Tuesday, September 8, 2009

What special benefits could my students gain from visiting this fieldtrip site?

As teachers we are looking for ways to incorporate hands on learning in science content. When taking your students to the Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana, they get just that. The hands on learning begins before they even reach the front door, as they see a replica of NASA shuttle piece that shows the students the realization of how big the aircraft is up close and personal. The lobby has a display of two tubes in which the kids pull on a rope and the force pushes air into the second tube where it pushes a tennis ball into the air. The children are infatuated with trying to get the tennis ball out of the tube and into the air.

The first floor is filled with all sorts of hands on learning stations, in which the children will be free to see for themselves how forces and nature work together. There are stations for weather, earthquakes, light simulations, robotics, and landscapes. The stations are not on a timer, so the children are free to experience each station at their own pace. A major benefit is seeing firsthand how the children are experiencing science at their fingertips and enjoying it at the same time. The students are engaged in the learning process and having fun together.

1 comment:

  1. After looking at the pictures and reading, it looks like the science center is a lot of fun for students and a place where they can learn a lot from. I have not been to the science center myself but it sounds like a place I would definetly like to go on a field trip with my class.

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