New planning guide: Explore 36 free Science Field Trips and the Play, Dig, Explore options. Online PLAY is free immediately. Qualifying organizations can also start a community campaign toward student Dig Kits or an agreed physical experience.
The bus quote is too high. Teachers have full calendars. The volunteer list is short. Your PTA still wants students to experience the excitement of a science field trip.
Excavating Adventures gives your school several ways to make that happen: free online Science Field Trip Adventures, hands-on classroom Class Packs, and local In-School Adventures. The right starting point depends on the problem you need to solve.
Here are six PTA field trip planning challenges, the EA option that addresses each one, and a practical way to put it to work.
Start with the Free PTA Program. Your elementary-school PTA/PTO can request a certificate for one free standard Adventure Kit for a school event or prize. After a quick school-connection check, we email the certificate and redemption instructions. No purchase, teacher introduction, or referral is required.
Claim your free Adventure Kit certificate.
Here as a parent or teacher? You can try a free online Adventure now, or send the Free PTA Program to your school's PTA/PTO leader. You do not need to organize a field trip to make that first introduction.
1. Tight field trip budget? Start with a free online Adventure.
The problem: your PTA wants to support science enrichment, but there is no room for another paid program.
Our solution: free online Science Field Trip Adventures give teachers a science experience to explore with their class without buying a physical kit.
That removes the program purchase from this first step. It also lets your PTA introduce a teacher to EA before deciding whether to fund a hands-on classroom experience.
Here is how to get started:
- Ask the teacher which science topic would be useful.
- Share the free Adventure directory and choose an available experience together.
- Have the teacher preview it on the classroom device, checking reading level, sound, navigation, and available time.
- Choose one question students will investigate and one discovery they will share afterward.
The digital experience still needs suitable classroom technology and teacher guidance. Physical kits and school programs are separate paid options.
If the teacher wants to add a hands-on dig later, your PTA can review School Class Packs with an actual student count and budget.
Take the next step: find a free science Adventure to share with a teacher.
2. No bus available? Bring the science field trip to school.
The problem: transportation, travel time, or the school schedule is preventing an off-campus trip.
Our solution: an EA In-School Adventure brings a hands-on geology experience to the school. It offers a field-trip experience on campus, removing the need to transport students to an outside venue.
For schools near Cary, North Carolina, start with an inquiry. Share your location, grade levels, student count, preferred date, and available time block. We can then discuss the format and confirm availability, scope, travel, and setup details.
Ask about the complete schedule, including preparation, student transitions, and cleanup. Also confirm which responsibilities belong to EA and which remain with school staff.
If a visiting program does not fit your location or schedule, School Class Packs provide a teacher-led hands-on option. They are a different format from a staffed In-School Adventure, so choose according to who will lead the activity.
Take the next step: tell us about the in-school science field trip you are planning.
3. Teachers have no planning time? Start with an existing experience.
The problem: a well-meant PTA idea can become another activity the teacher has to build.
Our solution: begin with an existing EA Adventure and our teacher planning guide. Give the teacher a specific experience to evaluate and a clear offer of PTA support.
Instead of sending a broad request to organize science day, send something like this:
“We found an EA online Adventure that may fit your upcoming science topic. Could you preview it for your class? Our PTA can coordinate the funding conversation if you want to explore a hands-on option.”
Then settle three questions together:
- Before: what question or vocabulary should students bring into the Adventure?
- During: where will the teacher pause for students to notice, discuss, or explain?
- After: what will students share to show what they discovered?
This approach reflects the Smithsonian's early-learning field trip planning guidance, which connects classroom learning before, during, and after a trip. The teacher decides how to adapt the experience to the class.
Your PTA can handle agreed coordination tasks while the teacher checks learning fit and classroom needs.
Take the next step: review how EA classroom experiences work, then share one suitable Adventure with one teacher.
Make the PTA connection: start with the Free PTA Program. Request your organization's certificate, then use the follow-up conversation to tell us what your teachers need. Teachers reading this can share the same link with their PTA/PTO leader.
4. Too few volunteers? Choose a classroom format your team can support.
The problem: your PTA wants hands-on science, but building and staffing a large multi-station event is beyond the available team.
Our solution: EA School Class Packs offer an existing classroom excavation format for groups of students. Review the current product options with your teacher and select the total student kit count your group needs.
That gives the committee a defined purchase to evaluate instead of assembling an entire collection of activities and supplies from scratch.
