30 Jul 2024 Educational field trips to the Museum of Discovery bring together the fun and fantastic
By Donna Lampkin Stephens
As the new school year begins, Arkansas educators should remember the Museum of Discovery as a wealth of resources.
Field trip opportunities for students to visit the museum, located in Little Rock at 500 President Clinton Ave., as well as traveling workshops that Museum of Discovery (MoD) staff can bring to schools all over the state, can excite, intrigue and captivate students.
According to Thomas Lipham, director of programs, the museum offers a variety of experiences, from hands-on labs to entertaining science shows.
“We host a wide range of hands-on based programs and labs that get the guests involved in the experience,” Lipham said. “We also host larger-scale science shows that spark curiosity about a variety of science phenomena.”
The museum’s experiences are aimed at pre-K through middle school students, but programming can also target other ages. Lipham said high school students would enjoy the higher-tiered programs, such as the pig’s heart dissection. Science After Dark targets adult audiences.
According to museumofdiscovery.org, programming has included such topics as Science Lab, Dynamic Earth and Room to Grow galleries; STEAM labs, including Glow Lab, Bubbleology, Dry Ice Cryo, Super Heroes, Sound of Science, Slime Lab, Chemicool Reactions Lab, Cow’s Eye Dissection and Pig’s Heart Dissection; and Life Science labs, including A-Maze-ing Animal Enrichment, Intro to Animal Care, Create a Critter and Bugs, Bugs, Bugs.
The museum’s outreach component can engage nearly any age of audience. “Many of our programs can be packed up and sent on the road,” Lipham said. “Awesome Science is our top science show for outreach, as it travels well and works great for a wide age range.”
The museum has nearly recovered from major flooding after a water pipe burst during freezing temperatures in 2021. It was closed for several months afterward, and staff had to rebuild exhibits following the damage. The final gallery will open in November with an early childhood focus.
But the flooding challenge also turned out to be an opportunity, Lipham said.
“Our outreach capacity increased as we recovered from the flood damage,” he said. “With the galleries being under construction, field trips and public visitation were not happening. Consequently, we were able to augment our efforts outside of our four walls.”
The museum has a number of contracts with schools in the Little Rock School District and the North Little Rock area, but students from all over engage.
“We even frequent Monticello once per month during the school year,” Lipham said. “We engage in a blend of private and public schools, as well as community centers. After-school programming has blossomed for us in the past few years, which has been a fantastic fit.”
The museum’s offerings have drawn rave reviews from a variety of educators. “My students think the Museum of Discovery is an amazing place to visit,” said Stephanie Owens, third-grade teacher at 34th Avenue Elementary School in Pine Bluff. “They think they are simply playing, when in fact, each area is designed for them to experience the wonderful world of science. I love the STEM shows and how the instructors involve the students and teachers in each experiment.
“As a teacher, I will always make sure my students get to take a field trip to the Museum of Discovery.”
Tina Carter, office coordinator of Youth Home in Little Rock, which serves children from different backgrounds in a behavioral health setting, is another long-time fan.
“Whenever the Museum of Discovery comes here and does programming, it sparks interest, and the kids love it,” she said. “Educator Steven (Lemp) has a way of capturing their attention and makes learning fun.”
Kristin Koenigsfest, executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arkansas, said the programming allows Bigs (mentors) and Littles (mentees) to explore the museum together.
“This offers a unique and enriching platform where mentors and mentees can share interactive experiences, fostering both learning and bonding,” she said. “The museum’s diverse exhibits provide an ideal environment for fun and discovery, enabling Bigs and Littles to engage with art, history, science and culture in meaningful ways.”
Ultimately, how does museum staff measure success?
“Success is seeing the smiling faces in the audience, observing the exclamations of excitement about experiencing something spectacular during a lab, or hearing the chatter of intrigue as a guest’s curiosity is ignited,” Lipham said. “Seeing someone get excited to learn is at the core of what we do at the Museum of Discovery, and thankfully we have an excellent team to help make that happen.”
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