Field Trips
Step out your door and you'll see land, so your field trip options are limitless. Here are two that reinforce the important concepts of planning and public ownership of land.
Kids and Community was developed by city planners to engage children in the process of planning and help them understand it better. Visit http://myapa.planning.org/kidsandcommunity to get in on the action.
Who Plans Your City?
Kids have probably never thought about the people behind the planning of your city, but they make a big impact on life in your community. They get to decide where everything goes and help develop long-term visions for what the city hopes to look like in the future. Take your students to the city planning offices to meet the people behind the plans. Go prepared with questions about the layout of your city. Ask to see maps of the city and learn about how things are zoned. What is the comprehensive plan for the city's future? What projects are they currently working on? You might be surprised at how interesting it is to get inside the action of mapping.
Part of the reason that people litter or pollute is that they don't realize that so much of the land is theirs. When people start claiming ownership of the land and this country, it will naturally lead to greater civic engagement and a more vibrant, successful democracy. Make your kids understand that this land is their land.
This Land Really Is Your Land
Do you own any land? Yes, you do! Did you know there are millions of acres of land in this country that belong to you? There are 600 million acres of federal land alone — that's one-third of our country! Then there's state land, like state parks and nature reserves and county and city land, such as parks and trails.
Visit a local nature reserve or state park. When was it first designated as public land? Was there one person or a group of people who donated it or fought to protect it? How is it maintained? Is the area suffering from any major environmental issues right now? What can you do to help? How many people visit this place each year? Is it home to any endangered species or unique geographic features? Park guides are very experienced tour guides and nature interpreters. They are accustomed to working with school groups and will provide a memorable day for your students. When you return to the classroom, have each student draw a picture of their favorite part of the field trip and write one amazing fact they learned. Also, choose one thing you can do to protect the land. After all, it is yours!
