How Often Do You Bring The Kids Out?

[Christina72684]

During the school year, not so much.

During the summer, we go out 3 - 4 days a week. M - park, T - water park, W - aquarium or museum, Th - beach, F - we generally stay home.

Do what YOU are comfortable in doing.

I am SO jealous of that! I'm from IN and would love to go to water parks and the beach!

[Christina72684]

I want to more field trips, but it's pretty difficult with the group we have. We have 8 kids 3-5 so that would require 2 vehicles, and then we have 12 kids 2yrs and under at our other building. So far we've done 2 yearly field trips: one in June to a Zoo an hour and a half away, and one in October to a pumpkin farm that has mazes and is 45mins away. Both trips we have parents come help chaperon. The Zoo trip will be the first time we've had this many babies, so we might not take all the kids.

[llpa]

I would love to bring people into our daycare to do stuff with the kids but I cant find anything how did you find the library group? We have a tumblebus in town (im assuming its similar to the gym bus) but they wont come to us because its not worth their time and money for 5 kids

I can understand the bus not wanting to come but they charge by the time they spend here. So if I pay for a half hour and have five kids I just have to know how much one on one they will each get. So if I pay they will come regardless. As for the library it was our county librarian who suggested coming to read to the kids. She found me!!! Gave me some free books also lovethis and I found another older lady who dresses up and reads to them or brings puppets. She charges ten dollars and comes once a month. Found her at a local festival. She was doing face painting and passing her card. Thats the extent of it. Certainly not as much as if I was taking them out. That just isn't going to work for me right now tho.

[nothingwithoutjoy]

Sounds like lots of people assume field trips mean the car. I've been doing family child care for 7 1/2 years; only drove kids anywhere this year (I was down to 3 kids on Mondays, so I signed us up for swim lessons and kept the low numbers for a bit). Now I'm carless again (back up to 6 kids), but that doesn't mean we don't go anywhere. We walk. We can go about a mile (limited by time; that gives us enough time to get somewhere, spend a good chunk of time, and get home in time for nap). Some places we go:
stream at the end of our road
to watch construction sites
community gardens
our farm share
park with playground
park without playground (nature focused)
bakery
cafe
library
hardware store
post office
to play in nearby woods
foraging for wild foods
fire station
to see the donkeys around the block from us

If you want to go on field trips, I bet there's someplace worth walking.

ed. to add a p.s. to the OP: no, it's not terrible to cut back. If you never want to go on a field trip, and you provide a rich experience at home, there's nothing wrong with that, either!

[wdmmom]

I have no interest in carrying commercial auto coverage so I can haul my group around. If we can't walk to where we want to go, we don't go.

We do walks around the neighborhood and go to the park that's 3 blocks away. Picnics are always a hit...as long as the bugs stay at bay.

In terms of going outside...usually 2 days a week...maybe 3. Weather pending.

[llpa]

I would love to walk anywhere with my dcks but the space I rent for dc is on a busy street with no sidewalks. We can get out into our fenced play area safely and walk the grounds around our blding, but thats as far as it goes safely.

[renodeb]

No that would not be terrible at all. I have a very young group (which includes two infants) and we rarely go out. Its just to hard to keep to a schedule. I get the kids out twice a day here and we have everything they need in my backyard.
Deb

[My3cents]

I don't take the kids anywhere, I am a field trip free home. Don't get me wrong, I would love to get out of the house, but I have 5-6 kids all 3 and under by myself and I don't think any trips outside of the house would go very well!
When I am low on numbers, we do walk around the block.

I don't think it would be bad to cut back. It sounds like you have lots of activities for them to do!

your not alone.

Many of the field trips I feel should be done first with the parents. I have all parents that would do this with the kids, so its not like they are missing out or never being exposed. I don't want the liability. I do plenty of things with them at care~

[My3cents]

E V E R Y D A Y! I would go crazy if I had to stay home. I belong to an dc association and there is always someone to go the park with. Today we went to a cute little petting zoo about a half hour away. I also do a lot of field trips on my own.

that's why when daycare is done I skedaddle out to my activities.::lovethis

[KatieG]

Never - too much hassle since the oldest that I currently have is 2yo. And we rarely go outside - from yard has no fence, and backyard has an inground pool. This is one of the reasons I specialize in infants & toddlers - no recess, no field trips required.

[akmama]

Every day! I meet up with a few other providers every day, we go to parks, open gyms, playlands, zoo, water parks, the library, bounce houses..etc.
at first it was alot of work but it feels like more work to kep them in all day now I personally could not do daycare without the adult interaction and help I get from the other providers.
Ive done it with all age groups too.

[cheerfuldom]

We have a neighborhood park within walking distance. Nothing else within a mile except a gas station and some shops on BUSY streets. No I would not take a group of small children alone through those intersections.

Right now, I have at max 9 under 7 years old with there being four one year olds in the mix and a 3 year old that is physically delayed (so that is like another one year old to care for). There is no where I can go that is not going to be insanely stressful with five one year olds in tow! during the summer I have two of the one year olds home with mom, and another goes part time so i can get out with the older kids to the spray park or library or other parks. I would never take them swimming for safety reasons. I think when a child cannot swim, you really should have one-on-one attention and I can't provide that with a half dozen non-swimmers. There are a small number of kids activities that might be a possibility but they are generally VERY crowded and i am not willing to brave the crowds with even four or six kids. It is just too much for me, worrying someone is going to get lost. I have a four year old with special needs that will wander off and a one year old that is BAD about running in public.

All this to say, that field trips are awesome. But if you don't have the option due to vehicle, combination of kids, or area you live in, don't feel bad! Your kids will be just fine and the parents can take their own kids to the library or whatever on their own time.