You do not need to book a bus, buy a kit or start a fundraiser to use an Excavating Adventures online Science Field Trip. Choose a free Adventure, preview it, and give students a question to investigate.
The physical classroom experience is a separate choice. Teachers can start a Free Dig Kit campaign without a purchase or credit card, but signing up does not guarantee kits. Physical kits require full funding and school and delivery confirmation.
That distinction makes planning easier: use the free learning that is available now, then decide whether a classroom dig belongs in your longer-term plan. Explore the free online Adventures.
Three useful starting points
Need something to print? Start in the free science resource library. Choose material that supports the question your class is studying. Preview vocabulary, instructions and response demands before assigning it. A free download still needs to fit your learners.
Want students to investigate online? Choose one of 36 free Adventures across Earth, Life and Physical Science. Students encounter a setting, make science decisions and use feedback as they continue. An Adventure can support teacher-led discussion, partner work or individual exploration when the reading and device arrangements are suitable. No physical kit is required for online play.
Want a hands-on classroom experience? Read the Free Dig Kit classroom campaign guide. It explains the current group minimum, funding goal, initial credit and confirmation steps. Keep the proposed dig date flexible until the requirements and delivery have been confirmed.
You can use the first two options without participating in the third. Excavating Adventures, The Science Field Trip Company, connects free science learning with optional hands-on discovery.
Start with one question, not a long to-do list
Before choosing a printable or opening an Adventure, decide what students should notice or explain. A useful question invites evidence: "What clue supports your choice?" is more productive than asking only whether they reached the next screen.
Choose a manageable part of the experience. Preview it on the classroom device and network. Check text size, navigation and any audio you plan to use. If you have one shared display, plan where the class will pause. If students share devices, alternate the navigator role and give both partners a way to contribute.
Then give children a simple record of their thinking. Fold a sheet into three spaces: an initial idea, a clue they noticed, and what they think now. Students may draw, dictate or write, depending on their needs. The goal is an explanation they can discuss, rather than a page filled for its own sake.
Our virtual Science Field Trip guide includes a flexible classroom session and setup checklist. You do not have to finish a whole Adventure in one sitting to have a useful lesson.
What happens when a teacher starts a kit campaign?
The current classroom program is designed around a real group of at least 15 students. The teacher supplies the school and classroom details through the campaign signup form. Starting does not require a credit card or a personal purchase.
The campaign has a group goal of $10 per student, with an initial $10 group credit. For example, a 15-student group has a $150 goal; after that initial credit, $140 remains to be funded. This is a campaign-goal illustration, not a retail kit price or a promise that one purchase creates a free kit. The credit is not redeemable as a separate individual kit.
The current campaign window is 21 days. Full funding and school and delivery confirmation are required before physical kits can be provided. Review the live conditions when you sign up, and use the actual campaign page for its status. A form submission, visit or shared link is not a funded classroom.
EA creates the campaign page and provides sharing tools. Sharing with families, colleagues or a PTA is optional; teachers are not required to promise a fundraiser. Funding is not guaranteed, and the current program does not automatically bill the teacher if the goal is not reached.
The live Free Dig Kit page is the place to review current terms and begin. Avoid planning around old descriptions that equate a fixed amount of retail purchases with one free student kit.
Turn the hands-on experience into more than an unboxing
When your classroom kits and delivery are confirmed, preview the instructions and plan supervision, handling and cleanup. Keep a learning question visible during the activity.
The hands-on sequence is Discover, Identify, Collect. Ask students to describe what they found before naming it, compare the specimen with the supplied identification information, and explain which features helped. A collection becomes more useful when a child can say something about its contents.
Do not treat completing an online Adventure as proof that a physical specimen was collected. The online mission and the physical kit are connected learning opportunities with different materials and requirements.
Share a clear invitation
If you are a parent or colleague passing this along, give the teacher enough context to decide:
"EA has free online science Adventures and printables you can use separately from its classroom kit campaign. This guide explains the options. If a classroom dig fits your plans, the teacher can review the campaign requirements and decide whether to sign up."
That is more useful than promising a free classroom set. The teacher remains in control of whether the experience fits the class, and the physical-kit conditions stay clear.
Choose the next step that fits today
For an upcoming lesson, start with a free resource and the matching Adventure. For a possible future classroom dig, review the requirements and start your Free Dig Kit campaign. Free learning stays available while you decide.