Update: Last Friday, my friend, Jen’s, Co-op visited the local Quarry. Add the fire department, jail, and Rescue Center to your list of off-beat field trips.
I’ve taken kids on field trips. Remember I taught in public, private, and Co-op settings. Sure, I’ve taken groups to Washington D.C. and New York City, traditional field trips. However, I like off-beat trips. For example, I’ve taken high school groups for a week to the Marine Science Consortium’s Chincoteague Bay Field Station. They host Family Camps. Our school group stayed in barracks and went out on the Bay. It’s located on Wallops Island, close to Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and Wallops Flight Visitor Center. However, the most memorable field trips are really off the wall and accessible.
1. Visit a Waste Water Treatment Plant. Look for a ‘facility tour’. Here is a virtual tour. BTW, now is a good time to visit a waste water treatment plant. I toured a plant in July in Charlotte, N.C. Words fail to convey just how pungent that experience was.
2. Landfills make for interesting tours, too. The Fauquier Collection Site has a landfill, recycling center, and sorting area. Fauquier uses an Enviroscape Landfill model as part of its education program. Call your local landfill to schedule a tour. Ask if they have an Enviroscape model.
3. See if there is a local Water Treatment plant to tour. This type of facility has sand beds. The Berkeley site has glass window etched from the fluoride added to water. This tour does not come with odious odors.
4. Take a Factory tour. Our family loves factory tours! They vary enormously. Try the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in D.C. They print dollar bills.
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