Field Trips in Indiana

Indiana Field Trip Ideas

Though these field trips are in Indiana, they make great ideas for field trips in your home state or great ideas for places to visit while on a vacation. If you are looking for Indiana Field Trips, leave a note in the comments, and we'll share more fun ideas. Tried and true. Enjoy!

Field Trips in Indiana.

Field trips are an excellent way to connect student learning to the world outside of school. Gaining knowledge is the goal of the educational process. However, when gaining that knowledge mainly takes place in the classroom and from books, it can seem disconnected from the purpose of that knowledge.  

The purpose, of course, is to prepare the student for success as a grown-up. Part of that preparation should be helping the students understand why and how gaining knowledge is going to aid them in their future when they are grown and on their own.  The better they understand why their education matters, the more likely they are to be engaged in the learning process.

What kind of field trips are out there? Where can you take students that will help them grasp how what they are learning in class is going to be integral to their success as an adult? The following is a list of fun trips that are in or nearby Indianapolis. The links provided take you to the website where you can find information about the educational opportunities that are offered.

• Exotic Feline Rescue Center – Located in Center Point, IN, it is located just over an hour away from Indianapolis. It offers classroom presentations at grade level, with fun and interactive materials. Field trips include a walking tour of the facility, which covers around 20 acres. Phone: 812-835-1130.

Website:  Exotic Feline Rescue Center

• Trader’s Point Creamery – On the northwest side of Indianapolis, Trader’s Point Creamery is a working farm which specializes in grass fed cattle. They offer tours year round which include viewing the milking process.  Phone: 317-733-1700

Website:  Trader's Point Creamery

• Waterman’s Farm, Raymond St. Location  - A great fall destination for pumpkin picking and other Halloween activities.  In June, they offer strawberry picking field trips. During summer, field trips are customized to your group’s specific interests. Phone 317-357-2989

Website:  Waterman's Family Farm

• Kelsay Farms – Located 30 minutes south of Indianapolis, in New Whiteland, IN.  Kelsay Farms is a working dairy farm that offers tours that last about 2 hours. Children learn about milking, feeding, and caring for dairy cows. Phone: 317-535-4136

Website:  Kelsay Farms

• United States District Court – A trip to a courthouse offers kids a chance to learn about history, law, civics and government.  The Southern District Court offers and opportunity for kids to interact with a judge, provided the tour is booked early enough in advance. Phone: 317-229-3792

Website:  United States District Court (Indiana)

• McCloud Nature Park – This Hendricks County Park offers field trip opportunities on a variety of topics. Rocks, Insects, Birds, Maple Syrup and Geomorphology are just some of the subject matter from which to choose. Phone: 765-676-5437

Website:  McCloud Nature Park

• Fire Station Tour, Town of Plainfield – Since most kids love fire trucks Fire Station fieldtrips are a big hit. The Town of Plainfield offers Fire House Tours where kids can learn about the day to day routines of fire fighters and the equipment that they operate. Phone: 317-839-6939 x18

Website: Plainfield Fire Station or your local fire station.

• West Central Conservancy – Learn how waste water is treated at Avon’s West Central Conservancy. This fieldtrip shows how science is used to make the world a cleaner place. Phone:  317-272-3944 

Website:  West Central Conservancy or your local water plant.

Are there any great field trips that you and your children have experienced? I would love to hear about them! Post about the tours you enjoyed in the comments.

Recommended:

Eagle Creek Park
Magic School Bus Electric Field Trip*
Conner Prairie Interactive History Park
Spring Mill State Park
Field Trip to Niagara Falls
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum
For more ideas see our Homeschool Projects page.



ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products. *We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Chitika, Google Adsense, and Social Spark ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)

Things to Do in Indiana: The Hoosier Outdoor Experience

Things to do in Indiana with Kids: Hoosier Outdoor Experience

Indiana offers many fun things to do with kids outdoors. Has your daughter ever dreamed of shooting a bow and arrow? Has she wanted to try her hand at mini-bikes or fishing? The last few years we have done these at The Ford Hoosier Outdoor Experience. From visiting unique animals such as a large tortoise, trail mules and birds of prey, to baiting a hook and hiking the scenic trails, each visit has been one priceless experience after another. Enjoy!

Learn archery at the Hoosier Outdoor Experience.

Held Sept 19-20 at Fort Benjamin Harrison State Park everyone from 4-100 will find something they enjoy! Activities of all types are available to try including this year’s Inaugural Harrison Hustle 5k held Sunday morning.

