However, amid financial pressures and with nurseries, schools and parents becoming more risk-averse, the rich learning experiences that children can gain on trips to museums and other cultural attractions are under threat.
Nothing can contribute to the emotional, physical, social and intellectual development of children holistically like play, and field trips allow young children to do this in an environment that expands their horizons, builds self-confidence and gives them a sense of the wider world. Taking the educational experience outside of nursery or school also brings a sense of adventure and encourages children to take risks.
Through self-directed exploration, children build on their innate ability to be flexible, adaptable, and imaginative, and by doing so ultimately become more resilient. At Eureka! we use a mixture of highly contextual spaces and more open-ended exhibitions so children can interpret things in whatever way they choose. Our annual pass means that early years groups and families can get something different out of every visit, rather than feeling they should 'get their money's worth'. This is particularly important for young children who prefer to take things in bite-size chunks.
It is not only children who benefit from school trips. By engaging alongside the children in the experience, early years workers, carers and teachers can learn a great deal about the unique way in which each child learns, and take this back to the nursery or classroom.
If field trips become a thing of the past, missing such learning opportunities during their early years could hold children back throughout their school and adult life.
