Did you know that the Nature Museum now offers Virtual Field Trips with Student Workshops? During this interactive experience, your students will get to observe specimens from our living and preserved collections, explore local nature and science, and engage in activities that foster real-world, student-driven learning.
Students will start off their Virtual Field Trip experience with a pre-workshop activity shared by their teacher or group leader, and virtually explore one of our museum exhibits. Students will start practicing their observation skills as they take time to notice and wonder, or work on a scientific drawing that looks closely at something in the exhibit. Then, students will engage in a virtual workshop led by a Museum Educator, where they will get to explore unique Nature Museum specimens to think critically about nature all around them.
Some workshop experiences highlight a Museum exhibit to engage students in local nature (check out our “From Our Exhibit” Workshops!), while others connect students to local, real science phenomena from across Chicago through exploring museum resources. Your students will engage in robust science thinking through activities like close observations, data collection, and developing models. After the workshop, students will continue to build on their Nature Museum experience through a post-workshop activity, guided by their teacher or group leader, that invites students and families to explore nature all around them.
The most engaged my students have been is during the Nature Museum Educator facilitated workshop. The educator did a great job facilitating, and the addition of the videos was super engaging!
– VIRTUAL STUDENT WORKSHOP PARTICIPANT 2020
The Nature Museum is so thrilled to engage our many audiences with these Virtual Field Trips with Student Workshops. We offer unique opportunities to meaningfully connect in- and out-of-school-learning experiences through Chicago-specific real-world contexts. Our collections and specimens highlight these local nature topics in ways that spark students to think critically, and our student-centered approach harnesses the curiosity and wonder that is inside all of us to drive rich thinking and learning while making personally relevant connections. The three-part model of our Virtual Field Trip ensures that students get a comprehensive experience that primes students to arrive at the Museum Educator-led workshop ready to explore natural phenomena and connects their workshop experience to nature in their neighborhood.
Our students were so excited to engage with you and the field trip activities. I personally learned a ton! It was so fun to watch our kids have light bulb moments virtually.
– Teacher, Jungman Elementary – STEM summer camp enrichment day
Excited to learn more and register? Click here.
Leave a Reply