Learn to shoot.

Ride a Motorbike.

Practice fishing or learn to fish.

The friendly staff of the Division of Law Enforcement taught Baby Girl how to safely handle and shoot a rifle, while the Indiana Hunter Education Association gave her tips on how to hold and shoot a bow and arrow.  

There are many activities and things to do at
the Hoosier Outdoor Experience in Indiana.

Learn Beekeeping.

Baby Girl was able to don a beekeepers suit and learn how important bees are to us. She also learned how to make rope from the Boy Scouts! We both tried our hand at fishing with Mom catching the “whopper” of the day. 

Fishing is fun!

Sept. 19-20, 2015 at Fort Benjamin Harrison State Park

Also new this year, are specialized classes sponsored by REI Inc. and Central Indiana Wilderness Club. Ultimate Camp Coffee sounds like a definite must attend for all parents. 

Girl Scouts attending can earn a special Hoosier Outdoor Experience patch by registering with GSCI. For more information go to www.in.gov/dnr #girlscouts #boyscouts #Ford #REI #outdoors #hiking #DNR

Recommended:


Archery for Kids*

Things to Do in Indy with Kids

Youth Archery Set*

Futuristic Activities for Children: Kindergarten Field Trip to Outer Space

Take a Field Trip to Outer Space Futuristic Activities for Kids

From Angie's Corner: Field Trip to Challenger Learning Center to learn about Astronauts. This Futuristic Activity for Kids is perfect for a Homeschool Field Trip, it is located in Brownsburg, Indiana. Enjoy!

Futuristic Activity for Elementary Children: 
How Astronauts sit during take off of Shuttle.

I was lucky enough to be able to go along with Bug's Kindergarten class to the Challenger Learning Center (part of our school district) for their yearly field trip. At this very special place, they have different "missions" for the kids.  It is a very hands on place and the children get to learn and do scientific tasks just like real Astronauts. Each area of this place is geared to be age appropriate.  

Futuristic Architecture

On this day, each parent was given a station to man, to guide, and help out when needed while the children read and followed the instruction for the tasks they needed to complete.  I personally got to man the Magnetic station and the Magnifying Glass and Mirror stations. 

The children learned how two magnets can either attract each other or push away from each other. With Magnifying Glasses, they were able to see how to read tiny print and with Mirrors they were able to see how, if placed properly, the mirrors would show the other side of a half word or shape. 

This was a fabulous place to discover. Everyone that worked there was excited to have the children learn about not only space and science, but also teamwork.


Recommended Reading:

Space Stations: Base Camps to the Stars*

Personal Space Camp Activity and Idea Book*
















ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products.

*We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)

A Day In Kokomo at the Glass Factory

Things to do In Indiana: Kokomo,  A One Tank Trip

We visited the Indiana Glass Factory in Kokomo, Indiana. If you're looking for things to do in Indiana, this is a great idea for a field trip or a one tank trip in Indiana. Homeschoolers will enjoy learning a new skill for a possible future trade or art project.

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Glass Factory.

Kokomo Opalescent Glass Main Office.

Beehive where they melt the glass.

Table where they roll glass to make panes.

Area where they roll and blow glass.

Sample of their panes of glass.

We got a guided tour of the glass factory. The kids saw it featured on a local news channel over Christmas break and really wanted to go. We all learned many things and we were all surprised to find out where the glass has been placed. One place is the Cinderella Castle at Disney. Apparently, the Kokomo Glass Factory produced all of the glass in the castle. 

Stained Glass at Cinderella's Castle in Disney World. 

The Kokomo Glass Factory has a beautiful shop where you can purchase hand blown hand blown glass items. Visit KOG.COM to see the shop (they ship) and if you live in the Indiana area, stop by and take  the tour. The Indiana Glass Factory makes a great family outing or field trip idea. 

Currently it runs Tues-Fri at 10 am and lasts about an hour. They even offer a class to make glass beads and accents. They also sell glass panes of different sizes and thicknesses if you need some for your home or craft projects.

This is truly a hidden jewel in Indiana.  We never knew about the glass factory until we saw it on the news. The kids loved the tour (which was a surprise) and apparently it was the highlight of everything we had planned over break. 


~ Angie


Recommended:

Things to do in Indiana

Books about Hand Blown Glass

More Posts by Angie

Thing to do in Kokomo

Get a Glass Craft for Kids