Fourth Grade and The History of Disney at the Franklin Institute

On Wednesday, April 19, the fourth-grade class visited the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.

They were excited to see the world premier of the Disney 100 exhibit, which took students through ten themed galleries that focused on the history of Disney.

Students got a chance to learn all about the famous characters, films, the process of animation, and attractions. From there students got to connect the science of the human body and laws of motion by visiting the Sports Zone. They got to race against pro athletes, perfect their pitch, and even catch a wave!

At Sir Isaac’s Loft, discovered falling objects, chain reactions, and optical illusions that bring Newton's laws to life. Here they tried their hand at pulling their body weight using a pulley system and worked with pendulums. The Tech Studio allowed students to see the world’s first 3D printed motorcycles and build a K'Nex aircraft that can safely land on the runway.

They also “traveled” into the Space exhibit by being at the helm of “mission control.” After lunch, students were eager to discover the iconic Giant Heart, as they walked through the different parts and even crawled through the arteries!

At the Electricity exhibit, students got a chance to witness lightning up close and use their bodies to complete a circuit. In addition, they got to read all about Benjamin Franklin’s contributions to this field and even see Benjamin Franklin’s lightning rod. They were also excited to deliver the weather forecast at the Changing Earth exhibit. At the Brain exhibit they discovered not only how it works, but also experience firing a model neuron to see how brain cells use chemical and electrical signals to communicate at incredible speeds.

They ended their day by visiting the planetarium for their showing of To Space and Back. It was a wonderful experience which integrated multiple aspects of our fourth grade curriculum: science - electricity, the human body, space, and weather, art - animation and even social studies - Benjamin Franklin.