8 Homeschool Field Trips that Don’t Cost a Cent

Do you do homeschool field trips with your kids, or do you shy away because many of them are too expensive for your homeschool budget? While it may seem that most homeschool field trip ideas are out of your budget, chances are good that they really aren’t.

If you’re looking for a few good ideas that won’t break your budget, you’ll need to do a bit of research and to get creative with how you plan to spend your time. These 8 homeschool field trip ideas that won’t cost a cent are a great place to start. 

8 Great Homeschool Field Trips for a Small Budget

Library Events – If you’re looking for free homeschool fun, you probably don’t need to look much farther than your local library. Most will hold weekly or monthly events that are geared for children of all ages. These could include things such as story time for littles or something such as a craft class for older kids.  Most don’t require that you be a library member to participate, but you’ll want to call your local library to make sure before you head out.

State Park Events – If you have any state parks near you, check their calendar of events. Most will hold things like guided hikes, nature walks and more. You can use these as homeschool field trip ideas and could even plan a lesson unit around one that you’re planning on attending!

Related Reading: 6 Strategies for Homeschooling on One Income

Historical Marker Tour – How much history is in your area? You may be surprised! The History Channel has an app that will tell you the location of all historical markers in your area! Download the app and head out for a historical marker tour! Your kids will learn local history while you’re not spending a dime on the entertainment!

City Hiking Trails – If your city has hiking trails laid out, they make excellent homeschool field trip ideas. Not only will your kids get a bit of physical education, but you can use them to study soil, rocks, insects, plants and so much more! You could even put together a nature scavenger hunt for them to complete before you’re done hiking! First child to complete it gets a small prize!

Local Municipal Buildings – Places such as your local firehouse, police department, city hall and other local municipal buildings are fantastic homeschool field trip ideas! Not only will your kids learn what the purpose of each building is, but they may even be able to meet your local leaders! If you want to make it extra fun for them, have them come up with a couple of “interview” questions for each leader just in case they run into them!

Your local Statehouse – Are you studying your state’s history? If so, a visit to your local Statehouse is a must! While your kids likely won’t get to go inside the inner most parts of the building, they will get the chance to learn about state heroes, state government officials and more. Most of these tours are quite long and involve a lot of walking so be sure they wear comfortable shoes and that you pack snacks or a lunch.

Historical Cemeteries – Like your local statehouse, historical cemeteries can be a great field trip since they are full of people who are very likely local or state heroes. If you do plan to visit, be sure to call or check online to make certain that there aren’t specific visiting hours and of course, make sure that your kids are respectful of the dead.

Virtual Field Trips – Last, but not least, if you really can’t afford to leave the house at all, virtual field trips for kids are a fantastic way to show your children a new place without ever leaving home. Places such as The Alamo, Washington D.C., Mount Rushmore and others are all easy to find virtual field trips for. These usually include a slide presentation of photos as well as fun facts about each place. Sometimes they can include audio or video too!