How Often Do You Go Places With The DCKs?

[DaveA]

I ask because the pre-k teacher I take DCK to was stunned when she found out I take kids to the library every other week (sometimes more). Weather permitting we go somewhere 2-3 times a week. I structured my program so that I can be out and about with the kids. We get center groceries as a group (great way to teach about nutrition and what is in food), go to the library, mail stuff at the post office, go to craft store for supplies, farm store for feed & treats for "their" chickens and ducks. That's not counting special trips: zoo a couple times a year or goodwill for dress up clothes or "new" toys, to name a couple. For me it's been a great teaching tool.

Guess I'm just curious how often you all take your groups out and about.

Thanks

[daycarediva]

Not often. In summer to each playground within walking distance (there are several), to the creek once, hiking in the woods once or twice, and to the library for a special event once-twice. Simply because it's nice and I love nature.

Otherwise, we are on site. I just don't have a crew I trust to follow directions and not run off, I don't want the doubled insurance premiums for transporting kids (and the additional liability) I am a car seat safety nut- that would be hard to maintain, height/weight, straps, not to mention storage for 6 car seats!

[BumbleBee]

Well I don't drive my dck's anywhere. Not enough room in the car and liability concerns on my part.

We go for a walk every day, usually twice a day in the spring/summer/fall as long as the weather is good (not raining, a light sprinkle w/no lightning we'll go but a downpour or lighting/thunder we won't). We live right in town so everything is close. We go to the grocery store, the library, the bike/walking trail, the library.

In the winter we go for a walk on the non-busy roads once a day. The sidewalks aren't cleared here in the winter. We also play outside in the driveway on the big snow pile from the plow.

I have a fenced in outdoor play area too but my kids prefer to go for walks.

[AuntTami]

I don't fenerally take the whole group Anywhere except somewhere in walking distance(our park and the library) but if I have an easy day and only have one or two kids, we like to go anywhere we can! The museum, grocery shopping, regular shopping, out to eat ETc. If I need to go somewhere, I just bring them along with me. Lol!

This weekend I need to go out of town to visit my parents but i have *my special*(I would adopt him in a heart beat if his mom ever decided she didn't want him lol) DCB from 5a-5p so I'm just gonna bring him with us. His mom doesn't mind, and he loves going places with his teetee(me)

[LindseyA]

Oh I am jealous of those who can walk to parks and library and things! We are out in the country here, and situated on a fairly busy road. There is no way I am walking a group of kids down the road! Luckily we do have a large yard with large playground, but by the end of summer it definitely gets old after playing out there day in, day out for months!
As for driving... Sorry, was getting off topic... I don't drive the kids anywhere. I have too many to fit in my vehicle... Which I guess is a good thing. Can't complain of having too many kids now, since I just got over a 2 month dry spell of only having 2 full timers. Uh my bills were a little scary for those two months.

[Crazy8]

I do not drive my kids anywhere. My car insurance would be thru the roof if I had the appropriate coverage to transport them.

We go for walks and have a little playground in our development so can walk there but that's about it.

[Gemma]

Originally Posted by Trummynme

Well I don't drive my dck's anywhere. Not enough room in the car and liability concerns on my part.

This exactly!
I'm on a few acres, we walk plenty there!

[Thriftylady]

We mostly go places we can walk. The park, the library etc.

[Blackcat31]

We walk daily but don't go anywhere other than the park.

If I had only a few kids, I'd probably want to go lots of places but I have 10-12 daily so taking them anywhere but the park to play or a walk around the block is enough for me.

As for driving them anywhere, I don't do that either. Liability and space reasons but even if those weren't an obstacle, I don't think I would want to drive them anywhere. (As a parent, I wouldn't choose a child care that drove my kids places. I was just not comfortable with it.)

We do rent a public transportation and take the bus to the pumpkin patch every year but we partner with a neighboring daycare and have multiple parent and adult helpers so it's easy to manage and lots of fun!

