10 Amazing Tips for Planning a Successful School Trip
A successful school trip requires a lot of planning, coordination, and proper execution, mainly because it involves the safety of children. Moreover, you also need to address the various requirements of a diverse pool of students, which is a challenging task. Here, we share ten pro tips to help you plan for a school trip successfully.
Choose A Destination
Selecting a destination becomes difficult when you have so many exciting young minds to satisfy. The best way out is to choose a place based on a theme. So, if it is an excursion for the students of a history class, you can zero down on some historical sites. A geography class may prefer natural landscapes demonstrating the geological phenomena they have been studying thus far. Similarly, a school specializing in art, architecture, or drama can choose the destinations accordingly. For a mixed group of students, you can pick any of the internationally-famed school trip destinations.
Arrange Transportation
The mode of transport will largely depend on the distance and the number of students. If the site is not very far from your institution, walking up to the place can be appealing to the students. If the locale is situated far away, you will have to arrange school buses or other rented vehicles. If you are heading to a place with lots of spots to explore, you may wish to carry additional bicycles with the help of a sturdy ute tub rack.
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Make A Schedule
Kids have a very brief attention span, and they can go restless on long trips if they are not sure what is coming next. Moreover, if they get attracted to a site, they may try to overstay there and make you late for other visits. Therefore, it is essential to create an engaging schedule so that the kids enjoy the tour. You can break the trip into short and exciting activities that can keep the students entertained. Even while on the bus, arrange a game of puzzles or chess to keep the bunch on their toes.
Decide On the Food
One of the most overlooked yet critical aspects of school trips is choosing kids’ meals. Hungry or untimely-fed children can become inattentive and agitated. There are three ways to satiate the hunger of the students on the trip.
- On-site Canteens: If your destination site has a restaurant or cafeteria, you can feed the kids without stepping out of the site. This option is convenient when you have a large number of students to feed.
- Off-site Restaurants: If the site you are visiting does not have an eatery, head for a good restaurant nearby. Make sure you check the ratings of the restaurant before you take the students in.
- Food Carried by Students: This is the cheapest option among all three and saves the hassles of going to an eatery and finding suitable food for all members. You can also make it optional for students to carry their meals if it’s a day trip.
Take The Help of Supervisors and Volunteers
You may not require extra supervisors to look after adult and well-behaved students. But younger kids are more likely to create nuisances for you on the trip. So, ask your administrator to have one or two teachers along who can keep an eye on the kids. Otherwise, you may also ask a parent to volunteer as a supervisor for the trip. You may need at least one supervisor for every ten children.
Check The Medical History of the Students
Although an educational school trip seems fun, it comes with many responsibilities on the part of the organizers. Whether it is a school trip or a family excursion, all tours come with risks such as accidents and diseases. While accidents are unforeseeable, most of the health hazards occur due to poor hygiene, inadequate sanitization, contaminated water, rough weather, and the toil of the journey.
When planning the trip, you must assess the possible health risks of the tour and check if all the kids participating in the excursion are medically fit. Having a look at their medical history can give you an idea of whether they will be fine during the trip.
Create A Permission Form
Now that you know who all are going, create a permission form to ask for permission from the parents. A permission form contains the following details:
- The destination.
- The purpose of the tour.
- A tentative schedule.
- Contact information.
- Food and medical arrangements.
- Transportation details.
- Dress and behavioral code.
- Signature of the parents.
Let The Students Know the Rules
Kids who do not usually travel or are accustomed to a certain way of life should know how to behave on the trip. During the tour, you will be passing through several locations and meeting with various people. Any untoward act from the kids may ruin the fun of the trip and the school’s reputation.
Let the students (and the parents) know the routine during the trip (the schedule of meals, the waking hours, the dress code, etc.) at least a week before the journey.
Gather The Contacts of Medical Services at the Destination
Since it is a school trip involving kids who can be susceptible to common health problems, it is wiser to have the contacts of medical facilities at your destination. This will save you a lot of crucial time in emergencies.
Engage The Kids in The Planning
The best way to make the trip appealing to kids is to involve them in the planning. They may give suggestions while choosing the destination or the food and help you out by expressing their favorite activities. Kids will be more focused on the trip if they are part of the planning.
Final Words
School trips play a crucial role in developing students’ interactive and practical skills while providing them with much-needed refreshment after a hectic course. The suggestions mentioned above will help you plan an excellent trip for young minds while offering valuable lessons.
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