Open the door,let's explore: Neighborhood field trips

Trips give adults an opportunity to see for themselves something they have heard or read about. Trips serve not only that same function for children, but also its opposite. They give children an opportunity to see for themselves something they will learn more about later in pictures or books or through conversation. Children learn to make sense of the world around them through many different experiences. The greater the quantity and variety of experiences, the greater the learning potential. Rhoda Redleaf is a child development specialist with Resources for Child Caring in St. Paul, MN. This article is excerpted, with permission, from Open the Door, Let's Explore, ©1983, Toys 'n Things Press. The book is available for $8.95 plus $1.75 shipping and handling from: Toys 'n Things Press, 906 North Dale Street, St. Paul, MN 55103.