Yellow buses surround the building. The sounds of laughter and delight overflow the exhibit halls, planetarium and giant screen theater. These days, the Peoria Riverfront Museum plays host to anywhere from 50 to well over 100 Central Illinois students, teachers and parents. It’s field trip season.
“It takes months of work to prepare school visits,” says Crystal Radovanovic, Museum teacher. “But just seeing the wide-eyed expression and hearing the response from the children when we conduct science experiments and show them around exhibits makes every minute worth it.”
School group coordinator, Lottie Philips, says it takes the entire Museum staff to pull off field trip season – with all that needs to be scheduled, coordinated and set up for teaching. “We work hard to ensure that each group receives the best educational experience possible,” she says. “Each student is important.”
The school groups come in from Peoria and 15 counties including, Bureau, Fulton, Hancock, Knox, LaSalle, Marshall, Mason, McDonough, Morgan, McLean, Putnam, Sangamon, Stark, Tazewell and Woodford.
This month, alone, more than 5,000 children will enjoy a hands-on learning experience in one or more of the Museum’s educational program. By the end of May (approximately):
• 3,000+ students will have studied the stars in the Dome Planetarium
• 3,000 students will have watched an educational film in the Giant Screen Theater
• 3,000+ students will have perused the Museum’s galleries
• 1,500 students will have participated in educational workshops
Although it may look chaotic to visitors, the process is well coordinated. Students stream in from buses in neat lines. Teachers and staff haul in lunch boxes and bags that are placed on service carts and whisked down into Lakeview Room cafeteria. Students put coats and backpacks into rolling duffels assigned to each group. Finally the students – led by a Museum staff member – head in respective lines toward the planetarium, theater, exhibits or one of several classrooms upstairs and down.
The excitement is palpable – among students and teachers. Many have never been to the Museum. Many would not be able to come, were it not for the Museum’s field trip program that’s funded by memberships, donations, grants and underwriting.
“Sponsorship helps to make school visits possible,” says Ann Schmitt, Museum programs VP. “Underwriting for exhibits allows us to create our educational programs and bring kids to the Museum.”
The Museum programs staff universally agrees that the joy of teaching and watching the children learn is what makes the season so satisfying – if hectic.
“I love leading and teaching our littlest visitors – their enthusiasm is genuine and they’re not afraid to ask questions about what they see,” says museum teacher Taylor Stef. She admits that the schedule can be exhausting, but says “I’m excited to do it again next year – with new programs and offerings.”
Schmitt agrees and points out the students aren’t the only learners. “Every time we create a new program, activity or experiment, we learn something new, too,” she says. “For all of us it’s like going back to college – that lifelong learning part, it’s the one of best parts.”
The Peoria Riverfront Museum is the collaborative effort of eight organizations, with nearly 500 years of combined experience educating, entertaining, and supporting our diverse Peoria-area culture. Our mission is to inspire lifelong learning for all – connecting art, history, science, and achievement through collections, exhibitions, and programs.
For further information about the Museum also visit peoriariverfrontmuseum.org.