Children of all ages learn through exploration and grow through creativity. In this spirit, we invite young learners-the innovators of tomorrow, to “Explore, and More!” Explore & More has created seven (7) interactive videos – that can be used all together or individually by teachers. Each video includes a tour of one of our Educational Play Zones; a related activity and/or experiment that can easily be replicated by parents at home or teachers in school; and conclude by highlighting a STEM career. To further connect students to the lessons, we have also created an accompanying worksheet that the teachers can download, print out and distribute to the students who can take them home. The worksheet reiterates what the children learned during their virtual field trip along with activity instructions. Explore & More will also provide teachers with a lesson guide for each video. The curriculum that will be utilized in the videos will meet New York State Next Generation Learning Standards for 4th and 5th grades.
To book your field trip, simply email Mrs. Val Drapeau at vdrapeau@exploreandmore,org or call her at 716-655-5131.
Moving Water:
Life in Buffalo is tied to the water: the dynamic ports, canals and harbor have long fueled our city’s prosperity and innovation. Come follow the waterways through time as they carry boats, move people and power Buffalo. Our iconic two-story waterfall cascades down into a water table where children of all ages learn about the Erie Canal, how locks work, and how electricity is produced.
First we’ll take the Water Raft Challenge and create our own miniature rafts out of different materials. Will yours sink or float!? Then, we’ll explore Western New York’s waterways with the New York Power Authority.
Being Good Neighbors:
Learn about the diverse mix of cultures and families that make up Buffalo Niagara’s neighborhoods. This child-sized street has three homes that look similar from the outside, but inside you’ll find that their furnishings, decorations and traditions are very different. The homes invite us to celebrate differences and explore similarities among our neighbors. In partnership with local cultural groups, the museum will introduce new neighbors and new cultures to the neighborhood over time.
In this activity we will learn about how neighborhoods are put together. Then we will be creating our very own lava lamps!
Playing Together:
We want you on our team! Children can run, move, play and see what it feels like to be a part of the sports teams that make Buffalo great. Try on gear from different teams to imagine yourself as different kinds of athletes, or join in the fun by trying out different sports challenges with your friends.
Here we will explore how sports and STEM intersect. Then we will find out if you can score a basket with your catapult!
Learning, Caring, Healing:
Wellness and attentive care is the goal in this child-run medical facility. Put on your lab coat and give your stuffed patients an X-ray or MRI, or put them to bed in an exam room. In the neighboring lab, learn about testing your hypothesis to discover new treatments and investigate samples using a video microscope.
In this field trip we will learn about how hospitals use STEM to make patients feel more relaxed and comfortable in an otherwise uncertain environment. Then we will be exploring how lungs work by creating our own paper bag lungs.
Building Buffalo:
Be inspired by Buffalo’s storied architectural history. Work together to construct your own great structures out of different building materials. Step into a construction zone and design, experiment and build anything imaginable, including a bridge, a house and a city. Imagine yourself as the next great architect, builder or urban planner.
In this segment we will be exploring the career of construction while taking the Three Pigs Challenge. The big bad wolf is at it again; can you create a house that can withstand the big bad wolf?
Person Center Services Community Treehouse:
Our new Person Centered Services Community Treehouse immerses visitors in a breathtaking Western New York woodland scene, taking the concept of an inclusive outdoor playground and transporting it indoors with a whimsical twist. The Treehouse structure is accessible to everyone, including guests in wheeled mobility devices.
In this activity we create our own biodegradable bird feeder. Then we learn about star gazing from the Buffalo Astronomical Association.
Farm to Fork:
Follow your food from farm to table! On our farm you can plant, grow and harvest your crops, as well as care for a milking cow and some chickens. Load your produce onto a small-scale huckster truck and sell it at the farmer’s market. If all that work builds up your appetite, cook your farm-fresh finds in our farmhouse play kitchen.
Here we will learn how plants use osmosis to fuel themselves, then talk to a veterinarian from Milk for Health who talks to us about how they use STEM on the farm everyday!
Special thanks to our friends at AT&T for their support in helping make the AT&T Virtual Field Trip a reality. More information can be found here.
