Before you sign the field trip permission slip

A field trip permission slip is short, and it's easy to sign at the kitchen counter without reading it. Give it ten minutes now. Check each line of the slip, plan around a trip day that changes your usual schedule, and get ready ahead of time if you've said yes to chaperoning.

Read the slip line by line

Sit down with the slip and a pen. Check each of these and write a note next to anything you need to ask about.

The date and times. Look at the departure time and the return time. If the class leaves earlier than your usual drop-off, you'll need to arrive early. If it returns after the end of the school day, pickup may be at a different time or place.

How the children travel. Walking, a hired bus, or family cars each mean something different for you. If families drive, the school will ask about car seats. Check what your child needs and whether you can provide it.

What your child needs to bring. Packed lunch, water bottle, closed shoes, a rain jacket, sun hat. Some trips ask for a lunch in a bag that can be thrown away, so nothing has to come home.

Cost. Note the amount and the date it's due. If the cost is a problem for your family, ask the school quietly. Many schools have a way to help.

Medical and allergy notes. Most slips have a space for anything the trip staff need to know. Fill it in even if the school already has the information on file. A trip is a new place, with new foods, plants and animals, and the adult in charge of your child's group may not be your child's usual guide.

The return date for the slip. Put it on your calendar. A child without a signed slip usually stays at school on the day.

Then sign it, and send it back the next school day.

Plan around the trip day

Once you've read the slip, look at the rest of your day. Ask yourself:

• Do I need to drop off earlier than usual?
• Does pickup change, and who is collecting my child?
• If someone else is picking up, have I told the school in the way the school asks?
• Does my child have a club or activity that day, and is it still running?
• Is my child going to be tired? Should the evening be quiet?

If anything on the slip is unclear, ask the guide or the office now, by message or at pickup. A short question works well: "The slip says return at 12:30. Is pickup still at the usual time?"

Get your child ready

Young children do better on a trip when they know what will happen. Talk it through a few days ahead, and again the night before.

Some things to say:

• "On Thursday your class is going to the orchard. You'll ride a bus there."
• "You'll be in a small group with one grown-up. You stay with your group the whole time."
• "If you can't see your grown-up, stand still and call their name."
• "We'll pack your lunch together the night before."

Let your child help pack. Lay out the clothes and the bag together.

If you're chaperoning

As a chaperone, you're responsible for a small group of children for the morning. Before the day:

• Complete anything the school requires of volunteers, such as a background check or a signed form, well before the trip.
• Read the chaperone instructions the school sends, and ask about anything you're unsure of.
• Find out which children are in your group. Learn their names before you leave the building.
• Ask whether you should keep your phone away, and whether photos are allowed.

On the day:

• Count your group at every stop, every door and before every move.
• Keep to the plan the staff give you. If you want to change anything, ask a staff member first.
• Leave any medical care, including medication, to the staff.
• Don't hand out snacks or treats. Some children have allergies you don't know about.
• If you're in your own child's group, treat every child in the group the same way. Your child may find it hard to share you. Tell them before the trip: "I'm helping the whole group today."

When you get back, tell the staff anything they should know, such as a child who seemed unwell or a moment when your group got separated. Then hand over your group card and your list.