Apple picking season is upon us! We headed to nearby Vulcan Apple Farm in Julian CA early in the morning for some homeschool U-Pick awesomeness, Covid style.

Apple picking is a yearly expedition for us. We’ve gone every year with our twins since they were old enough to strap into a Baby Bjorn. Over the years we’ve learned some tips – these are the best ones: Apple Farm Field Trip Tips.

This year I was a little nervous though. With my Cystic Fibrosis we have been very isolated at home and hesitant to go most places. I know everyone feels different about this, but personally with inconsistent mask wearing in San Diego I don’t feel comfortable venturing out a lot. Apple picking seemed like a naturally distant activity though so I decided to give it a try.

However, if you don’t feel comfortable venturing to your area farm or you don’t have one close enough, this Apple Orchard post from The Educator’s Spin On It has a great collection of virtual field trip experiences related to Apple Farms.

affiliate links may be included below.

Field Trip Prep

The night before I prepped for our Apple Farm field trip. I packed and prepped:

• Snacks for the car and for a small picnic.
• Cash (needed to purchase some things at the farm)
• Loaded a new audiobook for the kids to listen to on the ride (we listened to The One and Only Ivan)
• Made sure we had face masks for each of us (required by the farm!)
• Sunscreen (this has been my favorite for a while now!)
• Made sure the car had gas

Apple Picking Vulcan Apple Farm in Julian CA

Vulcan Apple farm is located in Julian CA about an hour from San Diego. There are quite a few farms in Julian, but Vulcan is one of the biggest and had taken precautions for Covid19 this year.

We visited Vulcan Apple farm last year as well and it was largely the same experience. The main difference is that face masks are required for visiting to pick apples right now. I hope they are good about enforcing this so people like me can continue to feel comfortable enjoying apple season.

When we visited it was early in the morning on a Friday. There were definitely people there but nothing like we’ve seen on the weekends in previous years. If you’re worried about social distancing then I highly recommend a weekday morning. Heading into the farm, the line was spaced out, everyone was wearing a mask, and the attendants taking money avoiding any contact.

Vulcan Apple Farm has plenty of apples in several different varieties. We had zero problems filling our apple bags.

After we were done picking apples, we bought apple cider from their stand (cash only!) which was cold and delicious. We drank it and ate a snack at one of the picnic tables. Because there were so few people this again was easy to do while maintaining plenty of distance. If it were busier we would have brought the cider back to the car.

Then we headed home, via Julian Pie Co, with all of our apples.

Quick Farm Facts:
Vulcan Apple Farm
Julian, CA
Facebook Page
$12/bag (Cash or Credit)
$1 if you want to enter but not pick.
Military Discount Available

Other Farm Recommendations:

• Afton Apple Farm in Minnesota
• Alstede Farm in New Jersey
• 31 Apple Farms in NJ PA DE MD from One Day in Our Shoes

Apple Activities to do at Home

Back at home, there are so many apple themed ways to delve into whatever your learning goals are right now. Below are some of our favorites for ages 5 through 10 or Kindergarten through fifth grade.

Cooking with Apples (and Kids!)

• Apple Oat Cookies from Goodie Goodie Lunchbox
• Apple Pancakes from Healthy Little Foodie
• Apple Pancakes from Crafty Mom Share
• Apple Pie Bliss Bits from Goodie Goodie Lunchbox
• Caramel Apple Nachos from Taste Galaxy
• Cinnamon Apple Peels from Mama Smiles
• Easy Instant Pot Apple Caramel Cheesecake from Taste Galaxy
• Mini Apple Pies Recipe from The Educator’s Spin On It
• Nut Free Apple and Sunflower Seed Muesli Bars from Goodie Goodie Lunchbox
• Orange Flavored Applesauce from Mama Smiles

Arts and Crafts

• Apple Picking Read and Create from My Storytime Corner
• Apple Stamping Pumpkins Craft from The Crazy Outdoor Mama
• Pop Art Apple Coloring printable from Art with Jenny K
• Printable Letter A Crafts from Fun With Mama

