Teachers and parents are always trying to find unique ways to motivate students to learn. And kids are thrilled to learn outside of the classroom. Instead of picking up a textbook, students can experience up-close and sometimes hands-on activities, like how to dig for fossils, pan for gold, learn to code, explore marine life, and even present questions to professionals who work in the areas of STEM, art, nature, music and many other career fields. One exciting field trip could be the starting point to a child’s future college and career path.
Field trips often coincide with a teacher’s lesson plans for the school year. They also can make learning STEM and history FUN! An obstacle that many teachers face is how to pay for the cost of the field trip. There are many factors involved: What is the cost of the field trip? Will the parents be paying a portion of the cost or does the school need to pay for the trip? Will parents be asked to participate in a carpool for the trip or will school buses or chartered buses be used in transportation?
There are tax credits that schools can receive that will provide admission and transportation for field trips. The first step a teacher should take is to find out the cost of the field trip desired. Then contact the transportation office to see if there is a set rate for your destination. After admission and transportation costs are added up, the teacher will then need to get approved by the school if there are tax credit available. A tax credit allows those who donate to reduce their Arizona income tax by the amount they donate! These amounts are up to $200 for a person filing single or up to $400 for joint filing. Anyone wanting to donate to a school can go to www.az.dor.gov and search for tax credits to get more information about helping their child’s school.
Parents also can make learning fun for their kids by taking educational and fun family trips. Many zoos, museums, aquariums and space centers have self-guided tours that the whole family will enjoy. Parents can incorporate a scavenger hunt or play “I Spy” during the visit to a family destination to make it more fun and memorable.
Wondering what fun and exciting field trips are available in your area or a short drive away? The 2022-2023 Field Trips & Family Destinations Guide begins here. The guide lists places that are fun, entertaining and educational for classrooms and the entire family. The guide will be available Bear online throughout the year.
The Arizona SciTech Festival is a multi-week, colorful showcase of more than 1,000 science, engineering, technology (STEM) and innovation events in over 50 Arizona cities featuring exhibits, hands-on activities, colorful shows, tours and discussions. Dates coming soon!
Our 12.5-acre, 600,000-stalk maze has two levels of difficulty–spend as little or as much time as you want exploring the pathways of the maze. Group rates available for the corn maze and hayride combo. Groups must be 15 people or more.
The Arizona Diamondbacks are the Major League Baseball team in Arizona. Since its inception as an expansion franchise in 1998, the team has won a world championship (2001) and made six postseason appearances. The club has played in front of 32 million fans at Chase Field, which features a signature swimming pool, retractable roof and a kids play area called the Phoenix Children’s Hospital Sandlot. For more information about the D-backs, or to purchase game tickets, visit dbacks.com
The Arizona Insect Festival is back! Join us Sunday October 9, 2022 from 10 AM – 3 PM, at the ENR2 building on the University of Arizona campus. This FREE family event features over 20 booths with live insects and hands-on activities. Chat with insect scientists and learn more about amazing Arizona insects!
Common Core Worksheets: Fresh standards-based fun sheets for classrooms to use in conjunction with the current issue of Bear Essential News.
Free Young Reporters Program: Students in grades 3–8 develop as young writers by writing news stories for Bear Essential News.
Young Reporters can attend monthly Zoom meetings and interview important people from our community.
Free Presentations: Five dynamic topics are available from a Bear editor.
Project:Educate. Educators receive a 20% discount on all purchases. To receive your Project: Educate card, you need to sign up online at www.bookmans.com. You will receive a confirmation email, which you need to bring to your nearest Bookmans location, along with a valid ID and proof of educator status.
Kids Club: From birth to age 12 kids receive a 10% discount and a $10 gift certificate on their birthday.
1317: Kids 13-17 receive a 15% discount and a $15 gift certificate on their birthday.
Visit Bookmans.com and click on the JOIN tab to sign up.
Register now! The Grand Canyon Council provides youth with programs and activities that allow them to try new things, provide service to others, build self-confidence and reinforce ethical standards.
The Scouting experience is divided into programs according to age and activities.
Cub Scouts: Grades: K–5
Scouts, BSA: Grades:6–12
Venturing: 14–20 years old
Sea Scouting: 14–20 years old
Thursday, September 15 weekday matinee!
Giraffes strut. Birds swoop. Gazelles leap. The entire Serengeti comes to life as never before. And as the music soars, Pride Rock slowly emerges from the mist. This is Disney’s THE LION KING, making its triumphant return to Tucson!
