Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, Kansas

When it comes to education and zoos, parents and teacher can focus on three areas: the hands on experiences that the zoo provides, the resources that the zoo offers, and the programs that the zoo offers.

The Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve and the Center for Flint Hills Ranching Heritage called Pioneer Bluffs are about 30 minutes from each other in the Flint Hills region of Kansas. Both the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve and Pioneer Bluffs were working ranches at one time and offer educational opportunities for kids and adults. I visited the preserve this past fall and I visited Pioneers Bluffs last spring.

The Museum of World Treasures was a fun find in Wichita, KS. If you are looking for a little bit of culture when visiting Wichita or you are looking for a museum in Wichita with hands on activities for the kids, then this will be a good fit. For kiddos, the dinosaur fossil, which is the first thing that visitors see, is pretty impressive.

At the beginning of “The Little House on the Prairie” series, Laura talks about all the people they are leaving behind and then she says, “Though it made me sad, I still thought it a fine thing to go where there had never been a road”. Later, she says, ” I knew there’d be rivers to cross and hills to climb, and I was glad. For this is a fine land and I rejoiced that I would see it”. These lines resonate with me so deeply. The fear, the joy, and the anticipation that comes with setting out to try something new. I think that is one of the reasons that Laura Ingalls Wilder is so beloved. She captured the innocence of childhood, but also confronts the challenges that comes with new adventures.

Gateway Arch National Park in St. Louis, Missouri

On the way to Kentucky, I stopped in St. Louis and I checked out the Gateway Arch National Park. The Gateway Arch National Park includes the old courthouse, the old cathedral, the arch, and a visitor center museum.

Ark Encounter in Williamstown, Kentucky

The Ark Encounter has a theme park feel- think Epcot. There is definitely an education focus, but the creators of the Ark Encounter have also tried to create a fun/kid friendly environment. The most striking aspect of the Ark Encounter is the size of the ark. It’s huge! The Ark Encounter has enough activities for adults and kids to do that it will most likely take a full day to do everything.

Cosmosphere in Hutchinson, Kansas

The Cosmosphere is a place to learn about all things space through all different types of experiences. The first time I visited the Cosmosphere I just went down to see the exhibits and did not do any of the “extras”. The second time I went I did all the “extras” and I was there at the same time as a school group who was there on a field trip, so I got to see how students responded to different parts of the museum. To do everything that the cosmosphere has to offer, it would definitely take a full day.

Lindsborg, Kansas was settled by Swedish immigrants. The downtown area has dala horses decorated in themes that represent the business they are in front of. The dala horse is a toy horse that was commonly made in Sweden. The dala horse gained popularity when it represented Sweden at the 1939 World’s Fair in New York. Dala Horses

The badlands in Kansas are fascinating, because they are so different then the rest of the landscape around Kansas. The badlands in Kansas were once at the bottom of a shallow sea called the Western Interior Seaway. Rains and flowing rivers carved deep canyons in the deposits that were once the sea floor. Clam and oyster shells can even be found on the ground. (The Nature Conservancy). About 20 minutes from the badlands, Monument Rock has many of the same characteristics of the Little Jerusalem Badlands and Monument Rock has a great picture taking opportunity where people can stand in a rock archway.