Reading and Writing

• 6 Free and Fun Apple Themed Printables from Homebound but Hopeful
• Apple Farm Storytime with Apple Song Printable from My Storytime Corner
• Antonym Apples printable game from The Speech Bubble
• Apple Adjectives activity
• Free Printable Apple Worksheets from The Keeper of Memories
• Great Apple Themed Picture Book Recommendations and other fun apple themed activities on Crafty Mom Share
• Parts of an Apple Read and Color Printable Book from JDaniel4’s Mom

STEM

• Apples vs. Ball Stem Experiment
• Apple Taste Test with Editable Printables and Place Cards from JDaniel4’s Mom
• Apple Tasting Fun with Printable from Hopebound but Hopeful
• Types of Apples printable pack from Mrs. Hansen’s Helpfuls I put this under Science, but this is an awesome large pack that covers a lot of curriculum areas.

Also Read: Fall Unit for K and First Grade

Dinosaur skeletons were towering on either side of me as I fast walked through the Natural History Museum trying to keep up with my twins. I was starting to sweat, my shoulder felt like it was going to have a permanent strap mark from the weight of my bag, and I was frustrated. The dinosaur skeletons that I had lugged that heavy bag and two children on two trains to see were a blur as they quickly zoomed from one thing to the next.

We needed to slow down.

affiliate links are included below. 

Towards the corner of one of the exhibit halls I saw a bench and quickly asked if they wanted a drink of water. Gratefully setting down the bag, I started hunting for their water bottles and saw something that might just give me a moment to catch my breath.

The adventure journals were about to save our day.

3 Reasons Every Field Trip Needs an Adventure Journal

Since that morning our Adventure Journals (which I have since dubbed them because it just makes them sound more awesome) have saved many adventures and field trips. They have taken up permanent residence in that big bag of mine. In fact, they are one of the few things I don’t mind lugging at all because of the wonderful things they do for us.

1. Slow Down + Process

On that exhausting day at the museum I pulled out the journals with the water and ushered them onto the bench. I said we were going to sit for a moment and look around with our eyes.

What did they see? What was the best part of that room? How could they record that in their adventure journal so we never forgot what they saw? For about 10-15 minutes they sat and drew a picture or dictated ideas to me.

Those moments are nice, but more importantly when we get back up from these breaks they are often calmer. They still move quickly, but they seem to carry those questions with them and slow down to process what they are seeing a little better.

2. Literacy Opportunities

Anytime you can make writing meaningful it does wonders for encouraging literacy skills. Here they are capturing their adventure experience. They draw. They dictate labels and stories. It is important to them so they don’t see it as work.

Now at 5 my twins are starting to write some of their own words down. They are inspired to record these ideas so they work with me to sound out words and carefully write them in their journals.

3. Simple Waiting Activity

Travel with kids often includes a lot of waiting and sitting. In the car. On the subway. In lobbies. In restaurants. My kids end up waiting A LOT and it is not a strength of theirs.

With the Adventure Journals always tucked in my bag, we can use them to help us wait. We can draw or write about what we did. We can play drawing games – shared drawings are our favorites. We can stick stickers in there or write secret messages. They are one more simple tool to have to aid my kids during these times.

How to Start Your Own Adventure Journals Today

SO easy.

Find or Order a small notebook or journal (we have these cute monster ones) and gather some writing materials. My kids prefer having pens and colored pencils. 

Put them together in a ziploc bag or some other small baggie or pocket of your backpack.

Bring them on your next adventure and pull them out occasionally. Your tired shoulders and antsy children will thank you.

Also Read: 20+ Indoor and Outdoor Field Trip Ideas

Lace up those shoes, put on some sunscreen, or zip up your coat. We are heading outside on a walk today.

My kids love being outside. It is their happy place. Mine too.

When I first started staying at home with them when they were just crawling and I wasn’t really sure how to fill our days I started with walks. First this was me pushing them in a stroller.

