Alex Hernandez

CHDV 150

Thematic Unit
Field Trip Proposal

Number of Students Going: 24

Adults Going: 2 teachers, 3 parent volunteers. The museum recommends 1 adult for every
five students to ensure a safe and enjoyable field trip experience.


All emergency forms double checked? Yes


Location of Field Trip: Natural History Museum Los Angeles County 900 Exposition
Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90007. Admission is free for students as well as for chaperones of
students.


Contact Person and Information: http://www.nhm.org/site/for-teachers/visit-the-
museum/book-your-visit

Depart from Center: 9:00 am Arrive at Location: 10:28 a.m.
Depart from Location: 3:00 p.m. Arrive at Center: 4:28 p.m.

Mealtime? Lunch will be from 11:30-12:30 p.m. Children have the option to bring a lunch to
the field trip or purchased from the NHM Grill for a nominal fee. All lunches must be
consumed outside the premises since there is no eating allowed inside the museum. The
lunches must be pre ordered two weeks before arrival.

How will you introduce this activity to the children?
I will introduce this activity to the children and their parents during the initial meet
and greet during the first few minutes of class. Afterwards this will be a circle time
activity to really expand on what we will be doing.
I will explain to the children that we will be travelling to the museum in order to
examine and interact with the wide variety of different butterflies available on display
in the museum.
I will explain that we will seek to examine the different species of butterflies that can be
found in the world as well as those found in the United States.
I will also ask the children to think of some questions that they have to ask our expert
on butterflies as well as what they want to learn from their visit to the museum. What
sort of butterflies do you think we will see at the museum?


Things to discuss with the children prior to the field trip.

I will need to discuss field trip safety with the children, such as always go
somewhere with someone, make sure to always let me or another teacher know
where they are going, do not leave the museum without an adult, and do not
talk to strangers not in our group.
I will also need to talk about the lunch time as well as how many children plan
on having their parents come along with the class to the trip so I can reserve
enough lunches for those families that cannot go or make a lunch for their child.
I will also need to let the children know when we are leaving the school and
when we are expected to come back to the school so the children know when
their parents need to pick them up.
I will also explain why children need to stay with their groups at all times as
well as why they need to wear their name tags at all time.
I will also go over expected rules for behavior while we are exploring the
different exhibits at the museum.
1. Do not touch the exhibit displays
2. Stay with the group
3. Use inside voices when asking questions to adults and special guests.
4. Do not run
5. Clean up after yourself
6. Respect the property of the museum and of others
7. Do not sit in the displays


Things to bring to their attention while on the field trip.

The environments that butterflies need in order to be healthy and survive.
The variety of butterflies we will see in California
The caterpillar and butterfly transformation process
The butterfly of peace, which is a design of precious jewels and gems in the
shape of the butterfly.
Compare and contrast the butterflies in the classroom with the butterflies on
display in the pavilion.



Learning Objectives:

The child will be able to separate butterflies and caterpillars based on observable
qualities like color, patterns, and size.
The child will be able to discuss measurements of time related to the caterpillars life
cycle.
The child will be able o answer open ended questions related to the butterflies habitat
like What do you think makes a good home for a butterfly?

Activity Evaluation: I feel that this field trip will be very beneficial for the children since it
will allow them to grow by seeing their theories actually be confirmed by experts in the field
who have a much stronger grasp on butterflies. The children will also have a chance to
examine the butterflies habitat up close and relate the environment to their own in order to
better understand the different environments that different organisms need in order to
survive. Parents on the field trip will also have the chance to work alongside their children
and be involved in their learning by asking their children questions about the exhibit as well
as discuss critiques about the thematic unit thus far.
There are some potential contingency plans that must be thought of in advance in
order to meet the challenges that may occur during our visit to the museum.
1. Should a child be separated from his or her group:
o The children will be provided name tags with their first and last name, the
name of the teacher, name of the school, the cell phone number of the teacher as
well as the center. In addition, thematic stickers (stickers related to the thematic
unit) will be added to separate and categorize the children according to their
groups and a tally will be compiled before as well as after the field trip.
2. A group or the chaperone could get separated from the groups.
o The parent volunteers that accompany the class field trip will exchange their
contact information (cell phone number) with the other chaperones. Should a
separation occur, the lost parent or group will call one of the numbers given to
the parent chaperone and a meeting place will be established.
3. A child could forget their lunch on the bus or not bring one with them. A child
may be allergic to a certain food served at the NHM grill or not want the lunch
given to them by their parent.
o The NHM will be alerted two weeks in advance to have a variety of lunches
(peanut free) to be ready and paid for should the children forget their lunches
while on the trip. The children will also submit an allergen card to the teacher
that is signed by their parent in order for the teachers, volunteers and the NHM
can have verified information on current allergens and dietary restrictions.
o Should a child consume something they are allergic to, there will be epipens
inside all of the first aid emergency kits on the bus and carried with the adult
chaperones as well as the teachers.
4. A child injures themselves or an exhibit:
If the child has a minor injury while at the museum, the group will accompany
the teacher or chaperone to assist the child. The children will not leave the
group for any reason while the teacher attends to the injury. The child will then
be treated according to the severity of their injury. There will be a first aid kit
on hand to treat minor injuries like scratches, cuts or falls. Should a child
damage an exhibit the teacher along with the child will file an incident report
with the museum and appropriate actions will be taken to ensure that the
damage is taken care of.
There will be a meet/greet between the teacher and the parent volunteers
during the morning meeting of the class the day of the field trip in order to
discuss concerns, the plan for the day as well as answer any questions on the
days events such as departure and return times.
The lead teacher will be in charge of the money, the childrens lunches as well
as the childrens personal property at all times.
The children will have a chance to reflect upon this field trip by writing about
what they have seen or the information that they learned during the field trip.
The children will also reflect on the field trip when they discuss what they saw
with the class or their parents.
The children will also discuss how close their theories or concepts were to what
they experienced while on the trip.
The children will also be able to reflect on the field trip by offering critiques on
the elements that they enjoyed and those that they did not.
The children will also have a chance to share photos that they took with the
group and discuss the photos with their peers. They will then create a class
scrapbook with the photos to reflect upon at the end of the thematic unit.