Field trips are an exciting way to take learning and make it more memorable and exciting. Most students and educators look forward to the change of environment and the potential for new adventures. However, heading into a field trip without the right tools and supplies on hand can add unnecessary stress. Take these must-haves on every trip to ensure the best possible experience for yourself and for your students.
Creating a Field Trip Kit for Prepared Teachers
Use these items (along with any of your own must-haves) to prepare for any upcoming field trips with your students. You might also consider also creating mini must-have field trip kits for any chaperones who are going along on the trip.
There are two main events for which you want to be somewhat prepared on a field trip. The first is sickness and the second is injury. One or both of these things are less likely to derail a field trip if you have the right tools on hand.
Teacher Must-Haves for Field Trip: Sickness
Prevention of sickness isn’t always possible when you’re taking students onto a bus and into a new environment.
Someone might be prone to motion sickness and choose not to sit near the front of the bus. Someone else may eat a bunch of candy on the ride to the destination and become ill upon arriving. Yet another person may come along on the class trip despite already being sick.
In any of these situations, you’ll feel better prepared to handle the consequences with these tools:
- An extra set of clothes (1 gender neutral set for a student, 1 set for yourself)
- Tissues
- Disinfectant Wipes
- Hand Sanitizer
- Peppermints
- Cough Drops
- Emesis (Barf) Bags
- A Garbage Bag
Teacher Must-Haves for Field Trip: Injury
Most injuries can be prevented with a focus on safety and enough chaperones/leaders to make sure that students are following directions and behaving appropriately. However, accidents do happen.
Make sure to have all of these things at-the-ready for when injury occurs. Whether it’s band-aid worthy or requires a call for medical professionals, you’ll want to have helpful supplies within reach.
- First-Aid Kit
- Tweezers
- Nail Clippers
- Medical Gloves
Miscellaneous Helpful Items for Your Field Trip Survival Kit
The third category of items for a field trip kit includes all of the miscellaneous items that you learn to carry from experience.
Here are just a few examples:
- Flashlight
- Floss
- Extra Bottle of Water
- Quick and Mess-Free Snack
- Sunscreen
- Flushable Wipes
- Feminine Products
- Time-Passing Activities (games, puzzles, etc)
DIY Field Trip Survival Kits
If you’ve been looking for a functional and thoughtful gift to get for a fellow educator or your student’s teacher, putting together a kit of essentials for field trips is an excellent idea. From Teacher Appreciation to the holiday season, a useful gift helps to sidestep potentially stressful situations.
More Teacher Must-Haves and Favorite Products
If you’re looking for more ideas and inspiration for outfitting your teaching space and preparing for any educational adventure, explore more on the Teacher Life and Must-Haves topic pages. You’ll find lots of quality product suggestions and tips.
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