, last years ski trip was to Canada, gave that one a miss, it was £1400 !!

There's also a weekend trip to Paris and a week to New York lined up. Part of me thinks that it's the teachers who like to arrange these trips !

She's at high school now but did go on a residential trip in year 6 to Ingleborough in Yorkshire (we live near Leeds) and has done all the usual local attractions, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Museum of Film and Photography.

When i was at school in Sheffield, we were always taken to Castleton to the Blue John caves, never anywhere else ! School trips weren't as regular as they are now, or as expensive !

FBaby

Oh and my DD went to the isle of wight for her year 6 trip!