[AmyLeigh]

Originally Posted by DaveArmour

I ask because the pre-k teacher I take DCK to was stunned when she found out I take kids to the library every other week (sometimes more). Weather permitting we go somewhere 2-3 times a week. I structured my program so that I can be out and about with the kids. We get center groceries as a group (great way to teach about nutrition and what is in food), go to the library, mail stuff at the post office, go to craft store for supplies, farm store for feed & treats for "their" chickens and ducks. That's not counting special trips: zoo a couple times a year or goodwill for dress up clothes or "new" toys, to name a couple. For me it's been a great teaching tool.

Guess I'm just curious how often you all take your groups out and about.

Thanks

We go out at least twice a week, usually to library story time and one if our city parks. Occasionally I will run an errand to the grocery store or Michaels for crafts supplies. During the summer, we include the city pool and of course the old fashioned ice cream parlor and carousel that is downtown.

I have the homeschooling mindset that the world is our classroom.

[proudmommyofthree]

Right now I only have before and after school kids, so during spring breaks, and summer I am out alot!, at least 3 times a week. This spring break we are going to Pretend city and LA zoo, and some local parks.

When I had the younger ones I was out about 2-3 days per week to local parks, and when the older kids were on vacation from school, I would take them to the beach, parks, zoo, I've done disneyland twice, and knotts berry farm twice and a few other places.

But I think for my area that's the norm. Most daycare providers take the daycare children on frequent field trips. From my experience the parents love it. This is what the parents have told me. "I work so much I don't have time to take my kids. If it wasn't for you, my kids wouldn't have gone to xyz." It's sad though. When I was a working mom and had my kids in daycare, I still made sure I was the one that took my children to all these fun places, not my daycare provider ( she never took the kids out).

I enjoy seeing the kids get excited that we are going on field trips, I do it for my sanity and the kids lol!!

Originally Posted by AuntTami

I don't fenerally take the whole group Anywhere except somewhere in walking distance(our park and the library) but if I have an easy day and only have one or two kids, we like to go anywhere we can! The museum, grocery shopping, regular shopping, out to eat ETc. If I need to go somewhere, I just bring them along with me. Lol!

This weekend I need to go out of town to visit my parents but i have *my special*(I would adopt him in a heart beat if his mom ever decided she didn't want him lol) DCB from 5a-5p so I'm just gonna bring him with us. His mom doesn't mind, and he loves going places with his teetee(me)

Same here Except we just go around the neighborhood. I have taken children to the park, soccer practice, soccer games.... but that was only 1 or 2 kids. Now that I have an infant and a 2 yr old that doesn't listen we can't go unless one of them is gone.

[sharlan]

During the school year, not too much anymore. We used to go to Disneyland every other week, the LA Zoo, the aquarium, etc. Now it's mostly local errands.

Summer is another story. We go to Raging Waters every Tues, the beach every Thurs, and the movies every Fri. We also go to Knott's Berry Farm a couple of times, whale watching, parks for picnics, Aquarium of the Pacific a couple of times, LA Zoo, etc. We go all summer long.

[Meyou]

We go lots of places by foot or by bus. The park, the lake, the library, to another dayhome for playdates, to the golf course to sled, to the school to get the school kids and play on the big playground, to puppet shows, to the waterfront park, on the harbor ferry, museums, etc. During the winter we get out once per week I would say and the rest of the time we stay in the yard or go for a walk. The rest of the year we go out 2-5 times per week depending on the weather.

[daycarediva]

How is your car insurance (for those that transport?)

When I used to be legally unlicensed, I wanted to drive my kids back/forth to school still but my car insurance was going to quadruple! It wasn't worth that alone.

[SquirrellyMama]

We often go places. We go to state parks, swimming pool, ice skating, science center, zoo, mall, out to lunch, library, etc...

I can only stand to be home 2 or 3 days a week. After that I need to be out with the kids.

I've checked and double checked with my insurance and I'm good on auto insurance.

