Chaperone for field trip

[Anonymous]

How popular does parents volunteer to be chaperone for field trip? It is for elementary school.

[Anonymous]

It depends on the school and trip. Some trips they can't get anyone for good reason.

[Anonymous]

The K field trip to Butlers was popular last year

[Anonymous]

This is op. I am thinking to chaperone, but I am not sure if I can handle a 3-5 kids, including my child. I am petite, and I am not sure how heavy is to carry all kid lunch, water bottles, mat, and etc, and I have to make sure that they stay together.

[Anonymous]

It's not that tough, but if you're worried perhaps you should sit it out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is op. I am thinking to chaperone, but I am not sure if I can handle a 3-5 kids, including my child. I am petite, and I am not sure how heavy is to carry all kid lunch, water bottles, mat, and etc, and I have to make sure that they stay together.

Make the kids carry their own stuff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is op. I am thinking to chaperone, but I am not sure if I can handle a 3-5 kids, including my child. I am petite, and I am not sure how heavy is to carry all kid lunch, water bottles, mat, and etc, and I have to make sure that they stay together.

I don't think you are expected to be a pack horse.

[Anonymous]

I think you have a misunderstanding of the chaperone position.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think you have a misunderstanding of the chaperone position.

I thought chaperones job is to carry all kid belongings and making sure they are safe and have a good time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you have a misunderstanding of the chaperone position.

I thought chaperones job is to carry all kid belongings and making sure they are safe and have a good time.

For the littlest kids, it's safer for the chaperone to carry stuff so it doesn't get dropped somewhere. Otherwise, kids carry their own stuff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you have a misunderstanding of the chaperone position.

I thought chaperones job is to carry all kid belongings and making sure they are safe and have a good time.

No, not really. Depends on the trip but most times, lunches will be taken to the location they'll be eating (or stay on the bus until then). Kids wear their jackets, carry their own water bottles (if they have them), and don't have anything else with them. On some trips, chaperones will have a group and go around on their own. Other times the group stays together and chaperones just keep eyes on the kids they're assigned. Most of the time, bathroom visits are as a large group, not individually whenever the kid wants. On one trip my kindergartner went to see the monuments in DC, so that was a ton of walking, but the class stayed all together and kids carried their own lunches in their backpacks.

It's not a big deal, they just want responsible adults who can follow instructions and not do anything ridiculous or stupid. When I was in college, I would chaperone my nephew's field trips all the time. You're just supervising the kids and keeping them together. You aren't instructing or babysitting.

If you're really that apprehensive, tell the teacher you really want to help, but you're not sure you cam handle any difficult kids. The response might be to give you any easy group, or if they have lots of volunteers, leave you out. But honestly, if you're this concerned about being "good" at it, you'll be fine. Go and have fun with your kid!

[Anonymous]

Do parent volunteers have to pay for admission fees?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you have a misunderstanding of the chaperone position.

I thought chaperones job is to carry all kid belongings and making sure they are safe and have a good time.

No just keep them alive and in one piece.

[Anonymous]

OP, if you don’t think you can handle 3-5 kids plus your own, then please don’t volunteer.
—K teacher

[Anonymous]

Our elementary doesn't do field trips for the early grades for good reason - too much hassle and risk. However starting in 3rd or 4th grade, chaperones don't have to carry anything, but the trips can sometimes last the whole day, and often you have to drive to the destination in your own car (no seat on the bus). I chaperoned the 4th grade trip to St Mary's City, and it was lovely.

Now compare that to chaperoning the middle schoolers to a DC museum - most of them were bored and sulky, some girls wanted to spend the entire time in the gift shop, and since the museum was packed with school groups that day, I needed eyes in the back of my head to keep track of them. I took pics of them on my phone in case I lost one!