Tired of the same old school field trips? I know I was. Primary school offered two possible destinations for me. The slightly down at heel local zoo, or a replica of Sir Francis Drake’s Golden Hind moored at one of the coastal towns. If it wasn’t one of these destinations, it wasn’t anywhere.
Image: Apple
Schools serve up a good deal more variety in their school trips these days, with my kids having enjoyed trips ranging from the local TV station to a Viking Museum. For those kids with a tech-savvy teacher looking for something a little different, Apple are now taking bookings for field trips to their stores in the UK (and probably elsewhere as well). The field trips are open to all primary and secondary classes and can accommodate up to 25 pupils at a time.
Trips can be in one of two flavours. You can get creative using the various tools available in the Apple Store and in the iLife suite of products or you can use the facilities to showcase work you have done elsewhere. For me, the creative field trips hit the mark and best exploit the potential for creativity that Macs and iLife embody.
Last year my daughter’s teacher took her class on a field trip to the local Apple Store in Glasgow. The kids had been involved in making some podcasts in school and the folks at the store were more than happy to oblige with a masterclass on creating a podcast in Garageband.
The length of the field trips varies from one hour to ninety minutes depending on the type of visit you have arranged, with the showcase style visits being shorter. The stores offer field trips in the Spring and the Autumn and bookings are currently being taken for the Autumn trips on a first come, first served basis, so if you are interested, you’d better move quickly.
If you needed any further incentive to make a booking, all the participating kids get an Apple branded field trip t-shirt.
Outside the UK, your mileage may vary as timing and availability may be very different.