Kelly

[Baby Beluga]

Sadly, we don't go anywhere outside of DC. There is nothing within walking distance and I am not comfortable driving children anywhere. Thank goodness for a large and grassy backyard!

[DaveA]

Thanks folks

Our car insurance didn't change. Our homeowners went up, but I had opened the daycare and also had finished building my shop. Our agent came out and made additions to fit what we needed. I'd have to look up what % of the increase was the daycare and what was the shop.

[Second Home]

I used to bring them out more lots of library events , but since moving I take them out less because everything is a further and even then it is only certain dck that I know will behave .

My next planned trip is to go and pick out my baby chicks , I think that I am more excied than the kids .

[Jack Sprat]

We go places weekly. We are lucky in that our grocery store is three blocks from us, Dollar General is 5 blocks, the bank 3 blocks. We also go to Wal-Mart, the farm supply store, out to lunch, the pool etc. We have a yearly trip to the zoo and the pumpkin patch.

Our car insurance didn't go up much I think $100 a year. It's worth it to me.

we go somewhere once a week or so. More in the summer, but we still hit up the library and story times during the winter. I do not have parks in walking distance, so until I get my yard fixed up, the park is my savior!

[Sunchimes]

We used to go somewhere 2-3 times a week, library, Walmart, park, splash pad. We would all walk downtown and run errands and window shop and say hi to the ceramic frog. Then, I had a child with severe issues, and a lot of that stopped because it became a safety issue. Then I had a kid with a rage disorder, and I don't want to take him around strange kids. Now, I have a medically fragile infant who has been on social restriction all winter. Since my husband has the same restrictions, I've largely been house bound since October. Now that the weather is improving, baby is getting stronger, and the child that was unsafe is gone, I hope to start doing some things again. It's a small town and there isn't much to do, but anything is better than this last year!

[CraftyMom]

I try to get out with the kids often. In warmer weather every week, sometimes twice a week.

My auto insurance also did not go up much. Must be another "depends on where you live" thing?

[Josiegirl]

I used to and miss it a lot. We'd go to the library, local playgrounds, the museum. There isn't much in my little town either but it was a lot of fun and the kids loved it. Then I traded in my minivan to a car that fits 3(tightly) in the back seat and I've never had few enough dcks to be able to. We used to pack a picnic in the summer and go a few miles out of town to a school; they'd play on the playground, then we'd walk their nature trail, have a picnic, come home and the dcks would sleep so well.

To the park that is within walking distance almost 3-4 days per week in nice weather. Field trips are stressful for me. We do go to library story hour each week and there is a park behind the library. That's about all I can handle!

Years ago I was part of a Head Start family child care pilot project and we had to go on two field trips per month, and I did enjoy that.

[Controlled Chaos]

Originally Posted by sharlan

During the school year, not too much anymore. We used to go to Disneyland every other week, the LA Zoo, the aquarium, etc. Now it's mostly local errands.

Summer is another story. We go to Raging Waters every Tues, the beach every Thurs, and the movies every Fri. We also go to Knott's Berry Farm a couple of times, whale watching, parks for picnics, Aquarium of the Pacific a couple of times, LA Zoo, etc. We go all summer long.

I want to be your dck!

A few years ago, I lowered my ratio so we could go places and my own children could have more experiences since they were in daycare more hours than anyone. The parents loved the idea, too, so I was given the green light. In the winter, I'm always concerned about the road conditions, so it's usually to the library once a week or to the store to buy ingredients/materials for a cooking/art project. In the spring, summer, and fall, we go to pumpkin patches, pick-your-own farms, local parades, museums, out-to-lunch, hiking trails, sprinkler parks, free movies, bounce places, indoor playgrounds, etc. (I usually comb through local papers for coupons, free days, and unique events.) I also always have a Plan B in the back of my head so on days when the younger kids or babies were an unexpected no-show, we'd drop everything and head to the movies or to a pool/sprinkler park.