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Clarendon Hills third-graders enjoy museum experience
Prospect School third-graders Lydia Breslow and Kyle Wong have fun with a ship's steering wheel Jan. 11 during a field trip to the Museum of Science and Industry. | Photo courtesy of Kathy Harenza
Updated: February 19, 2013 11:59AM
CLARENDON HILLS — Even the teacher was excited about the field trip taken Friday by third-graders at Prospect School.
For nearly all of the students, the trip to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, was a new experience. Third-grade teacher Mandy Wichman has been there before, but not in recent years.
“It’s been at least five years,” she said. “It’s a great place, and this trip really worked out well for us because it includes literature and natural resources.”
The museum’s coal mine, which has been a permanent exhibit since 1933, offered Prospect students an up-close look at a natural resource, something they have been studying about in the classroom.
Students also had the opportunity at the museum for a different kind of look at literature, something usually not associated with a visit to the Museum of Science and Industry. That came from “Charlie Brown and the Great Exhibit.”
Students got a close-up look into the world of the Peanuts cartoon strip and its famous characters along with creator Charles Schulz.
Through original cartoons, reproductions, and related Peanuts memorabilia, students were able to see how characters such as Charlie Brown, Snoopy and Lucy were developed and evolved.
The exhibit included a recreation of Schulz’s Santa Rosa, Calif. Studio.
“A field trip like this is great because it really bring things to life,” Wichman said. “You can’t go into a coal mine at school; you can only read about it. And third grade is perfect for this because at that level they are independent, but so also eager to learn.”
Many Prospect third-graders were excited about the experience.
“I never got to see lots of new stuff like this,” said Nina Sarros. “You really get to see it and know it when you go to the museum.”
“It’s exciting to actually get to go and see coal,” said Estera Crisan. “It’s fun to be able to go and see cool stuff.”
Third-grader Michael D’Aprile also was impressed.
“They have so much cool stuff,” he said. “Going on a field trip there is kind of like a break from what we usually do. And it’s fun to see things and learn about them, and get to go somewhere to do it, too.”
