What are the Best Educational School Trips for Children?
School trips are a great way to educate children on a wide range of topics, such as history and geography. By taking children outside the classroom, you introduce them to a new and fun way of learning, and it can also be a nice change from the standard classroom setting.
Trips to the Zoo
For children eager to learn more about wildlife and see exotic animals, taking them on a trip to the zoo is a great idea. Children can enjoy educational talks about specific animals from experts, and they can get involved with interactive exhibits that ensure the information sticks.
Not only will children learn about animals, but they’ll also learn about the environment and preserving animal species. So, by organising a school trip to the zoo, children will also gain a heightened appreciation for topics like climate change.
Explore a Heritage Site
Around Scotland and the UK, there are Heritage Sites which make for fantastic school trips. If you’re keen for your child to learn more about history and geography, Heritage Sites can provide eye opening experiences.
In Scotland, there are 6 World Heritage Sites for children to explore. These include The Antonine Wall, Heart of Neolithic Orkney, New Lanark, the Old and New Towns of Edinburgh, St Kilda, and The Forth Bridge.
All of these sites would make for an excellent school trip as each is packed with history and provides interesting insights into Scotland’s past.
National Parks
If your children are interested in seeing nature in all its glory, then taking them on a school trip to a National Park is sure to provide an enriching educational experience. There are 2 National Parks in Scotland: Trossachs National Park (including Loch Lomond) and the Cairngorms National Park.
National Parks are particularly good for geography trips. They educate children on the various surroundings and are great for demonstrating concepts like erosion. With the addition of walking tours and expert guides, children get a breath of fresh air and a truly educational adventure.
Science Trips
There’s nothing more fun than taking children to a science centre! Science centres offer an interactive look into the world of science and allow children to experience experiments up close in a safe environment.
With lots of exhibits and tours available, children will learn about different scientific concepts, famous scientists, and can even take something home from the gift shop.
In Glasgow, we have the Glasgow Science Centre, which offers interactive exhibits, a planetarium, and live science shows.
Museums
If history is something you want to educate your child about, a museum is the perfect place to take them. With lots of exhibits and reading material, they’ll gain an enormous amount of knowledge about specific periods in time.
In Glasgow, there is the Riverside Museum which contains over 3,000 objects. These range from skateboards to old locomotives. This museum will also educate children on the rich shipping history of Glasgow and provides several interactive exhibits, including historic public transport that children can experience.
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is a firm favourite with local people and visitors. It features 22 galleries with everything from art to animals, Ancient Egypt to Charles Rennie Mackintosh and lots more. It is housed in a beautiful building in Glasgow’s west end, near to the University of Glasgow and was built in 1901.
Concluding
School trips are a great way to educate children out of the classroom and at The High School of Glasgow we try to encourage as many of these as possible throughout the year.
We organise trips locally, nationally and internationally. Some highlights include the Senior School Geography trip to Iceland or the Classics trip to Italy and Greece, to name a few.
School trips are suitable for all ages, regardless of whether your children are in Junior School or Senior School, they’ll gain a lot from an adventure outside and will learn beyond the classroom.
If you want to know more about what sorts of school trips we run for our pupils, get in touch with admissions now or browse our Social Media or website.