Experiential learning experiences are an excellent option for children of all ages when planning a day out with your family. Here at the Florida Children’s Museum in Lakeland, we offer a dynamic learning environment where children can enjoy hands-on experiences that are both fun and educational. Today, we will explore how museum field trips combine education and enjoyment while supporting student development.
What is Experiential Learning?
Experiential learning is the process of learning through experience or by doing. It involves engaging in hands-on activities to help build a deeper understanding. Compared to traditional classroom instruction and learning from textbooks, it helps reinforce academic concepts by giving students real-life experiences with various ideas. Some children and teenagers struggle to learn from books or classroom lessons. By offering them new ways to engage with concepts they may not be so interested in, you’ll find that they are much more inclined to ask questions and engage with their education outside of the classroom.
Cognitive Benefits of Museum Field Trips
Museum field trips offer students a wide range of cognitive benefits. Enhanced retention and understanding of concepts are typically much better than sitting in a classroom. Students remember more when they interact and get hands-on experience with materials. Interactive exhibits like the Design Park at our museum help to encourage creativity and engineering-based thinking. This level of critical thinking and problem-solving is hard to recreate in classroom settings by just reading about a concept in a book.
While some people can learn well in a classroom setting, many need to see how STEM education applies to their everyday lives. Real-world application of knowledge via exhibits such as City Play allows students to assume roles and responsibilities in a simulated environment. They’ll find they are having fun while learning, so museum field trips are a great addition to school curriculums.
Social and Emotional Advantages
As well as seeing cognitive benefits from museum field trips, you’ll find social and emotional advantages of this fun, educational experience. Teamwork and collaboration are encouraged through group activities and challenges. They can help to build communication skills and encourage kids to work together to solve problems. Students also gain confidence by exploring independently in a new environment. This trust enables them to work independently in the future and find resolutions to issues without relying on someone else or a teacher immediately.
Sensory-friendly experiences promote understanding and inclusion of all learners. In a classroom setting, it can be hard to feel empathy for others. When you see how different learners work to overcome challenges, you see other people differently. Museums show students that learning and increasing knowledge can be achieved in many ways. You don’t just have to spend hours in front of books or a computer to be a good student.
The Florida Children’s Museum: A Case Study in Effective Learning
The Florida Children’s Museum is an excellent example of a museum field trip that can support effective learning for families in Lakeland, Florida. The museum’s exhibits align well with Florida B.E.S.T. standards and the classroom curriculum. And a visit here with your school or as a family can support the hours spent in the classroom and help students fully understand concepts they’ve been introduced to at school. We offer a range of special programming for schools, including guided field trips and hands-on workshops.
No matter what topic of STEM education you are looking to focus on, we can work with you to suggest the best exhibits for learning and engagement. Popular exhibits designed for learning and engagement include the Design Park, City Play, and TBD Gallery. These all work to encourage outcomes such as collaboration, creativity, imagination, advanced multi-step planning, and language building. Kids will love getting involved in all these experiences and won’t even realize how much they are learning as they are having so much fun.
One of our recent guests shared this review about her time at the Florida Children’s Museum:
“It’s a Beautiful place for the little ones and any age. They have so many things for the little ones to learn. Be prepared to walk and have fun.”—Lizbeth Steagall.
Tips for Teachers and School Planning a Field Trip
Are you a teacher or a school leader looking to plan a field trip for your students? There are a few things to remember when organizing a day out to the Florida Children’s Museum. Before the visit, we recommend preparing students for the day with pre-visit classroom activities. This prep can help to introduce them to the concepts they will learn about when they visit us. Take the time to review our website and choose exhibits that you’ll focus on based on learning goals and the age of your students. We offer something for every topic, and our team can help recommend the best places to spend your time.
After the visit, spend time in the classroom sharing post-visit reflections. You can also organize projects for your students based on their time at the museum and the concepts they are exposed to. It’s a great way to add variety to your learning curriculum and keep students excited about their STEM education.
Combining fun with education is a great way to enhance students’ learning experiences. We encourage educators to consider the Florida Children’s Museum as a field trip destination in Central Florida. A day out here will help to support student growth in meaningful ways. Book a field trip or learn more about organizing a visit to our museum. Our team will be here to answer any questions you have about our exhibits and the best way to maximize your time during your visit to our museum with your students.