Preschool

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Krista Tulloch, who’s been a special ed teacher in Vancouver for 10 years, is a firm believer in getting out of the classroom — so much so that she and three other volunteers have put together bcfieldtrips.ca (an online guide) and an annual field trip fair to connect teachers with community-based educators, including museum and art gallery representatives. She says one of the keys to creating a safe field trip is the notice that’s sent home, though she says it’s common for parents not to read it carefully or to miss important information. “You end up with kids who come on trips without appropriate clothing — they don’t have a change of dry socks if they’re going on a nature hike, or they show up for snowshoeing without waterproof pants.”

A field trip notice should also have enough information to allow parents to assess any risk that might be specific to their child and provide the information to the school, Hanna says. For example, if you’re worried that your child wanders in large crowds, you may want to set up one-on-one supervision. “It is important that parents have the ability to provide informed consent that is based on the real risks.”

Originally published in Today's Parent, April 2006