Butterfly Pavilion: A Second Home for Homeschoolers
March 29, 2019 · Blog
By Eric Oaks, School Programs Manager
As the School Programs Manager at Butterfly Pavilion, I am often asked: “what do you offer homeschoolers at Butterfly Pavilion?” To that, I reply that we love inviting homeschoolers to our facility for special opportunities to connect with our invertebrates, learn about the importance of conservation and experience hands-on science learning similar to what traditional students access through field trips and onsite classes. Let me show you!
Like the origins of the American education system, which involved small rural family groups gathering in a one-room school house on the open prairie, today’s homeschool groups meet regularly to share experiences and co-teach their own community. Community sites like Butterfly Pavilion provide an important opportunity for these students to learn and grow, complementing their lessons through hands-on experiences that explore science and cultural concepts that can lead to new discovery and areas of inquiry.
Butterfly Pavilion’s exhibits – open 9 am – 5 pm, year-round – are an outstanding educational opportunity for homeschoolers. Through informational signage, touch experiences, and conversations with our talented exhibit educators, young learners uncover new knowledge on invertebrates, conservation, and environmental stewardship, which can extend current homeschool lessons and inspire new ones. Through Butterfly Pavilion membership, you can get unlimited access to exhibits all year long. As an inside tip, visiting exhibits after 1 pm leaves more space to explore, as other school groups are scheduled earlier in the day.
In addition, we have created standalone Homeschool Days throughout the year that offer multiple experiences that are designed around themes that explore habitats and animals from around the world and include special talks from our scientists, multiple classes taught by our educators, and games, activities, and crafts not normally offered during our daily programming. Our next Homeschool Day is planned for May 31st and will be science, technology, education, and math (STEAM) focused, incorporating art and literature into our invertebrate curriculum.
If you can’t make it to the next Homeschool Day, Butterfly Pavilion offers discounts to homeschool groups with ten students or more (a free adult is admitted for every five students) and discounts to homeschool groups with a combined total of at least ten paying individuals. Butterfly Pavilion also offers classes aligned with Next Generation Science Standards that further connect young learners with our exhibits through engaging content and take-home questions.
Visit butterflies.local to buy general admission tickets, register for an upcoming Homeschool Day or reserve a facilitated class!
No matter when your homeschool group gets to Butterfly Pavilion, you will find talented and passionate scientific and environmental educators excited to engage and inspire your young learners. Not only will your students hold a tarantula, experience a butterfly emerge from its chrysalis, or taste test a mealworm. They will experience the world through compound eyes and be inspired by science and a mission to protect and care for threatened habitats in Colorado and around the world.
