Educational Travel Blog | From Sea to Shining Sea

The Great American Hall of Wonders - Smithsonian Exhibition

Nineteenth-century America is marked by phenomenal changes and innovations. This is precisely what The Great American Hall of Wonders exhibiton caputures. Mechanical inventions, scientific discoveries and works of art marked the excitement of this period popularly known as the Great Experiment (the great experiment being how democracy would play out in the young United States).

The exhibition currently underway at the Smithsonian American Art Museum includes 161 exhibits which includes sculptures, prints, survey photographs, patent models and engineering diagrams. The exhibiton also has works of art from the likes of Winslow Homer, Thomas Eakins and George Catlin.

Charles Willson Peale, The Artist in His Museum, 1822, oil on canvas, Courtesy of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Hear why Peale welcomes visitors to the new Great American Hall of Wonders.

The exhibition is centered around six subjects critical to America during that period: The buffalo, the giant sequoia and Niagara Falls represent American beliefs about abundant natural resources.The clock, the gun and railroad link improvements represent technology with the purposeful use of time. 

This exhibition is being managed by an independent curator, Claire Perry, who is a connoiseur in 19th- century American art. This rare experience kick started on July 15 and will run through January 8, 2012. You can view the exhibits here and even listen the audio podcast. 

Common Questions for First-time Group Leaders

 
Leading your first class trip is an exciting experience. But, like every new experience, it will come with some questions. Tour consultants Luke and Katy took the time to answer several common questions that many new group leaders have:

What kind of support will I have?
Smithsonian Student Travel provides excellent support for our group leaders. Your tour consultant will help you select a tour and enroll students. A pre-departure specialist will also team up with you and your tour consultant to help with the travel details. We also have an Educational Travel Advisor program that puts you in contact with an experienced group leader to ask questions and get advice.  Our Educational Travel Advisors each have their own expertise, ranging from fundraising advice to seeking school board approval to setting chaperone expectations.

While on tour, you’ll have a tour director with your group 24 hours a day. Our tour directors will handle all the logistics; serve as a guide to your destinations; and are professionally trained to engage students through inquiry-based learning.

If an emergency should occur, you’ll also be supported by our 24-hour emergency line and local offices.

 

When should I start planning my tour?
As soon as possible! When it comes to preparing for a class trip, it’s never too early to start planning. It’s not because the process is long or difficult, but planning early gives you and your students an advantage. You’ll have more time to advertise the tour and grow your group. For students, planning early can make the trip more affordable, since they will have more time to fundraise and save money. Also, with EF’s monthly payment plan, the sooner students enroll, the smaller their monthly payments will be.  Many of our experienced group leaders start planning next year’s trip even before they travel this year. 

 

Are your tours safe?
Smithsonian Student Travel goes the extra mile by employing additional security to watch over each group at their hotels. Plus we do nightly safety checks at the hotel. During the day, tour directors and chaperones help keep students safe. (Remember, Smithsonian Student Travel offers a low free-place ratio, so there is one free chaperone spot for every 10 travelers.) Students also will have ID badges to keep them identifiable, and the badges have important emergency contact information listed on the back. Also, members of our operations team visit venues annually and all on-tour staff go through background checks.

 

I have a small group; can we still travel?
Definitely! At Smithsonian Student Travel we can combine groups taking the same tour at the time, which is what we call a consolidated tour. On a consolidated tour you will share the tour bus and tour director.  We offer this to make travel affordable since the price will not fluctuate depending on your group size. The only thing we ask for is some flexibility with your dates to find a time that works for each group in the consolidated group.We often hear how much travelers on consolidated tours enjoy meeting each other and making new friends from other parts of the country. 

 

Are there any scholarships available for my travelers?
Yes! The Smithsonian Student Travel Liberty Scholarship awards $25,000 annually in scholarships to deserving travelers.  All students need to do is answer the question, “Why is traveling on this tour important to you?” Find out more about the Liberty Scholarship.

Smithsonian Student Travel also has a helpful fundraising guide for group leaders. This guide is a great way to help you set fundraising goals, come up with new ideas, keep track of your efforts and find grant opportunities.  Ask your tour consultant to send you a copy!

 

Do I have to handle the groups’ payments? How do payments work?
No, you don’t have to handle any of the students’ payments. Smithsonian Student Travel has a dedicated customer service team to handle all the financial work associated with your tour. Most students take advantage of EF’s free, easy monthly payment plan.