But soon they weren’t happy being suck in the stroller and we begging to get out.

That’s when we started really taking walks.

Little walks.

But there are only so many times I could follow them up and down the block as they toddled and stopped and started. The teacher in me…maybe the organized OCD tending person in me, needed a plan. A focus.

That’s where our themed walks were born. It gave us a focus. An objective. Soon we were walking outside to look more closely at everything from puddles and bugs to fire hydrants and bridges.

That’s when our little walks started feeling more like big adventures.

Often these walks were inspired by children’s books. The only thing we do as much as explore outside is read books and they are often the best inspiration for all kinds of other things.

Below are 12 fun children’s book inspired adventures. Simple. Quick (often). Toddler friendly (and up). Easy ideas to inspire learning and break up your day. Happy walking!

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13 Children’s Book Inspired Walks

Each walk below was inspired by a children’s book (or in some cases several or a whole stack). Find one that sounds fun to you or that follows a current interest in your house, click and off you go!

1. Toad Weather and Rainy Day Walks

TOAD WEATHER by Sandra Markle is all about seeing the adventure in a rainy day. The book is about a specific adventure in a particular city in Pennsylvania, but it embraces heading out to enjoy a rainy day and looking for the beauty and adventure in the wet weather. Read the story together (you can get a copy here) and then head outside for your own Rainy Day Walk.

2. Spinning Spider Webs and a Spider Web Hunt

This book will get your kids excited about spiders and is the perfect launch for a spider web hunt. You can go on a quick hunt in the backyard or go further to a park or garden. READ MORE

3. Pond Walk by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace Inspired Pond Walk

This was a favorite of ours when we lived in Mississippi. This darling book is practically a road map for talking your own pond walk. Grab a net and magnifying glass and head outside. READ MORE

4. The Tiptoe Guide to Tracking Fairies and a Fairy Hunt

Oh how I loved the fairy phase. You know how your kids’ hobbies and interest change and how sometimes you adore these phases and sometimes you’re a little less thrilled – this was one of my favorites. Our house felt so full of magic and imagination and this was a walk we did again and again. READ MORE

5. I’m Brave by Kate & Jim McMullan and Fire Station Walk

Fire trucks are endlessly fascinating to kids at this age and there are a whole bunch of firefighter and firetruck books that you could use as a launching point for this walk (and unit if you’re extra inspired!) READ MORE

6. Gruffalo Hunting

We adore this book. It’s a truly fantastic read aloud – but it’s also inspiration for a daring adventure outside. I love how Rainy Day Mum brought this book to life with her kids. READ MORE

7. Counting Books and a Counting Walk

This is probably the most simple and educational and most pinned walk idea that I did with my toddlers. It takes almost nothing to set up and yet my kids got so much early math skill building from our counting walks. READ MORE

8. Soup Day + Grocery Story Field Trip

This is another example of a book that pretty much lays out a field trip for you. In the story a little girl and her mom go to the store, buy ingredients, and then make soup. The recipe is included in the back of the book. I did this with my twins when they were about 3 years old and highly recommend it for a chilly day when getting out of the house and warm soup is exactly what’s called for. GET THE BOOK

9. I Read Signs by Tana Hoban Inspired Walk

When kids are just beginning to show an interesting in reading the things they often “read” first are signs like STOP that they see everywhere they go. This book by Tana Hoban encourages that early reading and can inspire you to search for your own environmental print. READ MORE

10. Four Senses Walk

Don’t want to just listen on a walk – let’s walk and explore more senses. I love this book by Aliki but any Five Senses book works as inspiration for this walk. Read about your senses and then head outside with one of these Scavenger Hunts that encourages kids to touch, smell, listen, and look all around their world. GET THE SCAVENGER HUNTS

11. Welcome to the Neighborwood Book Walk

If you have a little woods (or big one) nearby then this is the book for you. The textured and pop-up illustrations build excitement about the outdoors that makes you want to go see it for yourself. This post has a free printable and encourages kids to think about who lives in their woods. READ MORE

