Field Trip Safety Checklist for Every Teacher
As the days of longer sunlight begin to win out over the cold and dark, one school year full of trials ends, and the planning for a new one can begin. No doubt, field trips will look very different for a while.
Kids may not file onto cramped buses anytime soon or navigate through crowded museums. Nevertheless, shorter adventures to more local stops with focused groups are a 2020 trend that is likely to continue. No matter how field trips might look this year, every teacher must be ready.
Double-Check the Paperwork
The first step to running a smooth field trip is to stay organized. Get a list of attendees, and double- and trip-check them off a few times during the day.
Make sure that the route you’ll take to the destination is efficient and that the path through the actual field trip areas makes sense with any planned lecture or curriculum. Ensure that everyone has a reliable contact number and that all chaperones are up to date and ready.
Lastly, make sure that the transport options, if necessary, are safe and reliable. Likely, trips within walking distance will be the go-to option for a while to avoid piling into crowded buses and vehicles.
Cover Your Communication Basics
Lists, plans, and contact numbers are only useful if your phone has a charge. All that goes out the window as soon as the battery starts creeping into the red!
The most important thing on a field trip safety checklist for every teacher is to ensure that all lines of communication stay open and flexible. By bringing an extra auxiliary battery or two along with a mixed bag of charge cords, you make sure that everyone in the entourage stays reachable.
Another great way to cover communication basics is to avoid using phones entirely for quick or local communication. Two-way radios have quite a few advantages over phones, not least of which is their extended battery life.
Get the Kids Geared Up
Once you have communication worked out between the adults, the next item on the field trip safety checklist for every teacher is, of course, the kids’ needs. These include straightforward items such as lanyards and nametags to keep the group easy to organize.
Additionally, depending on the length of the trip, snacks may be prudent to pack. Extra water and hand sanitizer are beneficial as well, these days, and small, one-person varieties are easy to carry and discourage sharing.
A basic first aid kit and small weather-ready items can save a lot of grief in case of skinned knees or sudden downpours. Lastly, if the class has items they need to bring, a backup plan for last-minute memory slips is always a good plan. Extra copies of worksheets and spare pencils are almost always necessary to make sure every child engages with the learning materials as well as the sightseeing!
