Second-Graders Step Back in Time at the Museum of Natural History

Kent Place second-graders have been studying the people, animals, and geographies of our world’s continents — as they are today and from many years ago — as part of their science and social studies curricula, and this week they went on an exciting field trip that would bring their lessons to life. Equipped with their backpacks, notebooks, and adventurous spirits, the girls visited the Museum of Natural History, in New York City.

Students and teachers explored exhibits on the animals and people of North America, Africa, and Asia — the second-grade’s three continents of interest right now. From large-scale reconstructed dinosaur skeletons, to a massive blue whale hanging from the ceiling, to mammals that roamed the earth thousands of years ago, to the Easter Island Moai Cast, students were wide-eyed with wonder seeing the originals of the pictures in their textbooks.

“My favorite experience was learning more about the Pacific peoples,” says Caroline Manning '33. “Their homes were really cool to see in person! The tents they lived in were made out of sticks, their tools were made out of bones from animals they hunted, so they didn’t waste any parts, and there were sculptures that were made out of clay.”

Says Elyssa Gordon '33, “Going to the museum for the day with my class was amazing. My favorite part was seeing the whale sculpture hanging from the ceiling, and getting close to a giant squid. The squid was a sculpture, but it looked real! We all leaned in to see if we could reach the squid [there was no glass barrier], which was a little scary, but really fun!”

A special screening of Serengeti was held for the young historians, on a 40-foot-high, 60-foot-wide screen. The students viewed the annual migration in the Serengeti, when more than one million wildebeest cross this ecosystem, encountering many amazing animals along the way.

As the students walked around the museum, they took notice of all of the things they’ve learned about already, while their teachers pointed out all of the exciting things they will be learning about as they continue studying the seven continents.