 

I’ve tried putting together a trip like this before, but haven’t enough interest.  I’m worried not enough students will want to go.
We’ve got help for that! From getting the word out to getting parents involved and having students enroll, our tour consultants have tips, ideas and resources to help every group leader. Here are a few tried and true ideas:

Is there a student that everyone wants to be around and gets along well with his/her peers? Recruit that student to travel on the tour and ask them to act as a Student Ambassador!  Is there a teacher that all the students love and look up to?  Ask that teacher to travel as a chaperone on the tour to help generate more interest.  For more ideas, check out our post on recruitment ideas.

 

How am I going to get the school board or administration to approve the trip?
Smithsonian Student Travel offers a great School Board and Administration Booklet. This booklet outlines our liability policy, commitment to safety, accreditation and relationship with the Smithsonian Institution. We can help you create a packet to present to the school board with the School Board and Administration Booklet, pricing information, a day-by-day itinerary and a plan of action for fundraising events. A Smithsonian Student Travel representative or Educational Travel Advisor can also come to meet with your school administrators. Ask your tour consultant for both this packet and about coming to your meeting!

 

I want the trip to be as educational as possible; how can I incorporate the tour into what the students are learning in school?
You’ll have access to our Educator Resource Center with materials to incorporate the tour into the classroom! You’ll also receive on-tour educational materials, which are interactive, educational and fun. Our tour directors are specially trained to engage students through inquiry-based learning, and you can also bring elements of your own classroom to the on-tour experience. Plus, each student will get a travel journal where they can document their travels and write stories about their experiences.

 

What should the students pack on tour?
As our colleague, a pre-departure specialist, always says to group leaders, “Make sure the students know it is not a fashion show!” Students should pack lightly and know they are responsible for carrying their luggage in the airports and into the hotels.  The most important item is comfortable walking shoes.  It is also important to be prepared for any type of weather with sunscreen, rain gear and warm clothes.  Bring a camera to document all the fun, but don’t bring any unnecessary valuables that might get lost or stolen.

 

What is a day on tour like?
In one word: busy! You will wake up around 7 or 8 a.m. and eat breakfast at the hotel. Then you’ll hop on the bus or the subway and your tour director will give you an outline of the day. The nature of our tours is to fit in as much as possible and give students a taste of everything the destination has to offer. There is typically some free time each day to shop or explore in small groups, and after dinner you will have an evening activity, such as a Broadway show, a ghost tour or a tour of the monuments lit up! Usually you will get back to the hotel around 10 p.m., tired but ready to rest for another fun day tomorrow! 

The Google Global Science Fair

Google is a brand that has always fostered innovation and research. And through Google Global Science Fair, the company has engaged thousands of bright youngsters from across the globe. Started with a mission to develop a passion for problem solving skills, this year's online fair saw 10,000 young prodigies from 91 countries. 

   

Applicants of the Google Science Fair were asked to come up with their own hypotheses, create an experiment to test it and present the results and conclusion in either a two-minute video or a 20-slide presentation. The entries were judged on eight core criteria: the student's presentation, question, hypothesis, research, experiment, data, observations and conclusion.

Winners (from left to right): Lauren Hodge, Shree Bose, Naomi Shah (Picture:Google Science Fair Blog)

Fifteen finalists were flown to California for final judging. Judges included top scientists, Nobel Laureates and inventors, as well as scientists who work for science publications such as Scientific American and National Geographic.

This year, young women took home the top prizes in each age division. The Grand Prize winner (and champion in the 17-to-18 age group) was Shree Bose, who found "a way to improve ovarian cancer treatment for patients when they have built up a resistance to certain chemotherapy drugs," the Google Science Fair blog post said. She won a $50,000 scholarship, a trip to the Galapagos Islands and an internship opportunity at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN. 

 To learn more about the initiative visit Google Global Science Fair blog. 

Museum of the Moving Image will exhibit "Jim Henson's Fantanstic World"

For decades Jim Henson’s Muppets have made us laugh, taught children their ABC’s on Sesame Street and inspired wonder and fun in Americans, big and small.

The incredible characters and colorful worlds Henson created are the subject of a traveling Smithsonian exhibit that will open July 16 in New York City. Astoria’s Museum of the Moving Image will host “Jim Henson’s Fantastic World” from July 16 to January 16, 2012.

The exhibit has traveled from coast to coast over nearly five years, but coming to New York is a kind of homecoming, reported the New York Daily News. Henson’s production studio and business offices are close by, as well as the Sesame Street Workshop, where the beloved children’s show is produced.

Take a look at an exhibit preview (from when the exhibit was showing in Orlando) featuring the exhibit’s curator and Jim Henson’s wife, Jane.

