5 Inspiring and Educational New York Field Trips to Take
If you’re new to homeschooling or even if you are a seasoned veteran, you must consider organizing inspiring and educational field trips for your children. This is difficult, especially in a pandemic. However, I want to share with you some downstate New York field trips we have either contemplated or experienced.
This is by no means a comprehensive list since New York City is buzzing with fun and field trips. (P.S, I plan to write another list post highlighting 100 field trips you can take in New York.)
Homeschool Field Trips for NYC
There are so many places to go and so many things to see in New York City and its suburbs. As you can imagine then, it is not difficult to find something to do. New York’s got a million problems, but going places is not one of them. There are museums, holiday storefronts, basements, towers, castles, and mountain ranges that are easily accessible for NYC.
5 Little-Known Trips To Take Near NYC
1. New York’s JFK Airport Field Trip with JetBlue
So let me tell you more about this one! Did you know that pre-covid JetBlue hosted a field trip tour of Terminal 5 of JFK airport? I was about to write that I didn’t remember where I heard about the field trip. However, I actually recalled. I didn’t hear about it from anyone. I thought of the idea myself and contacted JetBlue (my preferred airliner) on Instagram. The social media manager gave me the contact information for their community coordinator.
After some back and forth, she gave us a date, did some security checks on us, and we showed up at Terminal 5 for what turned out to be one of the most amazing field trips any of us (including the adults) had ever been on.
I’m sure this program probably got shelved during the pandemic, but as we move past the horror the past two years (hopefully), perhaps JetBlue may bring back this wonderful tour.
Three years ago, pre-covid, I shocked my homeschool co-op group by organizing a field trip to John F. Kennedy International Airport. What? 😲 🙀 The moms couldn’t believe that I’d found an inspiring and educational field trip that none of the veterans in our group knew about.
JetBlue gave us a tour of their terminal (5) at JFK. We got freebies. We were shown little-known outdoor play spaces. We went up to the tower. We went down dark, mysterious hallways. We went on a plane (a first for some of the kids). All-in-all we had an epic field trip.
NYC is full of these types of homeschool field trips.
2. Amazon Fulfillment Center New Jersey
“Curious about what happens behind the scenes when you shop Amazon?” Did you know that Amazon Fulfillment Centers offer field trips?
Well pre-covid, you could have booked a field trip to your nearest fulfillment center. (Ours happened to be in New Jersey). These days Amazon is offering Live Virtual Field Trips. Check them out here.
3. Brookhaven National Laboratory Experience
As a graduate Chemistry student at Stony Brook University, I worked at Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton NY (Exit 68 on the LIE). Thus, a couple of years ago, I looked into the idea of providing students with laboratory/science research experience at the laboratory. I was blessed to find that Brookhaven offers Exploration Labs for students.
Our homeschool co-op group went on (I want to say) a DNA extraction Lab field trip a few years back. The kids really enjoyed it. And the adults were happy that their homeschooled children were able to get valuable science lab experience.
As can be expected, because of covid, they are currently not offering in-person exploration labs. But they are offering virtual labs. So be sure to check them out.
4. Queens County Farm Museum
Smack dab in the middle of the grind that is Queens, New York sits this little farm on Little Neck Parkway in Queens. And if you live in a rural area, your first response to this might be, “So What? What’s so special about a farm.”
But you’ll need to live here to understand. When you live in a concrete jungle, all you see on every side are bricks. Therefore, the opportunity to go to a real live farm may be a novelty to many city kids. An outdoor homeschooler’s dream in the midst of this bustling city can be a game-changer.
Not to mention that they offer group classes and tours about everything from composting to 18th-century cooking.
5. Sagamore Hill Historic House
Sagamore Hill is beautiful. From the rolling hills to the house that was President’s Roosevelt Summer home, to the waterway at the foot of the property; this magnificent property in Oyster Bay, NY is a sight. Jana and her friends had the time of their lives running down hills, climbing trees, playing in the sand on the water, and just having a great afternoon out.
The history detailing Roosevelt’s use of the home was also very interesting. Jana was quite interested in the ice house and someone (Teddy’s son, maybe) having to climb to the top of the house to get ice.
It was a wonderful field trip!
Conclusion
New York City is filled with iconic locations, no doubt. However, in-and-around the city, there are many little-known places to visit. So when you have the chance, call up JetBlue and find out when they may start doing airport tours again. Take a virtual tour of an Amazon fulfillment center so your kids can experience how the giant of an online retailer runs its business. Do a virtual experiment with Brookhaven National Laboratory. Get out there and visit a farm in the middle of the concrete jungle. And be sure to do an evening in Oyster Bay at the house that Roosevelt built.
Happy Homeschooling!