12. Flashlight Walk

I love doing flashlight walks right after daylight savings time makes our evenings darker. It’s my way of putting a positive spin on something I otherwise despise. It’s fun regardless, but I recommend this gorgeous Flashlight book so highly. Then grab some flashlights and head outside. READ MORE

13. The Listening Walk

Read Listen by Gabi Snyder and The Listening Walk by Paul Showers ad illustrated by Aliki. Both are beautiful and are a natural starting point for your own Listening Walk. READ MORE

Get 52 More
Little Walk Ideas Here

PS. Here’s one more. Finding Round in Nature – a book inspired walk idea for toddlers and preschoolers.

It’s field trip time! But before you buckle up, start walking or climb aboard the bus – you have a to pack a bag.

So what do you bring on a field trip to make sure your kids are interested, engaged and learning?

Does it matter?

I think packing the right things to bring on a field trip can make a HUGE difference in the success of the trip.

affiliate links are included in this post. Thanks for supporting Bambini Travel.

10 Things to Pack for a Field Trip

Below are the 10 things that I at least consider for each field trip I’ve taken with kids.

Depending on the age of your kids and where you are going not all of these will apply. This is a good place to start when going through what you need for the trip.

1. First Aid Kit 

Having a basic first aid kit on a field trip is super important. I also like to include a snack, water, and any medicine like an EpiPen in my kit. Those are always my basic – Leaving the House (or classroom) Supplies.

2. Clipboards or Notebooks 

Something to write with is another staple in my bag. Depending on where we are going I might have one for me or one for each kid, but something to record thoughts and observations is always in my bag.

With kids it is often especially helpful to have clipboards or notebooks so they have a surface to write on. Or better yet – start your own adventure journals!

I often pack:

• Clipboards
• Paper
• Pencils or Pens
• Colored Pencils
• Small Notebooks

3. Tools for Investigations

Have tools make kids feel like real scientists or adventurers. I have also found that tools help kids slow down and pay attention more to their surroundings.

Our favorite tools for investigations:

• Magnifying Glasses
• Binoculars

4. Camera

These days, more often than anything else, I use my cellphone as a camera.

If you’re going on a school field trip though, it can often be helpful to have a small camera you can let a parent volunteer use to take pictures while you focus on interacting with the kids.

5. Walking Rope

When walking with little kids it can be helpful to have a rope to hold on to keep everyone together. My centers used a rope like the one pictured above to keep our toddlers and preschoolers together.

6. Name Tags and/or Bright T-Shirts

When you’re going out of the house or your school it can be super helpful to dress in bright colors. Some people prefer matching field trip shirts. That depends on the size of your group and monetary factors, but regardless I think a bright color is helpful in spotting everyone in a crowd.

I also think if you’re taking a bigger group it is a good idea to put a label on each kid. There has been some debate recently about whether you should put the child’s name on the tag. I think that depends a lot on where you are going – but I did always put our center name and phone number on each child’s shirt just in case.

7. List of Questions

I will talk more about this in my webinar about field trips – but I always bring a list of questions if we are going somewhere where we will get to engage with an “expert” on a topic.

Kids are full of questions. Write them down beforehand and then see how many you can answer through your experiences and through interactions with whoever works where you are going.

CLICK TO LEARN MORE

8. Bags for Collections

If you are going for a walk, on a hike, to the beach – bring a bag. Kids of all ages have a remarkable capacity for finding “treasures” wherever they go.

9. Diapers and/or Change of Clothing

The diapers part will depend on the age of your kids, but I think at least one change of underwear and pants is helpful for any field trip with kids aged 9 and under.

10. Cell Phone & Cash

This seems like an obvious one, but sometimes that’s what is easiest to forget. Just in case of an emergency, a cell phone and a little cash is always a good idea.

Get More Field Trip & Walk Ideas in My Book