Chapter 5: Field Trips: Extending the Classroom Beyond the Four Walls

When one thinks about field trips, nostalgically, or not so nostalgically, we think back on our experiences of school excursions when we were children. These childhood memories can linger well after the bus has returned us to school and when we later share our experiences with our families at home. My first field trip as a child was to the Bronx Zoo. I distinctly remember singing with my fellow first graders “We all live in a yellow tangerine …” to the tune of the Beatles’ “Yellow Submarine.” Mrs. Miller stopped us from singing well before we arrived at the zoo. To this day, that is all I recall from that trip. When I was in fifth grade, however, my class went to the Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC. This resonated because I loved anything that had to do with astronauts, space, and airplanes. I still remember answering the tour guide’s questions, one of the few times I had ever spoken up in class.