If you’re in the Chicago area, there are plenty of learning opportunities to expand your students’ minds. Math lessons, especially, are plentiful. These interactive math field trips provide you and your students with a combination of fun and learning for all ages.
Choose from these five exciting math field trips and start adding up the value of learning outside of the classroom.
Willis Tower
Treat your students to a measurable amount of fun when opting for a field trip to the Skydeck of Willis Tower in Chicago. The skydeck is 103 stories high and allows brave students to walk on the balcony crafted with a glass bottom. This interactive field trip includes games, scavenger hunts and math lessons for grades 3-8 that include counting the floors all the way to the top. Sky Deck Chicago requires group reservations, but supplies teachers and chaperones with a curriculum guide that assists with lessons in calculations and more.
Chicago Children’s Museum
What better way to hone your students’ math skills than to embark on adventures at the Chicago Children’s Museum. The Pritzker Playspace offers plenty of opportunities for your students to put on work belts, dive into construction projects and measure and calculate distances. Or, head over to the Tinkering lab for more interactive learning. Field trips are available both through the week and on the weekend at the Chicago Children’s Museum, located on Navy Pier, and are especially ideal for grades K-6. In addition, self-guided, two-hour visits are also available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The Chopping Block
If you have a classroom full of students who love to eat and do math, then The Chopping Block is the perfect destination. Not only can students learn about the science behind what goes into cooking and baking, they can also hone their math skills when measuring ingredients and creating gourmet dishes. The cooking lessons are available for both small and large groups and recommended for grades 4-12. Each Iron Chef field trip last two to two and a half hours and allows time for both cooking and eating.
Oberweis Factory
Satisfy your sweet tooth and treat your students to math lessons on a real dairy farm. The Oberweis factory produces some of the most delectable ice cream, but the field trip shows students how ingredients are measured and most importantly, where the milk comes from that is used to make the ice cream. A real behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of the factory is bound to produce learning and satisfying fun for this field trip appropriate for grades 4-8.
Chicago Architecture Center
Step into a learning laboratory when taking students in grades 6-12 on a field trip to the Chicago Architecture Center. Field trips include tours of the center to see remarkable architecture on display and hands-on workshops that allow students to design, calculate measurements and hone their math skills.
We’ve served up some delicious and adventurous options for math field trips in the Chicago area. Now it’s your turn to share your favorites in the comments below. We want to know how you enhance your math curriculum when venturing outside of the classroom.
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