ORGANIZING A FIELD TRIP 



By H. M. BENEDICT 

 The University of Cincinnati 



Field trips are considered to be of the utmost importance by the 

 teachers of nature-study and — are seldom made. The idea of 

 an excursion to the woods or fields is most alluring at first thought. 

 One sees in fancy the eager children searching out the secrets of 

 nature and can picture the new enthusiasm with which they will 

 be inspired. 



And yet, perhaps, the field trip when it actually occurs turns 

 out to be a wild scramble of excited children in which few of 

 nature's secrets seem in any danger of capture, while the return 

 resolves itself into a reti"eat led by a hoarse and discouraged 

 teacher. 



The reason why the field excursion is so often unsatisfactory 

 is that insufficient preparation is made for it. The plain fact of 

 the matter is that a field trip requires more careful preparation 

 on the part of the students than any recitation or laboratory 

 period. Not only this, but if the class is a large one there must be 

 a special organization effected. If the proper preliminary work 

 is done the field excursion is an inspiration to the students and a 

 pleasure to the teacher. 



Probably the best way to explain the methods which have 

 proved valuable in the writer's experience will be to describe the 

 preparation made for a specific trip. For example the manner of 

 organizing an excursion to a pond may be taken. 



Field Excursion to Jones Pond 



i. The teacher must make a preliminary scouting trip to the 

 pond in order to become familiar with the surroundings, as well as 

 for the special purpose of determining what plants and animals 

 are present in sufficient numbers to serve as practical objects for 

 study. 



2. A plan of the forms to be studied and the points about each 

 to be considered must then be carefully, very carefully, made. 



3. This plan must be reduced to an outline as concise as possible 

 and the following outline must be read to the children and written 

 on the blackboard, at least one week before the excursion is to 

 occur. 



125 



