Field trips are some of the most memorable parts of school. The experiences of riding on a bus, sitting with friends and seeing new things help shape the world around us.
For the Tullahoma City Preschool, that is housed at the Community School Services Building, field trips were an integral part of their students’ learning experience. The emergence of COVID-19 put all those unique learning experiences to a stop.
Thankfully the preschool staff decided to flip the script on field trips. They changed it from going out to other locations, and they brought the field trip to the students.
“When COVID happened, everything was pretty much shut down,” said Bethany McKee, special education coordinator. “We were among the few things in town that were still operational. We had volunteers come in to share experiences with our children. For example, for the letter ‘C,’ we had a community member bring a cow to the playground area. We had them set up a corral
for the children to come and learn more about it while staying connected to the letter ‘C.’ That was our goal, to link their background experience to current learning/academics. Moving forward past that, we also brought a few other field trip expe- riences to our students. We’ve had both the fire department come to us and police officers to visit.”
McKee explained that field trips offer many ben- efits for the school’s students.
“It helps to link what we are learning now with what they’ve experienced and the sensory input. Generally, when you’re educating, if you offer sensory experience and immersion, you can link that knowl- edge better,” she explained.
Dr. Wendy Wilkerson, who serves as director of spe- cial education, adds that the field trip experiences benefit students’memory.
“If they are active learners, then they will remem- ber that experience,” she said. “While talking about it is helpful, bringing it to life is what helps kids re- member things. We also have a lot of students who have sensory needs or disabilities, who really benefit from this because it helps connect learning with a concrete experience. These experiences help solidify students’ learning and understanding.”
Wilkerson also added that it is a great way to bring together other organizations and students in the building.
“Last year at Easter, we had the alternative students stuff the eggs and hide them for the preschoolers,” she said. “They loved watching the students hunt for the eggs. It was also a chance for those children to serve in that capacity. Linking students from two different programs has been beneficial and positive for all.”
McKee said as restrictions are lifted, she hopes to be able to go back out into the community but
is thankful for the community’s continued support with this program by bringing field trip experiences to the students.
“We serve some high-needs students, and it’s been great to have these field experiences come to us,” she said. “Everyone has had such a great attitude and has been so willing to go above and beyond when we have ideas or make requests. I would love to have a water day to link us into summer. It will just be weather dependent. We could pretend to turn our grounds into a makeshift Splash Island and even have a couple of lifeguards on hand. That would be so much fun.” -GN
