Preschoolers are so much fun. Everything is new and exciting, and simple outings can provide the basis for amazing hands-on learning opportunities. Many of these field trip suggestions are fun things you’d probably do with your preschooler anyway, but we’re homeschooling parents. That means we get to call them field trips.

Besides, the big kids shouldn’t get to have all the fun. So, check out these 10 field trips for preschoolers that I hope your little ones will love as much as mine did when they were still little.

1. Apple orchard. Apple orchards are so much fun because they typically have activities geared toward younger kids. Plan a visit in September and borrow some books from the library about Johnny Appleseed. Plan some apple-themed snacks and activities, and maybe even bake a pie together. Fun!

2. Pumpkin patch. Like apple orchards, pumpkin patches generally feature activities for younger kids. Head to a pumpkin patch in October to select your own. Then, come home and enjoy a pumpkin-themed learning activity. If you love Little Critter as much as I do, read Trick or Treat, Little Critter, in which Little Critter and his family visit a pumpkin patch.

3. Zoo. Who doesn’t love animals? This can be a particularly fun outing if your zoo features a petting zoo. Consider making up a simple scavenger hunt to add an extra element of excitement to the visit.

4. Children’s museums. My kids used to love going to our city’s children’s museum. An annual membership was one of our splurges when they were younger. One of the nice things about children’s museums is that most rotate their exhibits several times a year, so there’s always something new to explore.

5. Farm. Domesticated animals are just as much fun to visit and learn about as wild ones. Plus, young kids can learn about how farmers provide food for the rest of us. Granted, much of what most of us eat is commercially processed, but it’s good for kids to learn about other options and discover how to support local farmers.

6. Fire or police station. Young kids tend to be fascinated by fire trucks and police cars, but they can often be intimated by firefighters and police officers in full gear. That can be a bad situation in the event of an emergency. Make arrangements to visit a local station and let your kids meet some of the men and women in uniform and learn some safety tips. I highly recommend reading Officer Buckle and Gloria in conjunction with a visit to the police station.

7. Aquarium. So, we’ve visited wild and domestic animals, we can’t leave out marine animals. Take your little ones to learn about fresh- and salt-water creatures.

8. Recycling facility. My kids and I went to a recycling center when they were young. It was fascinating to see how the facility operated and all the products that can be made from recycled plastic – everything from park benches to clothing! If you don’t already recycle, find out how to do so where you live and let your preschoolers start helping sort your recyclables at home.

9. A pond. A pond can be fascinating, particularly in the spring when you may be able to spot tadpoles, goslings, or ducklings. Borrow some books from the library about pond life before you go, and take along your camera to photo-journal what you find (at the pond, not the library!).

10. Your town. Often we overlook the things we see every day, but your own town can be a fascinating place to explore. Consider visiting the tourist attractions that you never visit because you aren’t tourists. Visit historical sites, local eateries, or small businesses. Stop by city hall or the chamber of commerce to learn more about your city’s history and what it has to offer.

What are some of your favorite field trip spots for preschoolers?

This post is linked to Top Ten Tuesday and the Hip Homeschool Hop.

Way back, many ancient moons ago (which explains the poor quality photos), when my niece who is now 12 was only 4, she homeschooled with us for preschool the year before she entered Kindergarten.

Because we had moved upstairs from our basement schoolroom by then, our space was more limited than when Josh and Megan were in preschool. Back in their day, we had an adorable kid-drawn calendar for marking the days and learning the months of the year and days of the week. We had the alphabet on the wall and cute little bears that helped them practice the concept of yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

We had a bulletin board where I displayed the letter, color, shape, and number of the week and cute little things related to the week’s theme. I had fun with preschool, y’all!

When my niece joined us, we simply didn’t have room for all that, but I didn’t want her to miss out on the fun we had learning those things. I needed something portable that I could pull out while she was here and put away at the end of each day.

Making a portable preschool learning center

I decided to combine the idea behind our writing center and the math mini-offices that I used with Josh and Megan. I thought it turned out really well and I must have been right because Josh and Megan were both upset that I didn’t make anything like that for them. The fact that we put the same stuff up on a bulletin board didn’t matter to them at all.

Our portable preschool learning center featured a spot for shapes, letters, numbers, and colors. Typically, I changed the letter weekly, the number every other week, and the shape and color once a month.

I included photos of items whose name started with our letter of the week. Until we got to higher numbers (and ran out of room), I used the number of photos of each item that corresponded with the number we were working on. So, for letter C/number two, there would be two cats, two cars, and two cookies, for example.

I used removable glue dots so that I could easily change the letters, numbers, and other features as needed, and I made it look pretty with border I found at the Dollar Store. I cut the letters out of the border with my handy-dandy Sizzix die cutter.

Online resources for preschool

I used printables from a variety of sources, but following are the primary sites that I used. I’ve also added a couple of new sites that weren’t available back then, but which I absolutely love for preschool printables, activities, and ideas.

Letter of the Week – This is the site that I used for the majority of Josh and Megan’s preschool education. The Preparatory Curriculum for ages 2-4 is what we used.

Letter of the Week from Confessions of  Homeschooler – I also really love this Letter of the Week curriculum from Confessions of a Homeschooler. It makes me wish her kids had been older than mine.

Mama’s Learning Corner – Lauren has tons of fabulous printables for preschool and early elementary. This link goes to the preschool materials, but if you have older kids, be sure to look around.

ABC Snacks – I always loved pairing a themed snack with our letter of the week. These ideas from All About Learning Press make it easy. Easy is good!

DLTK-Kids – This is the site where I got many of my printables along with ideas on activities to go with different letters and numbers.

Kidzone – This site offers lots of great printables for preschool through early elementary.

What are some of your favorite preschool resources?

This post is linked to the Hip Homeschool Hop.