A Helping Hand for Teachers Planning Outdoor Educational Trips

Planning an outdoor educational field trip can be a painful and time consuming project for any teacher. There is the budget to consider, risk management to prepare and logistics to plan. All this background work must be done in order to gain the school board’s administration approval.

In Southern Ontario a learning adventure company called the Grand River Rafting Company has taken a different approach to gain business from surrounding schools. They have taken advantage of the fact that their area of expertise in outdoor activities is something a teacher often lacks or does not have the time to research. So they have created a program called “Teacher’s Aid” that designs customized field trips to meet the teacher’s needs free of charge.

The process works by having the teacher submit the curriculum requirements; minimum expected students, the time frame, available working budget and safety standards & concerns of the school board. These are the main ingredients that the “Teacher’s Aid” needs to design the educational outdoor field trip.

Within one week the learning adventure company returns a draft with a curriculum matched field trip within the working budget and safety concerns. With the curriculum outlay is included a risk management plan, a complete price quote per student and a written itinerary that can be delivered to the school’s administration for approval.

In return the learning adventure company asks that if the draft is approved that they are reimbursed in this venture by receiving the school’s field trip business. It is also understood that if the school chooses not to do the field trip, there is no charge and the school/teacher is always welcome to inquire for a quote on another program idea.

For the teacher this is minimum work… and for the learning adventure company this is maximum business. This successful approach is an excellent working venture for any business in the outdoor educational field wishing to develop a working relationship with schools.

Garth Pottruff the owner of Grand River Rafting believes that outdoor field trips add a needed dimension in learning… seeing, believing and applying becomes very real within a field trip. He has gone one step further then just writing field trip itineraries… he offers complimentary trips at no charge to teachers interested in developing field trip programs. Garth feels it is important for teachers to meet his staff and to see first hand what they do. For Garth and his Grand River Rafting Company, building a successful working relationship with teachers is based on integrity, flexibility and competence. He does not believe in promising what he cannot do well.