Adventures in Philadelphia – Part Two

In my first article, I highlighted several must-see stops for your field trip to Philadelphia. Today, I share a variety of activities to help you prepare before you go. While these are designed with Historic Philadelphia in mind, they can be easily adapted for any field trip experience!

Preparing your homeschooled children for a field trip is important for several reasons, both practical and educational. Here’s why it matters:

1. Maximizes Learning Opportunities
Field trips can be powerful hands-on learning experiences, but only if your children understand what they’re seeing. Preparation helps:
• Build background knowledge so they can connect the dots.
• Spark curiosity and help them ask better questions during the trip.
• Reinforce academic subjects (history, science, art, etc.) in a real-world context.

2. Sets Expectations and Reduces Stress
When children know what to expect – where they’re going, how they should behave, and what they’ll be doing – they feel more confident and comfortable.

3. Promotes Engagement
Well-prepared kids are more likely to notice important details, participate in discussions or activities, and reflect meaningfully on the experience afterward.

4. Encourages Responsibility
Reviewing the schedule, safety rules, and goals teaches your children how to take ownership of their behavior and learning during outings.

5. Makes Post-Trip Work More Meaningful
If you’ve prepared ahead of time, your kids will be better equipped to complete related assignments and discuss what they learned.

When children arrive already curious, they’re more likely to explore actively, ask questions, and engage with tour guides or exhibits. They’re also more likely to retain what they learn on a field trip if they’ve already encountered the topic in a story or informational text.

Additional ways to extend learning beyond the trip:
Write a letter to a historical figure (a Founding Father), explaining the modern world (bonus: write a reply from their perspective!)

Compile a field trip memory book, with photos of your family at each site, drawings or rubbings, quotes heard or read, reflections, journaling

Create a first-person diary entry or monologue performance from different lenses: a woman, a slave, a pacifist, a soldier

Use old maps or online archives and compare with a modern map. Identify places that still exist (Independence Hall) and mark places that have changed or disappeared

Turn historical events or themes into a song or poem, or Hamilton-style rap

Create a newspaper from that time period. Include interviews, political cartoons, business advertisements (e.g., Ben Franklin’s print shop)

Memorize parts of important documents (the Preamble to the Constitution or parts of the Declaration of Independence, the 13 original colonies, the 3 branches of government, our national anthem, the Pledge of Allegiance, etc.)

Build a model out of Legos, cardboard, or clay

Research if any of your relatives lived in that location during that time period

Oral presentation or slide show for family or co-op

Video Report or skit – act out a famous moment (signing the Declaration)

Historical Fiction short story. Characters can be real or fictional

DIY Colonial Day: Dress up, learn candle-dipping, pen with quills, or cook from 1700s recipes.

A well-planned field trip can ignite a spark that textbooks alone cannot. By preparing students ahead of time, engaging them during the experience, and following up thoughtfully, you can turn any outing into a learning opportunity. With just a little intention, field trips become more than a break from routine: they become powerful educational moments that offer students a story to connect with and a deeper understanding of the world around them.

Click here for a list of resources to help prepare your children for wherever you may be headed.