Exciting school trip activities for KS2 students

Field trips create lasting memories and are an integral part of students’ learning and development. School trips provide a refreshing break from classroom learning and encourage students to get stuck into exhilarating new experiences.

The KS2 curriculum covers everything from art and design to geography and science. We’ve curated a selection of exciting school trip activities that will engage your students and provide an exciting learning opportunity outside of the classroom.

Whether you’re looking to book an overseas or UK school trip, we are here to help you find the perfect location for you and your students.

STEM school trip activities

You’ll find some of Europe’s most-celebrated science exhibitions, expos, conferences and events right here in the UK. Boost your students’ STEM knowledge with some of the in-depth tours and talks on offer.

Take a trip to the Sea Life Centre and enjoy an array of interactive exhibits that are perfect for KS2 pupils studying the ecosystem.

We can also plan visits to the Centre of the Cell’s STEM Pod Experience. This is a mesmerising learning experience that’s designed to improve your class’s understanding of cells and human biology.

Alternatively, if you want to travel further afield, you can take part in a whole host of fun STEM school trip activities in Brussels!

This includes everything from the Museum of Natural Sciences to the Euro Space Center. Here, you’ll be able to take a part in immersive activities like visiting the largest dinosaur gallery in Europe, experiencing rocket simulations, viewing planetarium shows and attending interactive science talks and workshops.

Geography school trip activities

Geography school trips give students the chance to explore the great outdoors and get up close and personal with natural landscapes and vibrant cities. Some of the topics covered on the KS2 geography curriculum include:

• Physical geography, e.g. rivers, mountains, climate zones, earthquakes.

• Human geography, e.g. uses for land, types of settlements, the distribution of natural resources.

• Geography skills and fieldwork, e.g. map reading and conducting Ordnance Surveys.

There are plenty of destinations to visit in the UK that will help students to learn more about geography. Edinburgh boasts a huge selection of school trip activities that will excite KS2 geography students. This includes Dynamic Earth, Arthur’s Seat and Carlton Hill.

You could also take a trip to one of Europe’s major cities – like Florence, Kraków or Barcelona – to improve students’ understanding of human geography.

Music school trip activities

Some of the world’s biggest musical movements were birthed in Europe, providing plenty of opportunities to educate students on music history and composition.

Rome is a great location to visit for a music school trip. The city is home to some of the best classical music performance venues in Europe, like the Auditorium Conciliazione and Teatro dell’Opera di Roma. In this iconic location, you can watch a theatre performance, take a trip to the opera or enjoy the sounds of local street musicians.

After an action-packed day seeing the sights, it’s always a good idea to plan some relaxing school trip evening activities to help your group unwind. Here in the UK, you can take advantage of activities such as:

• A Thames river cruise

• Visiting The Beatles Story in Liverpool

• Watching a show at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester

Language school trip activities

KS2 students learn about ancient and modern foreign languages as part of the curriculum. As such, students should be able to confidently understand, say, read and write basic phrases in foreign languages. Fortunately, language school trips can help your class dramatically improve their reading, written and oral language skills!

Take advantage of in-depth French lessons, a Parisienne theatre performance, cinema trips and other evening school trip activities on a visit to France. Alternatively, embark on a school trip to Spain to participate in Flamenco lessons, professional Spanish lessons and more to put students’ classroom learning to practice.

Art and design school trip activities

Easily one of the most famous art galleries in the world, The Louvre houses thousands upon thousands of paintings and sculptures from countless renowned artists – Monet’s ‘Water Lilies’ painting is a must-see! This makes Paris an unmissable location to visit with your KS2 art and design students. There are several other galleries and art museums across Europe to make the most of too, including:

• The Uffizi Gallery, Florence

• The National Art Museum of Catalonia, Spain

• Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

• East Side Gallery, Berlin

If you’d prefer something closer to home, educate students on Britain’s rich artistic history at The Tate Modern and National Portrait Gallery in London.

History school trip activities

The KS2 history curriculum covers interesting topics such as:

• The Roman empire

• Changes in Britain throughout the ages

• Anglo-Saxon and Scots settlements

• The Vikings

• Ancient Greece

You don’t have to travel far to find excursions, talks and tours that will deepen your class’s understanding of the above topics. For example, The British Museum specialises in ancient civilisations, such as the Egyptians and Romans. You can also educate students on the Stone Age, Iron Age and more through tours of the museums’ captivating exhibitions.

Already explored the UK’s best museums and history exhibits? Not to worry. There are plenty of enticing options around Europe for you to choose from, including:

• Pompeii, Italy

• Mount Vesuvius, Italy

• The National Museum of Scotland

• Edinburgh Castle

Educational study trips crammed full of unique learning activities

If you’re looking to book a school trip, our experts will help you every step of the way. We’ll work closely with you to understand your learning requirements and plan a selection of stimulating school trip activities for your group.

Regardless of the destination you want to visit or the subject you teach, our experts have the skills and knowledge to create an itinerary that will inspire and inform your students. Get in touch today to learn more.