Transcript LCMS Michigan District All Professional Church Workers

Great Field Trips
Out and About
in God’s Wonderful World
LCMS Michigan District
All Professional Church Workers
Conference
[email protected]
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
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!
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
(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 …
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) …
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 …
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.
Preschool Favorites
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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
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
1st Grade
* Detroit Zoo
* Blake’s Big Apple orchard
* Humane Society
* Barnum & Bailey Circus
* Depot-to-depot train trip and picnic
2nd Grade
*Parade Company
*Greenfield Village
*Ann Arbor Hands-on Museum
*Belle Isle Dossin Great Lakes Museum
3rd Grade
*Diamond Jack Riverboat Tours
*Andrews 1-Room Schoolhouse
*Seven Ponds Nature Center
*Webber Wildlife Taxidermy Museum
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
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
6th Grade
*Outdoor Education at YMCA Storer Camp
*Nursing Home, Assisted Living, and
Memory Loss Center
*Stony Creek Metropark
*Selfridge Air Base and Museum
7th Grade
*Greenfield Village
*Ford Field Tour
*Chicago downtown overnight trip
*Eagle Village camp
*Creation Museum overnight trip
8th Grade
*Washington D.C. class trip
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.
Before the Trip
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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.
Before the Trip
• Explain behavioral expectations to students.
• In written form on hard copy and/or email,
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.
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.
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.
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
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
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
Theme unit 1: Ancient Greece
• Greek language lesson with the pastor
• compare/contrast map of ancient Greece and modernday 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
Theme unit 2: Aviation
• 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
Theme unit 3: Baseball
• 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
Theme unit 4: Birds
• 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
Theme unit 5: Dogs
• 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
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
Theme unit 7: Nutrition
• 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
Theme unit 8: Pioneers
• 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
Theme unit 9: Pizza
• 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
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
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
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
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!”
Life’s a field trip.
Go with God!