As I pushed my cart past the Three Hills IGA in-store bakery last Tuesday, I was suddenly surrounded by a gentle stampede of bustling preschoolers making a beeline for the bakery.

Aha! Bedlam in the bakery?

Nope, not at all, not with five parents and Three Hills Child Care Centre staff members riding herd and keeping little minds on focus.

Their focus? A field trip to Store Operator Kayla Killeen's Bakery Basis 101. While some tech talk gets lost on the younger ones, all eyes snap to attention as they are ushered from the big bread slicer in a corner to a long cupcake decorating table.

This we understand. Let's go!

This summer field trip and others like it—splash park, town library, community gardens, and more—are what Child Care Centre Program Supervisor Jen Saria describes as excellent ways for children to see different aspects of the town. "It's a good program," she said, "because it gets children outside, with parents helping us find places to visit. These trips are great because the children are happy and learning."