Kimberly Wing, a local homeschooler and presenter at last week’s Treasure Valley Homeschool Conference, has generously provided DHSA with her information about all things related to field trips in the Treasure Valley and beyond! Thank you, Kimberly!
Homeschool Field Trips:
The information provided in this flier is given to the best of my knowledge. If you call any of the places and are quoted differently, then respect their quote is the most accurate one. Many places have a minimum amount of people that must attend to receive the special Home School rate. Be honest and do not bring other children along to these field trips whom are not Home schooled.
Albertsons Grocery Stores: Free tour, they give the kids grocery bags and samples while they talk about different foods while touring the store.
Basque Museum 343-2671 $50.00 for a group of 30/The first Thursday it’s Free admission to the public from 5:30-8:30pm
Black History Museum 433-0017 Free the first Thursday of the month
Boise Zoo 608-7760 $2.50 per person/ In December there is a free day for the public, look for details.
Boise Art Museum 345-8330 Free but limited parents get in free. On the first Thursday this is free to the public.
Boise Aquarium 375-1932 call to find out
Boise Train Depot Free to the public on every Sunday and Monday from 11-5pm. In December they host an open house at night and the depot is all decorated for Christmas. You can take the elevator to the top and see out over down town Boise during tours.
Botanical Gardens 343-8649 $2.00/ one adult free per family. They have many different classes they offer for different ages and seasons of the year.
Bown House 377-4327 ext 5 bownhouse@alboise.org Call to schedule a field trip for 4th graders learning Idaho history. Free to the public the first Saturday of each month from 1-4pm, you don’t need to call.
Cabela’s 672-7900 Free tour
Celebration Park 495-2745 Free/ Donations excepted. Call months in advance to schedule field trip.
Deer Flat Refuge 467-9278 Free
Discovery Center of Idaho 343-9895 $2.50 a person
Dr Picklestein 426-3474 Free/ call to set up a fieldtrip day. December there is an annual holiday Chemistry Show at BSU with Dr Picklestein
Eagle Island fish Hatcheries 939-4114
Fire Safety Center 884-0597 Free/This is a great place to visit and learn about fire safety. There’s a burn out room, which is recreated from an actual firer.
Franz Bakery Outlet Nampa 468-2291 Free/ Young children have to be held
Idaho Archaeological 334-2620 Free Abraham Lincoln display room. The Lincoln display is open to the public anytime to view; you don’t need to call just show up. Idaho Archaeology and Historic Preservation Month is May 14th 2016 at the Essay office. There is more events being planned for this event during this month, check there website in the coming months for information.
Idaho State Capital 332-1013 Free tour/ guided or unguided tours, plus watch a video on the reconstruction of the Capital. The film is about 30 minutes long.
Idaho State Historical Museum Closed for renovations will open in 2017. Museum comes to Life is in September every year at Julia Davis Park.
Idaho Military History Museum 272-4841 Free
Idaho Food bank 336-9643 Free
Idaho Statesmen 377-6400 Free
Linder Farms 371-0222 Pumpkin Patch/ home school day
Kuna Caves Free to the public, bring a flash light.
Mining and Geology 368-9876 Free to walk around museum/call and schedule a guided tour which includes a hike up table rock is $2.00 a person.
MK Nature center 426-1631 Free unguided tour/ or call to schedule a class and there is a cost per person for this.
Owyhee County Museum 495-2319 Donation recommend $2.00 a person. This is a neat field trip because they have 4 different stations you can split the group up into. One state is the old school house, the museum, gold panning, sheep dog herding.
Old Penitentiary 426-1631 $2.00 guided and unguided tours. There’s a film you can watch about the Old Penitentiary as part of the tour. There is also a weapon museum in a separate building in the back don’t forget to check this out.
Relyea Funeral Chapel 344-4441 Free/call Charlie Gruing to schedule a day. This is such a cool field trip. We learned about embalming , the tools they use, and the chemical that are part of the process. You get to check out a casket and help put it into a hurts. My kids favorite was learning how they picked up a bodies with a sheet and put them on a gurney. Of course they use one of the kids as the example from the field trip. I took my 5 yr old and there’s nothing gory or scary about it. This was a hit in our co-op.
Silver City In September, on the second weekend after Labor day is the only time to go and tour through houses and building in Silver city. Adults are $10, children under 12 are $5.00 each.
Swan Falls Dam rhill@idahopower.com For guided tour contact the email address. Free to the public April 15th threw Labor day open on Saturdays only.
The Farm Stead 922-5678 Pumpkin patch/ Home school day War hawk Air Museum 465-6446 $4.00 a person guided or unguided
World Center of Birds of Prey 362-8687 $3.00 for kids 4 and older are FREE, one parent free on the following days only: March 9th, April13. You have to pre register. This is NOT an open house, it is a guided tour. Tours are 10:30-12, 1:30-3. If you re committee to coming and register make sure you show up. They are getting frustrated with Home Schooler’s who don’t show. In fact this Field trip use to be free until they had so many no shows that they now only do Field trips on certain day and now charge a fee.
