5 Great Field Trip Ideas for 5th Graders

Fifth graders have an insane amount of energy and tend to have trouble sitting still during those big important lessons, but don't worry, getting them to turn their minds on doesn’t need to be a hassle!

Field trips are an exciting way to get them involved in their education and are great ways to keep the school year exciting and compelling.

Here are five educational, yet really thrilling, places to take your class!

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  • Seymour Planetarium
    • Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, Seymour Planetarium is one of the oldest operating planetariums in the United States. It can project more than 7,000 stars in varying brightnesses. Taking your class there would be a blast, and it would be educational! Teach the kids how to locate and identify celestial objects, planets, and constellations as the season’s change. This place is sure to wow any kid!
  • Denver Art Museum
    • Art teachers, are you trying to get your class to engage in the history of art? Bring them to the Denver Art Museum where they can participate in a number of activities! Their program Animal Remix can make the children use their imagination by mixing and matching different parts of animals to create all new ones, or you can have them make a shadowbox show where the kids show off their favorite animals- or create new ones! The possibilities are endless at the Denver Art Museum!
  • Missouri Botanical Garden

    Missouri Botanical Garden Credit Profreshionally Simple Photography

    • Do you want to show your class how beautiful the natural world can be? A great place to take them would be the Missouri Botanical Garden in Saint Louis, MO. At the gardens, they can get hands-on experience and participate in loads of activities involving gardening and plants. Check out the Children’s Garden where the kids are free to explore, play and learn about different kinds of plants. Or you can take the kids to the Canopy Climb. There the kids are strapped into harnesses and taken to the very tops of the trees, where they learn good tree climbing techniques, balance, and how to stay safe, because, let’s face it, they’re never going to stop climbing!
  • St. Louis Science Center
    • Trying to keep your class awake during science class? A great way for that would be to take them to the St. Louis Science Center. This center is a huge learning factory that will keep your kids engaged and curious about various things from the water on our earth to pretending to be a NASA engineer! Take them to the Discovery Room where they can see tiny details with a microscope, have them create constellations in the Star Room or perhaps go explore air movement in the Wind Tunnel. The possibilities are endless here!
  • Shedd Aquarium
    • The ocean is a magical place, but sometimes kids don’t understand just how unique and beautiful it is simply because they can’t see or interact with it from the classroom. So why not show it to them? Take your class on a day trip to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, or spend the night! Yes, you read that right! Stay the night at the Shedd Aquarium complete with snacks, games and a tour of the facility. Have them go on scavenger hunts for the coolest, slimiest fish around! They can dip their hands into the stingray exhibit and feel just how silky smooth they are, or they can see how the sea lions are taken care of by their caretakers. There are tons of things to do, see and learn under the sea and it would be a great experience!


Check out our 10 Exciting Destinations for the 5th Graders blog as well!