Visitors will be able to explore the exhibits more than 120 artifacts, which include doodles and sketches, archive footage of early Muppet appearances, 14 original puppets, plus the live-action short “Time Piece,” which was nominated for an Oscar in 1965. The exhibition at the Museum of the Moving Image will also include several special screenings, talks, workshop and events, as well as a special celebration on September 24, the 75^th anniversary of Henson’s birthday.

But the exhibit is more than just a look at Muppet artifacts. Visitors will gain insight into Henson, his innovations and inspirations. If you’re curious to learn more about Henson now, the Jim Henson Company has made parts of his Red Book available online. Henson began keeping the diary, which later came to be called the Red Book, early in his career to record events in simple single lines.

And if after visiting the exhibit you find yourself wishing a new Muppet story was on the horizon, you’ll be happy to know there will be a new Muppets movie! (You’ll have to be patient though; it’s scheduled to be released in November 2011.)

In the News: Group writes daily coverage of tour for local paper

Check out the press coverage of a group of travelers from Safford Middle School in Arizona! The students will be giving a day-by-day report of their Smithsonian Student Travel tour! Below is a repost of the original article appearing on The Eastern Arizona Courier website.

Day 1 - first day in Boston

By Coree Junion
Seventh grade
Safford Middle School
Published on Wednesday, July 13, 2011 9:42 AM MST

The following is the first of five installments about the adventures of the Safford Educational Travelers. This is the sixth year Linda Hedges has taken a group of local students on an educational experience with EF Smithsonian Student Travel. The articles are written by student travelers.

About seven months before the Safford Educational Travelers left on our six-day trip to Boston, we researched every historical place we were going to see. We set it up in assignments and turned them in at monthly meeting. During these meetings, we talked about the trip and organized fund-raisers. Finally, the day came, and we left for this great adventure in Boston; we were ready.

Our first destination was the Swan Boats in the Public Gardens. The Swan Boats have been operated by the same family since 1877. Each boat is run by a person who pedals in the back of the boat. Each boat carries only 20 people, so it took three boats to get all 49 of us on. Nature surrounded us everywhere we looked.

The Safford Educational Travelers ride the Swan Boats in the Public Gardens in Boston. The Swan Boats have been operated by the same family since 1877. Each boat is run by a person who pedals in the back of the boat and only carries 20 people, so it took three boats to get all 49 travelers on. Contributed photo

After the incredible Swan Boats, we hiked around the Public Gardens. The park was dedicated July 3, 1869, and was the first botanical garden open to the public in the United States. These were statues of all the ducklings from the famous book, “Make Way for Ducklings” by Robert McCloskey. The ducklings wore Boston Bruins hockey jerseys, and on the back were their names: Mack, Kack, Lack, Jack, Nack, Quack and Pack. I thought it was really amazing to see all the Bruins jerseys on the duckling statues. A little bit further down, a statue of George Washington on his trusty horse also had on a Bruins jersey. The Boston Bruins were playing in the Stanley Cup finals, so statues throughout the city wore Bruins jerseys.

After lunch it was time for the Duck Tours. With the size of our group, we needed two World War II-style amphibious landing vehicles or boats that can drive on land and water. During the tours we drove around Boston to historical sites and learned things such as the Battle of Bunker Hill was the bloodiest battle; 21 people died in the Great Molasses Flood; every Fourth of July the Declaration of Independence is read from the same balcony it was read from in 1776; Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in a Brooks Brothers suit, and there are two nine-foot tides per day.

The education continued in the water as we took the same vehicle into the Charles River. During that time, we went under a bridge, and the students even had a chance to drive. I think everyone enjoyed the Duck Tours. I learned a lot and also had fun!

Next came part of the Freedom Trail. We walked through two burial grounds, the Old Granary Burial Ground and King's Chapel Burying Ground. The Old Granary Burial Ground was founded in 1660 and is Boston's third oldest cemetery. Notable people buried there include Crispus Attucks and others killed in the Boston Massacre, John Hancock, Paul Revere and members of Benjamin Franklin’s family. Both burial grounds had old headstones and were fun to explore.

We also passed Boston Latin School, which is the oldest public school in America. Boston Latin School is still open today. Our tour guide, Mike, went to school at Boston Latin.

Later, we got into the bus and drove to our hotel. There was little bit of time remaining before we had to go to bed, so we had the chance to go swimming. I had lots of fun playing games, being with my friends and meeting new people!

Lights out came soon, and no one had a hard time sleeping. Everyone had enjoyed an exciting first day!

