It is our expectation that every one our students will live, play and ultimately work in diverse environments within the larger community. It is there they will participate in everyday activities throughout life. Community-based/field experiences take place in environments where our students are able to generalize knowledge and skills they have learned at school. Our students interact with community members and gain experience across essential domains of communication, mobility, recreation and life skills, while practicing the use of assistive technologies in diverse settings.
Our curricular content guides the selection of community/field experiences. Carefully selected experiences provide opportunities to expand our curriculum and to assist students in developing their individual talents, interests and abilities. These experiences often are culminating events of a particular curricular unit. When given opportunities to apply what they have learned in real life settings where such skills are commonly used, their learning takes on new and heightened meaning. Our students gain experience using their communication skills and AAC systems in a variety of contexts, including direct interactions with unfamiliar listeners. They can explore new possibilities to practice using their mobility devices such as support walkers and power wheelchairs. They learn to utilize public recreation options, plan personal leisure time and participate in recreational activities. In turn, the community benefits from interactions with Bridge School students as they demonstrate the competency and value that each student uniquely brings to society.
Our list of field trip experiences changes from year to year, but some of our favorites include:
Going to the Grocery Store
In the thematic unit, students discuss what they want to make and create a shopping list including how much each item is going to cost. They go to the store and purchase the items which requires them to interact with the clerk at the checkout and to count their change. When they return to The Bridge School, they ‘cook’ the meal and enjoy the food they prepared as well as understand the process. This gives them practice for real life situations and an appreciation of what is involved in preparing a meal.
Shopping for Toys for Tots at the Mall
This is an annual experience in conjunction with the fire department’s Toys for Tots Holiday Drive. Our students sell cupcakes or popcorn during recess to earn money to buy the toys for children in need. One of the highlights of this adventure is taking public transportation to the mall. Once inside, they select the toys they want to donate to the Holiday Drive, pay for them and then the best part – The FIREMEN come to The Bridge School to get the toys and to let the students try everything on the fire engine. Doesn’t get any better than this.
Ice Skating
This is everyone’s all time favorite field trip. Everyone gets in their walkers, straps on their skates and away they go! Parents and siblings come along on this experience. This leads to family conversations about what happened and what fun they had.
Riding BART
The Bay Area has an excellent public transportation system and when we have an outing that is near a station, we like to use the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART). The students get the experience of traveling on a subway, learning how to get their tickets and pass through the turn-styles and get on the train. Many of our graduates use BART on a regular basis to get to and from different activities.
The Exploratorium
This hands-on science museum provides our students with the opportunity to engage in activities designed to explore scientific principles.
Insect Zoo
There are numerous mobile experiences that offer our students more time and more interaction with the exhibits. The traveling Insect Zoo keepers bring the insects to The Bridge School and introduce them to our students. The students can see them up close, hold them if they like, and the docent provides information about each one.
Aquarium on Wheels
This is another example of an experience that is available for our students within our classrooms. The docents bring aquatic to the school for the children to see, touch and learn more information about them. When we go to the aquarium, often these experiences are not afforded our students due to crowding or accessibility. These mobile experiences are a wonderful way to give our students the opportunity to interact with the various species.