Whittenberger Planetarium 459-5211 There is a minimum $50.00 /group cost. That is 20 people at $2.50. Then is an additional $2.50 per adult of child over 20 people.
This is the best deal I have found and personal recommend. For $90.00 we got a year pass to the Discovery Center. We then went to Utah and were able to visit all of these other museums for FREE using our Discovery Center pass from Idaho.
Discovery Center of Idaho COMPlETE pass: This cost $90.00 for a whole family pass. (There is the core membership for families that is $60 dollars this you can only use in Boise, Idaho)
Comprehensive and Complete memberships comes with a membership card (Core memberships do not). The Complete pass gets you the below with your year membership to Discovery Center.
- Free or discounted admission to 300+ science centers/museums worldwide through the ASTC Passport Program using your membership card
- These are a few of the museums of the ASTC list in Utah.
- Utah:
- Clark Planetarium At the Gateway, 110 South 400 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84101-1145 (801) 456-STAR (7827) www.clarkplanetarium.org F: Free admission for up to five family members to the Hansen Dome Theatre
- Discovery Gateway (IDs) 444 West 100 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84101 (801) 456-5437 www.discoverygateway.org F: Adult cardholders must be present to receive benefits. Free general admission for number specified on membership card or, if no number specified, for up to four people.
- The Leonardo (IDs) 209 East 500 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84111 (801) 531-9800 www.theleonardo.org F: Four persons
- Natural History Museum of Utah (IDs) Rio Tinto Center, University of Utah, 301 Wakara Way, Salt Lake City, UT 84108 (801) 581-6927 nhmu.utah.edu F: Two adults and all minor children at the same address
- Thanksgiving Point (IDs) 3003 North Thanksgiving Way, Lehi, UT 84043 (801) 768-2300 www.thanksgivingpoint.org F: Individual membership provides free admission for one person. Family membership provides free admission for up to two adults living in the same household and their dependent children or grandchildren.
- Thanks Giving point includes:
- Farm Country-
- The Museum of Natural Curiosity- the most kid friendly museum ever. This is rated number one on my kids list for the best places to go. Hours and hours of fund not kidding.
- Thanks giving Point Gardens- In April is the Tulip Festival and it’s just beautiful.
· The Museum of Ancient Life- Awesome Dinosaur Museum, seriously they even have music playing that makes you feel like your in the jungle.
Farm Country
- Thanks giving point Gardens. April is the tulip festival
The Museum of Ancient Life
How to organize a Field Trip
1. First when you call, ask for the person in charge of setting up Field trips.
2. Tell them you are with a home school group ( give your school group a name) and would like the SCHOOL RATE PRICE. Don’t get confused with them offering a group rate. Most have a discounted rate for schools that they offer to home schools also.
3. A lot of times they will say the teacher is free and so many chaperons. Ask if one parent per family be free since the parent is the teacher? Most of the time they will agree to this. If there is a cost for the children ask if will give the discounted rate for one parent also. Ask if additional parents come what will there cost be. Some will give the discounted amount to additional parents and others will say they have to pay the full price. Be considerate and grateful that at least one parent gets in free or at a discount, this is a kindness they are passing on to you.
4. Set up the Field trip at least several weeks in advance. Follow up a day before to confirm the field trip is all set to go with the place your attending.
5. KEY- if you are collecting MONEY for the field trip, collect the money in advance. Have a no refund policy unless the trip is cancelled. If people don’t show for whatever reason donate their portion to the Field Trip place. These places have staffed for your special field trip and group size. It is rude for people to just not to show up. Clearly let all those know whom are attending of your policy before you collect the money. Collecting money a head of times helps people to be more dependable on showing up for the field trip. Be honest when handling other peoples money. If someone cancels because of sickness you can recommend another friend bring the healthy children or a grandparents can step into replace the parent.
6. Remind, remind, remind those who are attending the field trip. If I scheduled it a month in advance I will remind them two weeks before then a week , then the day before. Always give your cell phone number with your reminders.
7. Setting the time: If my field trip is to start at 12:30, I will tell everyone they must be there by 12:20. It helps you to start on time and give a little bit of leeway for those whom are late. I try to start on time for the field trip. In my reminder I let them know the importance of starting on time and to plan their driving time accordingly. Be very detailed on where you are meeting. MOST IMPORTANT YOU need to be there earlier and ready .
8. Directions: I try to give as detailed of directions as possible. Then plan for a meeting place at the Field Trip (in front by the gates, in the parking lot, in the lobby).
9. Thank the staff for their time and give an sincere compliment.
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