I will often take my kids out to the park (while I admire the skill of many caregivers, I often find myself cringing at the lack of supervision of others). I also try to take the children on 2 other "field trips during the year". We often plan a farm trip in the fall and a zoo trip in the spring. I always tell the parents way ahead of time what I am planning in order to get the general feel of their reaction. I never plan a trip when their is a brand new family- they have to trust me first. I also run these trips s a school would- parents sign permission forms and are free to volunteer their time to come with us! I have never had a problem with this and parents know right from the interview that we do this.