Arizona Field Trips: Finding Education in Unexpected Places

5 days ago

4 min read

When you think of an educational field trip, you probably think of a museum, science center, zoo or historical site. But what about a lake? A bowling alley? A go-kart track? Some of the best learning opportunities in Arizona aren't necessarily places you would find by searching for "educational field trips."

That's one of my favorite things about planning programs for students. Education really can happen almost anywhere. Arizona Is Full of Learning Opportunities. We are incredibly lucky to live in a state with so much to explore.

Arizona gives students the opportunity to experience completely different ecosystems, learn about thousands of years of history, explore incredible geological formations, discover native plants and wildlife, and see science happening all around them.

Educational experiences don't have to stop there. Take students kayaking and you have an opportunity to explore aquatic ecosystems, water resources, geology, native wildlife and the unique relationship between water and our desert environment. Put them behind the wheel of a go-kart and suddenly we're talking about force, motion, friction, speed and engineering. Go bowling and there are angles, energy, momentum, measurement and math happening with every roll of the ball. Even laser tag or a jump park can become an opportunity to explore physics, technology, math and the science behind how our bodies move. The trick isn't always finding a place that already offers an educational program. Sometimes it's finding an exciting experience and asking, "What can we learn here?"

Start With the Students, Not the Destination

When I plan a custom educational experience for a group, I don't think there is one perfect field trip that works for everyone.

A homeschool co-op with students ranging from kindergarten through high school has very different needs than a middle school STEM group. A microschool studying Arizona history may be looking for something completely different than a youth organization that wants an active team-building experience.

That's why I like to start with the group. How old are the students? What are they interested in? What are they currently learning? How far is the group willing to travel? Do they want something adventurous? STEM-focused? Outdoors? History? Animals? A little bit of everything? Those answers can lead us to some pretty incredible places and help turn a simple outing into a meaningful educational field trip.

Learning Doesn't Have to Look Like School

One of the reasons I love hands-on learning is that students don't have to sit at a desk to learn something. They can experience it!

Instead of only reading about an ecosystem, they can paddle through one. Instead of looking at a diagram explaining force and motion, they can experience those forces themselves and then talk about what happened. Instead of memorizing facts about Arizona's history, geology or wildlife, they can stand in the places where those stories happened and see the environment they're learning about.

One experience doesn't have to fit neatly into one subject. A single day can include science, math, history, geography, engineering and even life skills. The educational connections are already there. We just have to know where to look for them. That's what makes hands-on learning and STEM field trips so valuable. Students aren't just hearing about a concept. They're seeing it, testing it and experiencing it for themselves.

Custom Arizona Educational Programs for Groups

This is exactly what I offer through Discoveries in the Desert. I work with homeschool co-ops, microschools, youth groups, student organizations and other groups to create customized educational experiences based on their students' ages, interests and learning goals.

These aren't simply group outings or field trips. They are comprehensive learning programs that can include on-site instruction and curriculum aligned with Arizona Academic Standards.

Families participating in Arizona's Empowerment Scholarship Account program can also use ESA funds for eligible programs through Discoveries in the Desert as a ClassWallet Direct Pay vendor accepting ESA funds.

So, Where Can We Go? That's the fun part!

Maybe your students love animals. Maybe they're obsessed with cars. Maybe you have a group that wants to spend the day outside. Maybe you need something that will keep a five-year-old interested without boring the teenagers.

Or maybe you're simply tired of organizing every field trip yourself. Planning a successful group experience can mean researching locations, comparing programs, making reservations, collecting information from families, keeping track of rosters, communicating with the venue, managing payments and then figuring out how to make the experience educational once everyone gets there.

Discoveries in the Desert can handle those pieces for you. Depending on the program, that can include researching and selecting the experience, coordinating with the venue, making reservations, managing group communication and logistics, handling program payments, and creating the educational component that connects the experience back to what students are learning.

You get to bring your group and enjoy the experience without having to manage every detail behind the scenes. There are so many opportunities throughout Arizona that can become incredible educational experiences with a little creativity and the right curriculum connections.

Museums and science centers absolutely have their place. But so do lakes, racetracks, farms, bowling alleys, hiking trails, adventure courses and plenty of places you probably wouldn't think of as a traditional field trip destination.

The question isn't just, "Where should we take our students?" It's "What do we want them to experience, and what can they learn while they're there?" That's where some of the best Arizona field trips begin.