Renaissance Center Offers Home School Field Trip Day

Release Date: 3/5/2001. Expired: 4/9/2001

A field trip day has been designated for home schoolers at The Renaissance Center to be more accommodating to the structure of home school programs. Home School Day begins at 10:30 a.m. Monday, April 9.

Advance reservations are required and can be made by contacting Janine Langley, field trip coordinator, at (615)740-5566 or email at . A schedule has been designed that will allow students to participate in up to three activities for $7 per child. There is a maximum immediate family cost of $35 or $3 per activity.

“We wanted a day specifically for home-schooled students that would allow the children and parents to be with other home schoolers,” stated John Kohlburn, director of Field Trips. “Home-school groups do not have the time constraints that public school groups have, therefore, we could develop a flexible program that works for them.”

Home School Day at The Renaissance Center is divided into three age groups with shows and workshops that are age appropriate. Pre-school to grade 3 can see a fun, musical and interactive planetarium show in the CyberSphere, In My Back Yard. Following a lunch break, The Renaissance Rep Company will delight the young audience with The Jungle Book. Finally, they will explore the fun of science in Faraday’s Chest, when subjects of gravity, sound, density, inertia, air pressure and more will be presented using every day items found around the house.

The middle and high school students will join the Robinson family in the many adventures they experience after their ship wrecks leaving them stranded on a deserted island in The Swiss Family Robinson. Dr. Fantastic’s Sensational Sound Show presented in the CyberSphere will teach the 4th-6th graders in a fun and energetic way how our ears work, how to tell where a sound is coming from and much more in this brand new program exploring the science of sound.

Also in the CyberSphere, The Renaissance Center presents a modern day list of astronomical wonders in Greatest Wonders of the Universe. See beautiful nebulae, enormous star clusters and witness the awesome power of a black hole in this brand new planetarium show in which 90% of the visual graphics and animation were produced by Renaissance Center staff. The students may also choose to divide into specialty workshops in art, music or drama throughout the day.

“If this Home School Day is successful, we will continue to offer it in the future,” continued Kohlburn. “Some of the programs are already booked and we are really excited that this offering could be on-going.”

The Renaissance Center music department is also putting together a new Home School Band program. For more information, contact Elaine Sherrill, director of music education, at (615)740-5545.