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Mom-made Field Trips
Get out of the House and Explore
By Jenny Rackley
Summer's here, and children around the country echo the familiar cry, "I'm bored, Mom!" They may have the best toys on the block and a park down the street, but when it comes to having summer fun, children seem to run out of ideas quickly.
With just a phone call or two, you can arrange field trips to entertain and educate your children. They can visit local attractions, working businesses and emergency service providers. Many will gladly accommodate a tour for children free of charge. To make it more worthwhile for the establishment offering the tour, bring along a 
friend or two and their children, your playgroup, or your neighbors. Call ahead to find out the particulars: the best time to visit, any age restrictions and the contact person. Many places can be visited during the week, but you may choose to go on weekends if the business can accommodate your group.
Here are some places to consider visiting:
Many children are thrilled to see firefighting equipment up close. Don't worry if your child decides not to sit in the driver's seat. Firefighting equipment, though exciting as it drives down the road, looks a lot bigger up close. We visited the fire station three times before my son (when he was four) felt confident enough to sit in the driver's seat. Most stations also will talk to your children briefly about fire safety, and many will provide items for your children to take home, like 9-1-1 coloring books, stickers and plastic firefighters' hats.
Like fire stations, many police stations welcome children. Most stations will allow children to see the inside of a police car, and police officers will talk to children about personal safety. Children may be delighted to see the flashing lights of a patrol car (sirens are not usually sounded for tours). Police stations often have coloring books or stickers for children on personal safety, saying "No" to drugs and more.