YOU ARE HERE: Central Kentucky Home→Collections→Field Trips

Up, up and away: Kids University gives lessons on space

November 05, 2007|STEPHANIE SCHELL

It was the first time many students of Danville Kids University had seen a hot air balloon up close, let alone ride in one.

It was all part of Shooting for the Stars on Saturday at the Danville-Boyle County Airport, DKU's theme this five-week session that focuses on space.

About 90 kids from Danville's elementary schools are studying at DKU this term. They meet on Saturdays at Bate Middle School. Saturday, though, they left the classroom for a little hands-on learning with David May and his hot air balloon for a tethered ride.

"It was kind of scary," said 8-year-old Ainsleigh Brown. "I was scared because it went up high."

She is not a fan of heights, but 9-year-old Precious Smith is.

"It was fun," she said. "I wanted it to go farther and higher."

The event gave a hands-on approach to learning about space as the pilot explained how the balloon is able to take flight. An airplane also was on site for kids to get an up close look. They were allowed to climb in and get their pictures taken.

Yolanda Weathers, sixth-grade collaborative teacher at Bate Middle School, said it's a visual thing with students at this age. Making real-life associations with what they're taught in the classroom helps make it stick.

"They see it, they learn it," she added.

The space theme is taught using science, arts and humanities, and technology classes. Field trips like Saturday's to the airport and this weekend's to a Louisville museum supplement what students learn in the classroom and tie into the core content of the class, Weathers said.

"I think the teachers enjoy it as much as the kids," she said. "We learn, too."

This is the third year for DKU. It is a 10-week-a-year program split into two five-week sessions that is available to Danville elementary students. The program has been able to operate thanks to some grant funding.

|

|

|