More than 100 million people around the world have experienced the awe-inspiring visual artistry, the unforgettable music, and the uniquely theatrical storytelling of this Broadway spectacular – one of the most breathtaking and beloved productions ever to grace the stage.
Winner of six Tony Awards®, including Best Musical, THE LION KING brings together one of the most imaginative creative teams on Broadway.
There is simply nothing else like THE LION KING.
The Cooper Center for Environmental Learning is an outreach program of the University of Arizona College of Education, in partnership with Tucson Unified School District (TUSD). We work to increase ecological understandings and deepen feelings for nature. We do this by providing hands-on, research-based programs in science and earth education, by creating lifelong memories, and by inspiring learners of all ages to live more lightly and sustainably on the Earth.
CAP offers an Arizona-specific water education program including free downloadable lesson plans for K–3, 4–6, middle and high school students that are standards-based. Lesson plans supported by mixed media tools like videos, posters and activity books! Visit www.cap-az.com/education or call 623-869-2176 for more information.
A visit to Children’s Museum Tucson inspires discovery, creativity and learning. Our Museum exhibits and programs are content rich, aligned with Arizona Academic Standards and ignite imagination and curiosity! And the best part - Adventure Learning Field Trips are simple to plan, economical and fun! $7 per child; financial assistance may be available. Grades: K-6.
Discover the magic of color at Crayola Experience! Crayola Experience Chandler is bursting with 18 hands-on activities, perfect for a full day of creative fun. Name your own crayon, star in a coloring page, bring your digital art to life AND MORE! Field trips start at $9.99 per person. PLUS - teachers get a free annual pass with valid ID (see site for details).
Bring your students to a show. Four shows to entertain students in PreK–12. Bill Blagg magic in Motion, grades 3–7. All the World’s a Song: Shakespeare in Jazz, grades 5–12. The Gruffalo LIVE! Grades PreK–3. Somos Amigos: Songs on Common Ground, grades 1–6. Read about all the shows in the Fox School Matinee Brochure at this link: http://t0ppd2sptlbn17ft2d7qez16-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploa...
Bring your students to get up close and personal with our beautiful and highly unique 1930’s Southwestern Art Deco theatre. Whether in lounges or lobbies, the stage or dressing rooms, each space opens an experiential window into history. We’ll explore Tucson’s past, spectacular feats of construction and restoration, the history of showbiz in the US, and the marvels of a top-notch working theatre. You may even get to meet a resident ghost or two...While you’re downtown, why not pair a theatre tour with other wonderful educational options right around the corner? The Tucson Museum of Art teaching artists can guide your students in hands-on art workshop built around the visual arts components they just saw at The Fox. You can book an Adventure Learning Program about stage acting at the Children’s Museum, do some volunteer arts and crafts at Ben’s Bells, or enjoy a scavenger hunt at the main Tucson Library.
Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. In Girl Scouts, girls experience adventure and create life-long memories in an all-girl environment where they earn badges, go camping, explore STEM, become leaders and work on community service projects.
Enjoy three hours of unlimited Miniature Golf and Laser Tag, plus two ride tickets for Bumper Boats or Go-Karts for only $16.25 per person (plus tax.) Available Monday–Friday, any three hour block of time before 5 p.m. 30 person minimum and reservation required.
If your group is smaller than 30, call to get other group rates.
The Humane Society of Southern Arizona children’s programs will give your child a new perspective on caring for animals, preventing animal cruelty, understanding animal behavior, and more. We use a variety of activities that stress an appreciation of our environment and preservation of our natural world; classroom activities, creative and artistic exercises, hands-on animal care, great games, and character building lessons.
During the school year we offer in-school education, camps during school breaks, reading to shelter pets, HIP Youth Internships, Hand in Paw Kid’s Club events including Humane Heroes, and birthday parties.
Visit Tucson’s all-indoors, hands-on natural history museum! See over 400 species of insects, birds, reptiles, fish and mammals from all over the world. Open Thursday–Sunday. Groups with reservations may book 7 days a week. $10 adult; $7 senior or military; $5 child ages 4–12; 3 & under are free. Guided & self-guided tours, classroom visits, birthday parties, live animal encounters and more.
A visit to The Mini Time Machine is an experience that ignites the imagination and inspires a desire to explore mathematical concepts, leap into literature and art, investigate history, and experience life in another time or culture. Tours and outreach presentations are developed to support objectives in the Arizona Common Core standards. Schools can request free virtual or in-person classroom outreach presentations or apply for funding for field trip admission and transportation. Program details are on the website.