The Final Countdown - Space Shuttle Atlantis Launch

The final countdown has begun for Atlantis’ ultimate mission. Atlantis is scheduled to blast off tomorrow, Friday, July 8, at 11:26 EST, in the last flight of the entire NASA Space Shuttle program.

Atlantis’ flight will be the 135^th mission for the fleet of five space shuttles. Discovery and Endeavour made their final flights earlier this year. Columbia and Challenger were also part of the space shuttle program.

Photo credit: Matt Stroshane, Getty Images
Atlantis, sitting on top of the crawler transporter, moves to launch pad 39-A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral in October 2009.

 

See Atlantis over the years.

For this final mission, Atlantis will be taking supplies to the International Space Station, enough to keep the station going for a year. Also aboard are germs for scientific research. Scientists are hoping to better understand why bacteria thrive in space. To assist crew members track their scientific data, the shuttle will carry an iPhone with apps specifically created for this mission.

The final space shuttle crewmembers are Commander Chris Ferguson, pilot Doug Hurley and mission specialists Sandra Magnus and Rex Walheim.

Though this final mission was authorized by Congress nearly one year ago, the shuttle didn’t make it to the launch pad until a few days ago. Four days, 15 cameras and 120,000 images create this video that captures the preparations to launch Atlantis for the last time:

from msnbc

This final Atlantis mission also marks the last time you’ll be able to view skyward and spot a shuttle. National Geographic provides tips to see the shuttle as it makes its flight.

One million spectators will be present to view this event live. Tickets for the closest viewing spots at the Kennedy Center Visitors Complex and along the NASA Causeway were distributed through a lottery system for $20 to $65 each — but demand has been so high that ticket packages have sold for up to $5,000 on websites such as eBay, reported Florida Today.

After retirement, Atlantis will be prepared for permanent display at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

 

Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular Sparkles

Clear skies, warm temperatures and thousands of celebrators made for another great Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular here in Boston last night. Even despite a last-minute lineup change (Martina McBride substituted for Lionel Richie), the event wowed hundreds of thousands of viewers at Boston's Esplande along the Charles River.  Million of viewers also watched the televised event at home.

This year marked the 38th anniversary of the Pops Fireworks Spectacular and the 17th for Pops conductor, Keith Lockhart.

Most Americans have probably seen the Boston fireworks on televison or in person at least once over these nearly four decades, but the Boston Globe provided a fun look into what the event looks like in the hours before the sun goes down and fireworks light up the sky, set to the "1812 Overture" no less!

4th of July Fireworks

Americans have a lot of traditions for Fourth of July celebrations: parades, cookouts, picnics, community gatherings, readings of the Declaration of Independence, plenty of red, white and blue, and of course—fireworks!

History of Fireworks

Fireworks came from religious traditions in China and were used to both ward off evil and as a prayer for wealth and happiness. Early documentation dates to the 7^th century. Fireworks were refined over the centuries in both their production and in the displays, though they were only a treat for the royalty and extremely wealthy. Though during the Ming Dynasty (1363-1644) fireworks began to become more ubiquitous and even common people used them for celebrations.

It is thought that Marco Polo or other early traders brought fireworks and gunpowder from Asian to Europe.

Fireworks as a 4^th of July tradition

By the time of the American Revolution, fireworks were popular entertainment at celebrations throughout Europe, including England. So while we don’t have any evidence that there were fireworks for that first 4^th of July, 1776, we do know the idea of fireworks for subsequent Independence Day celebrations was on the mind of at least one founding father. Here’s what John Adams wrote to his wife, Abigail:

“I believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be celebrated by pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations [i.e. fireworks] from one end of this continent to the other.”

Best Fireworks Displays

Many communities in America take pride in their local fireworks displays. (I know everyone in my hometown looks forward to Big, Bang, Boom! with the fireworks synchronized to music at the local lake.) Here is Boston, and through telecasts around the nation, thousands of Americans watch the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular.

Coastal Living recently vetted Independence Day celebrations. Check out their best firework displays and best places to celebrate the 4^th of July!

Fourth of July Food

And keeping with the fireworks theme, we have vetted Independence Day recipes to come up with our favorite firework-inspired 4^th of July recipes.

Firecracker Bundt Cake

Firecracker Cupcakes

Fireworks Cupcakes

Firecracker-Red Cupcakes with Coconut Filling

(Yes, three different fireworks-inspired cupcakes!)

Firecracker Dessert Cups

Strawberries sweeten firecracker dessert

Firecracker Bites

And here’s a few that feature veggies!

Firecracker Coleslaw

Firecracker Pickles

Firecracker Chicken Salad with Pineapple and Mango