Editorial, The Kansas City Star
Tuesday, September 3, 1996
Budding young scientists are heading back to area school systems this fall, eager to learn about the mysteries of nature and the physical world. And part of the learning experience for many of them will be a trip to EarthWorks, a science center located underground in the caves of Hunt Midwest Enterprises north of the river.
EarthWorks, a program of the Learning Exchange, is one of the most exciting new ways to enhance education that has come along in years. It tweaks young people's interest in science by giving them a heavy dose of involvement in discovery and observation as they take on the role of scientists.
A trip to EarthWorks is not like any old field trip. In fact, it should not be treated as a field trip at all. it is designed to be part of a continuum of studies for third and fourth graders in school systems throughout Kansas City whose teachers for six weeks prepare them for the EarthWorks visit.
At EarthWorks, students carry on the learning by conducting structured exercises. They take on scientific roles, such as hydrologist or botanist or soil scientist. They work as teams and solve problems together. They learn more about the responsibilities of humans to their environments. They create habitats. They learn about the ways that different creatures and plant life depend on each other.
When students visit the underground site, they are introduced to replicas of a forest and of a prairie, complete with a simulated prairie fire. They can enter a cave where water drips off the roof, forming stalagmites. They can walk through one area with hundreds of butterflies. They can view an ant colony. They can observe animals, learning how they live and what they eat. The realistic exhibits, based on Missouri native species, were designed by Terry Chase Studios of Cedarcreek, Mo.
Students are not the only ones who learn from the EarthWorks format. Teachers do so as well, enabling them to teach science in ways that go beyond the classroom. Parents who accompany their children's classes to the facility can also benefit.
EarthWorks has a conservation ethic in its program, and thus it is fitting that one of the Learning Exchange's partners in this endeavor is the Missouri Department of Conservation. The Conservation Commission last year awarded the Learning Exchange a $500,000 grant to further its programs, which teach students the principles of conservation and ecology.
Others who support EarthWorks are the Hall Family Foundation, the Sosland Foundation and the H&R Block Foundation, as well as Hunt Midwest.
Several hundred children have already gone through EarthWorks in the short time it has been open; many more should participate this year. There is much interest in this program, showing what can happen when inspiration and determination to explore new ways of teaching and learning are backed by community-oriented funding.
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