Discusses how the elements of ritual may be exploited to provide optimal learning experiences not only for young people but also for teachers. Describes the evocation of a framed liminoid experience (an experience of flow framed by components of a ritual process) in the context of a castle excursion for university students. (PA)

An account of an early outdoor leadership experience illustrates that a trip leader's role is to build a team capable of accomplishing goals without dependence on the leader. Only when campers are taken beyond their comfort zones does true learning and emotional growth begin. Sidebar presents eight dos and three don'ts of good trip leadership. (TD)

Describes an activity that engages students in the outdoors and provides them with the opportunity to stop and observe the world unedited for a few minutes. Involves students narrowing and then broadening the focus of their senses. (JRH)

In April 2002, the National Transportation Safety Board reissued a cautionary warning about the high accident potential of 15-passenger vans; some states have prohibited their use for transporting children. Three camp directors discuss legal and cost considerations for camps, possible alternative transportation, additional staff training needs,…

Discusses a project in which students visit the town of Madrid, New Mexico, to create a photographic record of Madrid, accompanied by stories. Explains that a video documentary was created about this experience. Includes background information on the village of Madrid to be shared with students. (CMK)

Special services provided for single mothers include low-cost after-school care, playground and recreation room, access to a university day-care center with flexible hours, family counseling, and weekend field trips. The residence also provides a natural support system. A handful of other such programs for single parents exist. (MSE)

Considers the pedagogical and operational difficulties involved in designing foreign study programs. Reports on the experience of the University of Southern Mississippi's two-week undergraduate geography course held in Great Britain. Suggests that the educational success of such ventures depends on a combination of clear course structure, student…

Too much classroom work is teacher-initiated, labor-intensive, abstraction-rich, and experience-lean. In contrast, science centers offer students a learner-initiated, discovery-rich opportunity to explore stimulating experiences, especially when second trips are made. Optimal learning occurs with a dynamic blending of abstract and experiential…

Promotes the use of ethnographic techniques in planning field trips for British students to visit France, focusing on how to offer insight into and positive attitudes towards cultural differences the students may perceive and misinterpret while abroad. (CB)

Field trips allow students to learn from direct experience. Teachers must make what occurs before and after the trip meaningful in order to maintain what students learned on the trip. The article describes three field trips for Hawaiian students, explaining the necessary preparation and follow through to make them effective. (SM)

Thanks to a student teacher's efforts, a fourth-grade class in Montgomery County, Maryland, spent half a day touring Bell Atlantic's facilities. Each student's most treasured memory was lunching with a Bell Atlantic employee "buddy" and visiting his or her work station. Children's thank you letters expressed their gratitude for…

Discusses field trip preparation involving identifying places to visit, communicating with contacts at the sites, enlisting the help of parents, preparing parents, preparing students, and planning follow-up activities. (SW)

Suggests ways to encourage parents to participate in field trips. Notes how such participation enhances family involvement in early childhood programs and builds stronger parent-child relationships while creating an informal learning environment. (SW)

Authors describe a biology course for nonmajors that appealed to student interests while retaining content integrity. The other philosophical foundations of the course were to increase student involvement and to conduct at least half of the laboratory aspect of the course at field-based locations. Details of transportation considerations,…

Describes the study of sandy beach zonations as a seashore activity for either high school or lower-level college courses in biology, ecology, or marine biology. Students first draw a profile of a beach scene and then collect specimens from the zones of the shore. In a laboratory, students identify their specimens and relate them to the beach…