Reclaiming the Field

in Field Trip

"The outing makes an experience live."
--Dr. Maria Montessori, From Childhood to Adolescence




Maria Montessori argued that as children enter Elementary (ages 6 to 12), they become interested in the world beyond the home and the classroom. They are asking questions and ready to explore the world in search of answers. Montessori dedicates at least three chapters to the importance of "going out" for this age child. "To go out of a classroom to enter the outside world . . . is obviously to open an immense door to instruction" (From Childhood to Adolescence).

In "going out," we are fortunate to have a long history of financial support from our district's Magnet Department. Every year, we are able to offer field trips to our Montessori elementary-age children close to once a month, at little or no cost to families--a huge gift! Last week, we embarked on our first field trip of the year.

For a little over a year now, I've been interested in taking our field trips a step further by helping the children experience "field work." I want children to view themselves as scientists, gathering information and conducting investigations in the field. To this end, I've developed "field kits" to provide children with some of the tools of science used to measure, collect, and enhance observation. They also carry with them a collection of field guides, empowering the children to find answers to their own "What is that?" questions.

If we have a suitable number of adult chaperones, the children divide into the same Cooperative Investigation Teams we use for classroom science. The field packs are color-coded for each team with a knotted colored ribbon. Each group's Materials Manager is charged with carrying the pack. ("Anything a Child Can Do, a Teacher Shouldn't.") Prior to the trip and again at the end of the trip, the Facilitator and the Materials Manager work together, using a checklist to ensure that all items have been returned to the pack. Before we depart on a trip, the Facilitator also collects group members' lunches and makes certain that no one leaves his/her lunch behind in the classroom. When it is time for lunch, Facilitators help carry lunches from the bus and then distribute them to their groups.

"'To go out' . . . requires first the acquisition of information and materials" (Montessori). This includes mini-lessons on the use of the tools. Due to misleading graphics that feature detectives with magnifying glasses held to their eyes, many students understandably think this is the proper way to use a hand lens. I demonstrate to the children that this method only serves to magnify "the detective's" eye and not the object at which s/he is looking. They need practice to do this correctly, instead holding the hand lens closer to the object than the eye. "It is also very important for the child who goes out to know how to orient himself in the field, to recognize the position of the sun, the cardinal compass points, how to guess the approximate time of day, etc" (Montessori). We teach the children how to hold and adjust a compass and then use it to determine the direction in which they are walking.

Preparation refers not only to organization of physical materials (permission slips, field kits, first aid supplies, and lunches) but also mental preparation. We explicitly discuss behavior expectations, and we play games that train the senses for outdoor exploration. The children learn to move quietly with a Fox Walk, Owl Eyes open wide and Deer Ears perked for unseen wildlife. Before we left the classroom, we played Firekeeper to practice these skills. (Hygiene Teacher Tip: Place a fresh tissue between the wearer's eyes and the blindfold each time a new "firekeeper" is chosen.) The game was a huge hit with the children, tapping into their natural love of "sneaking." When we got outside on the grass, the children instinctively understood that Fox Walking would be much more difficult than on a carpeted surface.

Armed with skills and tools (and lunches!), we were ready to explore!




Other posts about "field work":
Scorpions & spiders & snakes! Oh, my!
Digging is fun
Meanwhile, back at the lab
#8 on the list
Holes
Soil science
On Uneven Ground
Into the Woods


Resources:
From Childhood to Adolescence by Maria Montessori
Coyote's Guide to Connecting with Nature by Jon Young, Ellen Haas, and Evan McGown
Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv
Wilderness Awareness School