A Trip to the Home Depot!
Who did I contact?
I contacted Loretta at 703-435-0778. She is the main point of contact at the Reston Store #4641 located at 1651 Reston Parkway in Reston, VA 20194.
I contacted Loretta at 703-435-0778. She is the main point of contact at the Reston Store #4641 located at 1651 Reston Parkway in Reston, VA 20194.
Timeline for Preparation
There is a minimal amount of time required for preparation. In my conversations with Loretta she mentioned you only need to provide the number of students attending, along with the time and duration of the visit. Once that information has been communicated, the Home Depot will do the rest to make sure they give students hands on, authentic job experience and interaction with real builders that corresponds appropriately to the grade level.
I performed some research on the Home Depot webpage at www.homedepot.com, as well as visited the location to see what type of programs they offered. There are many how-to guides and workshops offered by the site.
On the website, there is a “Store Finder” link which allowed me to locate the closest Home Depot location.
In about an hour I was able to develop a meaningful social studies lesson plan by using the variety of workshops offered at the Home Depot Field Trip.
Costs Involved?
There are no costs for the time spent at the Home Depot. The tour of the store, building materials, presenters and helpers are all included on the field trip for free!
The Home Depot will also provide all safety materials for the students.
The only costs to consider will be the cost of transportation to and from the Home Depot. There are many locations in the area, so a location nearest to the school can be selected to minimize travel time and expenses.
There is a minimal amount of time required for preparation. In my conversations with Loretta she mentioned you only need to provide the number of students attending, along with the time and duration of the visit. Once that information has been communicated, the Home Depot will do the rest to make sure they give students hands on, authentic job experience and interaction with real builders that corresponds appropriately to the grade level.
I performed some research on the Home Depot webpage at www.homedepot.com, as well as visited the location to see what type of programs they offered. There are many how-to guides and workshops offered by the site.
On the website, there is a “Store Finder” link which allowed me to locate the closest Home Depot location.
In about an hour I was able to develop a meaningful social studies lesson plan by using the variety of workshops offered at the Home Depot Field Trip.
Costs Involved?
There are no costs for the time spent at the Home Depot. The tour of the store, building materials, presenters and helpers are all included on the field trip for free!
The Home Depot will also provide all safety materials for the students.
The only costs to consider will be the cost of transportation to and from the Home Depot. There are many locations in the area, so a location nearest to the school can be selected to minimize travel time and expenses.
To what content areas does it connect?
The Home Depot offers a wide array of content areas the students can see in action. For Social Studies, one of the community helpers students learn about is that of the builder. Home Depot becomes an ideal setting for students to learn about the occupation of the builder, due to the fact that they will be given a tour by a person who is active in this field, and learn about the types of tasks they perform and see the actual tools they use. Most importantly, students further develop their comprehension using concrete materials when each student gets to build a small project on their own.
While building their individual projects, the students will also employ skills and concepts related to math and visual arts through measuring and painting their projects.
The Home Depot offers a wide array of content areas the students can see in action. For Social Studies, one of the community helpers students learn about is that of the builder. Home Depot becomes an ideal setting for students to learn about the occupation of the builder, due to the fact that they will be given a tour by a person who is active in this field, and learn about the types of tasks they perform and see the actual tools they use. Most importantly, students further develop their comprehension using concrete materials when each student gets to build a small project on their own.
While building their individual projects, the students will also employ skills and concepts related to math and visual arts through measuring and painting their projects.
What does the site offer students and teachers?
The Home Depot will provide a tour of the store in which the students get to see real tools and real materials builders use to perform their job. This will be an interactive experience where they can ask any questions they want.
After the tour, each student will be given a kit of their choice to build. They will then go to the builder’s workshop where they can build the kit on their own. The Home Depot will provide all safety materials and instructors for the students. The students will either build picture frames or spice racks.
After building, the students will be able to take their finished product to the paint section and apply paint to their projects.
By the end of the trip, each student will have had hands on learning experience using community resources and direct interactions with real-life professionals who do this work on a daily basis. They will also get to bring home their finished products.
The Home Depot will provide a tour of the store in which the students get to see real tools and real materials builders use to perform their job. This will be an interactive experience where they can ask any questions they want.
After the tour, each student will be given a kit of their choice to build. They will then go to the builder’s workshop where they can build the kit on their own. The Home Depot will provide all safety materials and instructors for the students. The students will either build picture frames or spice racks.
After building, the students will be able to take their finished product to the paint section and apply paint to their projects.
By the end of the trip, each student will have had hands on learning experience using community resources and direct interactions with real-life professionals who do this work on a daily basis. They will also get to bring home their finished products.
Other important logistical and educational information I discovered:
In speaking with the main contact at the Home Depot, the store is unavailable on Mondays and Wednesdays.
The Home Depot will provide all goggles, earplugs, and gloves for protection. They will also provide all the building materials and supervision.
All trips can be customized to accommodate each trip. They can focus on specific lesson plans and tailor the activities to meet time restrictions.
Call ahead (Loretta if using the Reston location) for accommodations and to plan the specifics for your class trip.
In speaking with the main contact at the Home Depot, the store is unavailable on Mondays and Wednesdays.
The Home Depot will provide all goggles, earplugs, and gloves for protection. They will also provide all the building materials and supervision.
All trips can be customized to accommodate each trip. They can focus on specific lesson plans and tailor the activities to meet time restrictions.
Call ahead (Loretta if using the Reston location) for accommodations and to plan the specifics for your class trip.
Evaluate your trip experience:
What was positive about your field experience?
What would you have changed?
What suggestions do you have for future planners?
What did you learn about field trips you hope to plan in the future?
What was positive about your field experience?
- The field experience was extremely positive. Each person I met with was extremely helpful.
- The workshops that were described appeared to be highly effective and authentic learning experiences that were also practical to complete in the amount of time necessary.
What would you have changed?
- The Home Depot is an extremely large building and if it is busy that could impact the learning experience, and management of students.
What suggestions do you have for future planners?
- I would suggest that future planners talk in great detail with the contact person of the Home Depot location to which they are visiting. This person will have all the information needed and will be able to make the appropriate accommodations and preparations to allow for a smooth field trip.
What did you learn about field trips you hope to plan in the future?
- I learned that is is valuable on many levels to try to utilize community resources in creative ways for your field trips. By doing this you can find a very effective and cheap field trip.
- Additionally, going to the site before hand is very important. This will allow you to visualize the trip, and prepare your class beforehand accordingly.