The Field Trip Fair Planning Committee
The Field Trip Fair for Teachers and www.bcfieldtrips.ca was originally created by a group of four volunteers who work in the education field. Maggie Killian, works as an environmental educator, Jamie Purves and Lisa McIntosh work in museum education, and Krista Tulloch is a classroom teacher who uses the community extensively in her practice. We do this on a voluntary basis because we strongly believe in the value of learning both inside and outside the classroom.
Our Philosophy
We strongly believe that field trips provide unique and significant learning opportunities and that by providing our services we can promote field trip opportunities and help teachers utilize a variety of community-based informal learning resources.
We believe field trips:
- provide unique experiences and significant learning opportunities;
- enable students to better understand and appreciate the world around them;
- provide experiences that cannot be duplicated in the classroom;
- are an essential component of learning and should be encouraged for all ages; and
- provide students with access to expertise in the community.
Our mission is to:
- develop and promote an online resource guide and searchable database of field trips for teachers;
- assist teachers to incorporate field trips into their education plans;
- promote field trip opportunities available in British Columbia;
- provide opportunities for all organizations to promote their field trip opportunities; and
- promote excellence in education.
Who supports us?
We rely on the generous support of the exhibitors who participate in the Fair to raise the money that will allow us to continue offering our services. As volunteers, we do not get paid or receive benefits other than expenses. We do not intend to turn this into a commercial service. We rely on the support and interest of the teachers and exhibitors to keep this event and website going.
How do institutions become listed on the site?
- Any site that offers field trips for school groups can contact us to create their listing. Field trips must be offered on-site in the community.
- Field trips must link to B.C. curriculum.
- Venues must keep all of their information on this website up to date. (Failure to do so will result in removal of the venue from the website.)
- Venues must pay $50 for one year's website listing. This fee goes solely to maintaining the website and can be negotiable if necessary.
This website offers
- Low-cost, low-effort marketing of sites and school programs
- Free unlimited access for teachers, educators, and parents looking for field trips
- Networking opportunities
BC Field Trips in the News
September 2008 - Vancouver Police Museum blog
April 2006 - Today's Parent Magazine
Conference Presentations
BC New Teacher's Conference, February 2008
EECOM August 2004
Museums and the Web 2005
