Learning can be fun and exciting, but it doesn’t always happen in the classroom. Kids can learn a lot from field trips.

Idaho lawmakers recognized the importance of learning outside the classroom. Last year, they passed a $2.5 million dollar bill to restore transportation funding for school field trips. The funding went into effect in July 2017.

This means that all of our kids were able to go on a field trip this school year. Right? I wish. My high school kids, middle school kids and my fourth grader have not been on a field trip all year.

Fortunately, my youngest is enrolled in (tuition) kindergarten. A portion of the tuition fees goes toward kindergarten field trips. These field trips have provided my daughter with numerous hands-on learning experiences, such as:

• Exploring a local farm to learn how plants grow and how a farm is run.
• The importance of staying active in the winter, by going to a trampoline park with classmates.
• Creating healthy eating habits and understanding how a grocery store operates, by going on a walking field trip to the local Albertsons.
• The importance of protecting the habitat of native Idaho wildlife by taking a guided tour through the Idaho Nature Center.

I know that my daughter could have learned all of these concepts in the classroom, but it would not have had the same impact.

Field trips are an important aspect in our children’s education. The government has allocated money for our public schools to take our kids on field trips. How is your school using the additional funding? Have your kids been on a field trip this year?