We began the day with some games and bagel sandwiches at the hotel.
After breakfast, we made our way to the American Museum of Natural History!
At the Museum, we visited the Invisible World exhibit, an immersive experience based on authentic scientific data visualized in a new way.
Students walked through layers of a lush rainforest in Brazil, saw New York City’s human connections from above and the connections made in the human brain, and followed the vertical migration of jellyfish and microscopic plankton, meeting a humpback whale along the way.
Students enjoyed the interactive elements and talked together about the different types of connections.
We even found an otter! It’s kind of become a tradition on this trip.
Next, we visited the Black in Natural History Museums exhibit which explores the stories of 17 modern and historical Black scientists, artists, and curators in natural history. Students answered questions about pioneers from the pre-19th and 20th centuries.
We stopped by the Hall of Gems and Minerals and did research with Lisa. Students learned about the two characteristics of the ideal gem, found our birthstones, and combined atoms to make minerals on the periodic table!
We also saw many other halls and exhibits including the Apex Stegosaurus Fossil, Cosmic Splendor, and Shaping the Future Through Tradition.
We capped off our trip by enjoying Two Boots pizza in Central park. The two “boots” refer to the geographical shapes of Italy and Louisiana. Students rated the pizza a precise of score of 8.3/10!
We spent the bus ride recapping our favorite parts of the trip and sharing what we learned…
Student highlights included…
- The Invisible Words Exhibit, specifically the big whale and marine life exhibition, the interactive moments, and the ending 360 movie about how our world is all connected.
- The Gems & Minerals Hall, especially the “find your birthstone” project with Lisa.
- Seeing The Outsiders and getting to walk through Time Square beforehand.
- Witnessing and appreciating how hard the singing waiters were working at Gayle’s Broadway Rose.
- The pizza (x3).
- The Met because in class we couldn’t see all the details of the paintings, but in person we could see everything we talked about come to life!
When asked about their highlights, the teachers said they loved each moment.