I can’t emphasize enough, field trips don’t require lots of preparation and forethought. A last-minute lunch on the river or lake is a great field trip. I love river watching. There’s nothing like watching the Mississippi flow by in Iowa or Louisiana (or any state along the river), but if you don’t have the Mighty Mississippi close to home, any old river will do. In Green Bay, it will most likely be the Fox River. On any given summer day you can take a picnic, a snack or just a pad of paper and a pencil, pick a bench or a grassy spot and chat while you point out interesting stuff. Last weekend we decided to ditch the crowds at the Tall Ship Festival and eat our lunch on the river bank in front of the Neville Public Museum.
Pick something to keep your senses working
We chose to focus on boats, but you could focus on people, birds, plants or well, anything. Once we started looking we saw all kinds of watercraft: paddle boards, kayaks, a pontoon boat, fishing boats, speed boats, a Coast Guard boat, and the Foxy Lady dinner cruiser. We started to notice the sounds they made, their speed, and how they moved differently.
Other Possibilities
- Listen for sounds you may not normally notice.
- Draw your meal, the river, the plants, whatever moves you.
- Play “I Spy”.
- Sit in silence without sharing. Just observe and enjoy.
- Imagine out loud what life was like on the river or lake when the area was just being settled.
- Simply visit with each other.
I hope with low key field trips like these, we’re teaching P to enjoy the simple things in life. At the very least we’re squeezing in a little extra quality time.
I totally agree. My son and I took dozens of “field trips” on the golf course behind our house in Florida. We always saw something new and never planned which direction we’d go.
For us, those are the best days. Having no plan and being up for anything usually ends in a good way for us.