Super Teacher Tip #13: Make Field Trip Bus Bags

Make bus bags for field trips and keep one in each seat. Feild trips can be a lot of fun for a teacher. It's a chance to get out of the classroom and away from the lesson planning and just teach in a different, hands-on way.

...and they can also leave you tired in a can't-move-one-more-inch-or-I-think-my-body-will-just-fall-apart kinda way.

...and your patience is usually drained somewhere down around negative five.

One simple way to make field trips a bit less hectic is to try to create a calm bus ride to and from the site. I did this each year by creating bus bags that each seat partner shared. These bags had mini dry erase boards, markers, a small pad of paper, a pencil, and a quiet-time book that each student had chosen. They also a had a few tissues so there wasn't that constant 'I need a tissue right NOW!' scramble.

Before the field trip, I had a little mini-lesson with the kids on how to play a few white board games. I taught them Monster, hangman, dots, and a few other easy-to-learn games. During the bus ride, they were allowed to play with their partner as long as they didn't raise their voice or get out of their seat.

I've explained more about our bus bags in a previous post, so check that out to get a bit more info.

I also posted a bunch of ways I've found to make field trips a little smoother (not completely stress-free, mind you, but at least a little less nerve-frying).

It's Your Turn: How have you made field trips smoother?

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What's a"Super Teacher?" Any teacher that's trying his or her very best to create effective teaching moments and provide a positive classroom environment.  We Super Teachers aren't perfect teachers by a long-shot, but we are always striving to become better teachers. Read more Super Teacher Tips here!

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