The Coop is ideally placed within the small community of West Acton Village, which provides many resources. Classes have taken walking field trips to: West Acton Post Office, Citizen’s Library, Silver Unicorn, Central Street Fire Station, Idylwilde Farm, Gates School, and New London or DiCapri Pizza. Classes use a walking rope for the children to hold onto and ask for parent volunteers to accompany these trips. Although every class does not take field trips to all of these locations, they have been visited in the past when they tie into the curriculum.
In addition, the Frog and Bee classes take a bus trip to NARA Park in North Acton on a morning in May. This is an outdoor field trip. Students explore the park, eat snack, and then take the bus back to school for parent pick-up at 11:45 PM. This trip takes place near the end of the year to give the children a chance to ride a school bus before they go to kindergarten.
A parent, in the role of chaperone on a field trip, must be vigilant about the safety of the children. Older and younger siblings are not allowed on field trips. Both age groups could be distracting and would take your eyes off the children you need to watch.
The Acton Coop will follow certain safety precautions to ensure the safety of our students on field trips: teachers will carry a communication device to call for help whenever necessary while on the field trip; first-aid supplies will be available; and alternate transportation arrangements will be made in advance in the event that there is a problem with the transportation vehicles during the field trip. Each child will wear a school nametag for identification.