Looking for new field trip ideas? The Presidio Museum has educational field trips that supports Common Core curriculum for grades 3-4, but are open to all ages. Students will learn the life of a Presidio child and chores they had to complete and games they played. Other activities include tinsmithing, blacksmithing, calligraphy and the life of a Presidio Soldier.
Reid Park Zoo is pleased to provide Title 1 schools with either a free Zoo to You Outreach at your school or Zoo Adventure Program while grant funding lasts. A field trip to the Reid Park Zoo is just one of the fun ways to ignite your students’ interest in wildlife, conservation, and science! Teachers can reserve a Bio Bag filled with hands-on artifact activities and print Activity packets.
Rock Solid Climbing is about making fitness fun for everyone. Whether you are an expert or scaling your first wall, Rock Solid Climbing is here for you. We have climbs for every ability level and our coaches are eager to help get you started. Come with friends and family, bring your classmates on a field trip or host your birthday with us.
Friday, February 10, 2023 school classes are invited to attend the Tucson Gem and Mineral show®. Registration begins Nov. 1, 2022, for more information visit www.tgms.org or call or email.
Only after registering for the free school visits program, eligible persons from your school–students, including chaperones and bus drivers will be admitted without charge.
Shamrock Farms offers a fun and educational field trip through its working dairy farm that will show your students their pure, fresh farm-to-table story. View the cows being milked, let your students play on Roxie’s Outdoor Adventure on your hour-long guided tour. Shamrock Farms is happy to offer in-person tours as well as our recently launched virtual tours. Please visit shamrockfarmstour.com today to reserve an in-person or virtual tour today!!
Tohono Chul offers fun–filled walks and activities for school trips, and friends or family outings. Make a reservation to take one of our four school tours: Ethnobotany–relationships between plants and people, Desert Digs–nest, webs and holes where desert creatures dwell, Clever Plants–amazing adaptions that allow plants to thrive in our desert, or calling all Bs–diverse pollinators who set–up the coming of new generations of plants. Visit on your own and uncover desert gems with our art and gardens mobile scavenger hunts or stop by our docents and their eco–sttions that illustrate connections between nature and culture.
The Museum offers a variety of programs for students to learn about art, history and culture. Whether it is a docent-led tour complete with hands-on art project or a self-guided tour of a special exhibition and a selection of the permanent collection, students will have the opportunity to explore one of Tucson’s treasures. Cost: $4-6. Grades: K-12
Our KIDCO afterschool recreational program is held at local elementary schools and recreation centers. We offer safe and structured activities for youth currently enrolled in K-5 grades. Planned activities may include sports, games, nutrition, fitness, arts and crafts, performing arts and special events.
60,000 square feet of reptiles and amphibians from around the world. Petting zoo with tortoises, alligators, snakes and other reptiles. Captive bred reptiles for sale. Cost: Adults: $10; Ages 6–12: $5 Ages 5 and under are free.
The Tucson Rodeo Parade Museum includes four buildings filled with historic wagons and artifacts. On the site of the first municipal airport in the United States, one can discover where many of the terms used today originated. A large train exhibit represents Tucson of 1880, when the first train arrived in Tucson. See Tucson’s first fire wagon, Tucson’s jail wagon, stage coaches and the famous Maxamillian Coach!
What is going on in that artwork? Why do we make art? How does art make us think, feel, and dream? Students of all ages will spark their imaginations while exploring amazing artworks from around the world at the University of Arizona Museum of Art. Examining, interpreting, and sharing ideas about artworks helps students build powerful skills like detailed observation, visual literacy, critical thinking, and empathy. Connect with UAMA to plan a field trip or learn more about UAMA resources and using art to explore different subjects in your classroom.
Children’s Adventure Playground. For an adventure like no other. We offer the largest indoor playground in Southern Arizonan filled with obstacles, tunnels, spiral slides, mega slides & more. Kids can reach new heights in BearKat Boulder featuring 5 climbing structures. Test their skills in our Ninja Course or our Monkey Maze, the only net course in Arizona. Each field trip includes Wild Katz Grip Socks, 2 hours of play and smiles all around!
Your field trip will complement any biology curriculum at any grade level. Students can feed Lory parrots, learn about animal ambassadors and see some display natural behaviors during a Wildlife Encounter Show. Meet baby animals in our children’s play area and petting zoo! Cost: $8/student, $20/adult, one adult admission free with every 10 paid students (10 student min.)
Worlds of Words’ unique collection of international children’s literature provides an interactive, educational and fun field trip that also broadens global perspectives through children’s and adolescent literature. We offer hands-on experiences for groups of K-12 students, UArizona classes and community members. Our staff may be able to create a customized field trip that fits the needs, abilities and study topics of your group.