Keep the first plan manageable:
- Confirm the teacher will lead the experience.
- Check the current pack contents and select the correct student count.
- Agree on delivery timing, storage, classroom setup, and cleanup.
- Assign any volunteer help to a specific task and time.
For example: “Help organize materials in Room 4 from 9:30 to 10:00. The teacher will explain the setup.”
A Class Pack does not remove the need for school supervision or preparation. The useful change is a focused classroom experience with clearly assigned responsibilities.
If your goal is a larger family event, use our PTA science night planning guide to work through capacity and staffing before choosing the scope.
Take the next step: explore Class Packs for your student group.
5. Students need more than something to watch? Give them something to discover.
The problem: your PTA wants children actively involved in science, with something meaningful to do and discuss.
Our solution: use EA's online Adventures for digital exploration, or choose School Class Packs to add a physical excavation experience.
Match the format to the student action you want.
For an online Adventure, the teacher can preview the experience and select places to pause, examine clues, and discuss a decision. Ask children what they noticed and why it matters before continuing.
For a hands-on excavation, plan time after the dig for students to examine what they uncovered. A simple teacher-led comparison can make that discovery the start of a science conversation:
- What properties can you observe?
- How are two specimens alike or different?
- Which observation supports your explanation?
Choose appropriate handling procedures and materials for the class. The discussion prompts above are suggested extensions, not a promise that every Adventure contains the same activity.
The planning goal is clear: students should have a chance to discover something, investigate it, and explain their thinking.
Take the next step: choose an online Adventure or explore a hands-on classroom experience with the teacher.
6. Need a science-themed school prize and a way to involve families?
The problem: your PTA needs a useful contribution for an event and wants that event to introduce families to more science discovery.
Our solution: the Free PTA Program offers a free Adventure Kit certificate for verified elementary-school PTA/PTO organizations. Approved uses include a school raffle, fundraiser, science night, student prize, or teacher appreciation.
Here is how it works:
- Share your contact name, email, school, PTA/PTO role, city, and state through the program page. A personal email address is welcome; school-interest questions and supporting links are optional.
- EA makes a quick check of your school connection and looks for duplicate claims. If something needs clarification, we follow up.
- After approval, receive your certificate and redemption instructions by email, then use it for an appropriate school event, prize, or giveaway.
The offer is one certificate per verified elementary-school PTA/PTO, redeemable for one standard Adventure Kit, with no cash value. The kit brings together a hands-on dig, collectible cards, and Gemling mission characters. Classroom purchases and school program bookings are separate, optional next steps.
Know a PTA or PTO at another school that could use a certificate for a fundraiser, silent auction, STEM night, teacher gift, or student prize? Share the program link with them. Referrals are voluntary and are not required to receive your certificate.
Your PTA can also share free online Adventures with the broader school community, so the invitation to explore science reaches beyond the certificate recipient.
Try a short family message: “Looking for your next science discovery? Explore a free EA online Adventure together, then ask your child which clue surprised them.”
Keep participation optional and include a question families can discuss without a device or purchase. This follows the emphasis on welcoming communication and student learning in National PTA's family-school partnership standards.
Take the next step: explore the Free PTA Program and request your certificate.
Start with the Free PTA Program
Give your school a simple first step toward more science discovery.
Claim your free Adventure Kit certificate through the Free PTA Program. Complete the short form with your contact and school information. After we confirm the school connection, we email your certificate with redemption instructions.
Use the certificate for an appropriate school purpose. When you want to explore more, you can share our free online Science Field Trip Adventures with a teacher. If your school is interested in a paid classroom or in-school experience, we can discuss the format, student count, location, and timing that fit. These next steps are optional.
Have a question before submitting? Ask us about the Free PTA Program.
Found this useful? Pass it to your school.
You do not have to be on the PTA board to get the idea moving. Copy one of these messages into a text or email:
For your PTA/PTO:
Thought this could help with our next school event! Excavating Adventures offers one free Adventure Kit certificate per verified elementary PTA/PTO. No purchase is required. Here are the details: https://excavatingadventures.com/pages/pta-pto
For your child's teacher:
Found a free online Science Field Trip you might like to preview for your class. Explore the available Adventures here: https://excavatingadventures.com/pages/adventures
Already involved with your PTA? Share the program with a PTA at another school, too. Sharing is optional. Every school's certificate request gets its own review.
Excavating Adventures is The Science Field Trip Company. Start with a connection. Build toward your school's next discovery.