After a while, field trips can wane in excitement. Having a photo rally can help to make it more interesting as well as help the students focus on what you are learning about a little more. A photo rally is just like a road rally, but may or may not take place while riding in your car and is geared toward taking pictures with your camera. Like a scavenger hunt, students are given a list of things they should be hunting for to photograph, and of course, they are themed according to what your field trip is about. For example, you may be planning a visit to an aquarium, so different species of fish would be listed as subjects to find. Polaroid cameras are excellent for photo rallies, but a digital camera works well too. Here’s how to plan one for your homeschool:
1. First, you must plan your field trip. Where will it be and what is its educational focus?What time frame is involved and what supplies are needed? (Typically a photo rally field trip involves each student having a camera, a hunt sheet and pencil for marking things off. Aside from that, you will plan your meals and other needs just like you would for any other field trip.) Study about where you will be visiting so that you know as much as you can about it before you arrive.
2. Next, make a list of things you want your student to hunt for with their cameras. After your list is made, try to spice up your list by either turning them into clues for them to solve as they go on the field trip or make up funny poses that they must do with each of the pictures they take. For example: Find the gorilla exhibit and take a picture of yourself with the gorillas in a traditional gorilla stance. An example of a clue might be: I sleep during the day, and feed at night, even though I am completely blind. Who am I? (the child would then have to find the animal in the zoo that matches this description) Also think in terms of who they might be able to talk to: are there zoo educators available that can give them a talk about a certain animal? Have them get a picture with that person after their talk.
3. Have a reward of some sort for completing the rally, maybe ice cream or pizza at the end of the day, to offer an incentive for enthusiasm and creativity.
4. Take your field trip! Make sure that you account for the time involved; also plan your meals and breaks accordingly. Try not to make the field trip too long, but long enough that it will be somewhat of a challenge for your students.
5. Lastly, make a simple project, such as a lapbook, to display the photos and the facts discovered during the field trip to reinforce learning. This can be done in the classroom afterwards, and even on another day. For more on lapbooking, visit: http://www.squidoo.com/lapbooking & http://www.homeschoolhelperonline.com/lapbooks.htm You can also make simple scrapbooks as well, collages, and various other displays to keep a record of your field trip. Just have fun no matter what you decide!
For some ideas on getting started, check out: http://www.scavenger-hunt-guru.com/scavenger-hunt-for-kids.html . This website has a ton of scavenger hunt ideas that can easily be transformed into a photo rally.
Field trips are a great way to ‘cement’ educational information into young minds. Most students learn better while “doing” instead of just reading about something. So get out there and learn something hands on as often as you can, you and your students will appreciate the fun and the memories for years to come!
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