The fourth grade was truly excited to participate in their major field trip for this academic year! We enjoyed an overnight experience at the Boston Museum of Science. Our visit began with a Duck Boat Tour of Boston on which we saw many of the historical sites such as the Public Gardens, the Trinity Church, Faneuil Hall Marketplace, and – of course -a “splashdown” into the Charles River. While we were on the river, each of the students had the opportunity to steer our duck boat, which was great fun and thoroughly enjoyed by all. The duck boat returned us to the Museum of Science in time to have dinner and then begin our exploration of the museum. Some of the students’ highlights included working with the computerized system simulations of fish behavior in the “Making Models” exhibit, as well as the “Science in the Park” exhibit where they got to learn about physical laws while playing in the playground. Finally, their most favorite part was watching and taking part in the Electricity Show. Allison was chosen out of a group of almost 300 program participants to help demonstrate static electricity – what happens when you rub a balloon all over your head – much to the enjoyment of the crowd. The demonstration of the huge Van de Graaff generators which produced lightning before our very eyes was exhilarating, to say the least. The planetarium show was a big hit – we learned about the stars and quite a bit about Jupiter and its moons, as well as the Omni theater movie, “Humpback Whales.” If you are unfamiliar with the Omni movie concept, the screen is huge and wraps around to encompass your peripheral vision, with a full surround-sound audio system, which provides a most lifelike viewing experience. The kids loved seeing our planet’s largest mammals practically come to life in front of them! The evening was full of interesting and exciting experiences, and when we finally settled in to our sleeping quarters for the night in the new Hall of Life, it was hard to settle down as we were all so excited with all of the new things we had seen and done. Although sleep was in relative short supply, everyone enjoyed the experience and learned lots of new scientific information while having a lot of fun!
Please enjoy the trip pictures below. This trip is a perennial favorite for me, and I loved sharing it with your children. I’d also like to thank Dr. Susan Gephard and Don Bernard for helping to chaperone this trip. It wouldn’t have been nearly so successful without your help!
Group Selfie at snack time
The class tries to fit their feet into a T Rex footprint!
Group photo from the Duck tour
“We’re holding dinosaur poop!”
Moving sand with sound waves
Jackson at the helm
Jaidev at the helm
Brenna at the helm
Kemp at the helm
The winning structure from our class activity “To the Moon”
Dippin’ Dots!
At the Electricity Show
Allison takes part in a demonstration
Getting ready to sleep