Challenger Learning Center Sends Your Kids to Mars
challenger learning center, education, mars, space,
Students who visit the Challenger Learning Center can take a trip to Mars or make contact with a comet.
The center, located at Prairie Aviation Museum in Bloomington, focuses on helping students become more interested in science, math and technology through its interactive space programs.
The Voyage to Mars adventure takes students to the year 2076, when it is commonplace to visit the Red Planet. The students have been living on Mars for two years and now must direct their replacement team to arrive safely on Mars in order to continue the mission.
Rendezvous With a Comet involves a team of student scientists and engineers who serve as astronauts and mission controllers on a daring exploration of comets. Their goal is to plot a course to meet up with a comet and then launch a probe to collect scientific data.
All programs are set up for students in kindergarten through eighth grade, with K-4 kids also participating in a Micronauts Mission and Discovery Lab. Meanwhile, students in grades 5-8 can also become flight controllers and astronauts on a number of other simulated space missions. Staff educators and space scientists develop all of the center’s programs to ensure accuracy in content.
But the Challenger Learning Center isn’t just for kids. The facility also offers teacher-training workshops to give instructors a deeper understanding of how to teach the subjects of science and mathematics. What’s more, local businesses can sign up their employees for team-building activities that aim to strengthen problem-solving, communication and critical-thinking skills.
In fact, that’s the main goal of the center: to help create a community of scientifically minded people who prosper in an information- and technology-driven world.
Learn more about the Bloomington museum at www.challengercentralillinois.org.
Story by Kevin Litwin
