Field Trip Tips: Wristbands and Other Group Identifiers Can Ease Worry and Ensure Safety

Field trips offer an opportunity for learning, fun and for a break from the classroom. However, field trips also present safety concerns that require extra planning. Most field trips involve a trip to the museum, the zoo or a play. These venues present potential issues such as: losing a child within the crowd, a group becoming separated from the class and children being confronted by strangers. Planning and making sure there are enough parents to supervise are the most important ways to ensure field trip safety. Though now, there are ways to make student management an easier and more organized effort.

One tip to be able to identify and locate children quickly is to have the students wear bright colored t-shirts that have the school’s name printed on them. Avoid printing or having students write their names on the outside of the shirt so they cannot be called by name by a stranger.

The adults that are performing chaperone duties should have their cell phones on them at all times and their numbers should be distributed to the other chaperones as well as the teachers. A list of all these numbers should be given to the venue so that the staff can contact the teachers or adults if needed. Another way to use cell phones to ensure field trip safety is to use the cell phones’ timer or alarm function. Groups sometimes separate in order to experience different attractions of the venue or because a venue cannot accommodate all of the students at one time. Having the adults set the alarm or timer function on their cell phone will ensure that chaperones do not lose track of time.

A new inexpensive way to improve field trip safety is through the use of child safety wristbands. Companies such as Precision Dynamics Corporation have introduced new wristbands that come with pre-printed lines on which a child’s name, school contact information, emergency contact number, and parent or guardian name can be written in permanent marker. In the case that a child is separated from the group, he/she can approach a public authority. The public authority figure can then read the child’s information from the wristband and take appropriate action. For an extra measure of safety, the wristband can also be flipped inside out so that the child’s information is only exposed when the child approaches or is found by an authority figure. These wristbands offer a way for a child to be returned to the group even if he or she becomes completely separated from everyone else, and can ease the minds of students and parents alike.

These tips and the appropriate planning can help make sure any field trip is a safe excursion. This way, the students and the chaperones can enjoy the outing and learn in their dynamic new environment, without extra worries to distract them.