Enjoy a non-educational field trip with your students.
Most eighth graders have participated in plenty of educational field trips such as dairy farms, post offices, museums and symphony orchestras over the years. Planning a non-educational field trip not only gives them a change of pace; it gives them the opportunity to draw on other avenues of thought, emotion and expression. Whether the field trip is fruitful to the community (such as community service) or simply the opportunity to have fun with their peers, it can be a fun time they will always remember.
Community Pool
Enjoy a refreshing day at the community pool with your students.
Many cities offer programs for kids such as dance classes, gymnastics, sports and drama clubs, although there may be a fee required to participate. You can utilize one of these options for a field trip. Have a fun day while introducing your students to your community's resources. Finish the day by bringing your class to the community pool for a refreshing swim.
Park
Bring your class to a local or state park for the day.
Take the class to a park. Find one in your area that offers canoeing or other activities. Bring a picnic lunch or have a cookout with coolers and food brought from home. Invite the principal, vice-principal and parents to join you for lunch. Play organized games such as volleyball or horseshoes, or simply play on the playground. Watch your eighth graders interact on a social level, while new friendships, admiration and respect flourish.
Skating
Take your class ice skating.
Find an ice or roller skating rink and bless your eight graders with a socially active day of exercise. Why should school have to include only books, tests, and homework? Let them see you relate to them on a level of understanding that shows you care about them as individuals. Although this type of field trip may be non-educational for your students, you can learn more about their music, lingo and personalities than you ever would in the classroom.
Volunteer Work
Find a service opportunity in your community.
Do volunteer work in your community. Look for a soup kitchen that will allow your students to help feed the homeless or have them collect toys for underprivileged children. Another idea is to have them make care packages for citizens in distress in your community or around the world, and then have them deliver the packages to a charitable organization such as The Salvation Army or a local nursing home. After they deliver their packages or finish their volunteer work, take them on a picnic at a local park.
Car Wash
Raise money for a cause.
Help the students organize a car wash to raise money for a good cause. Have the students wash the cars for an appropriate fee or for donations, and then donate the funds to an organization that assists national or international distress victims.
Tags: field trip, your students, your community, have them, your class, community pool, eighth graders