2021-2022

Science History Museum

We visited the exhibit "Downstream" and learned about over 200 years of water usage and protection in the Philadelphia area.

Philadelphia Salvage

In this tour of Philadelphia Salvage's wood shop, we heard about the environmental benefits of using reclaimed materials, learned about a few custom projects, and enjoyed a rare chance to use a torch on wood.

Falconer (Raptor Jawns)

A certified falconer told us about her birds of prey, fielded many questions, and shared about her fascinating path to falconry.

Harpsichord Maker

We visited a local harpsichord maker and learned about the unusual history of this instrument, how pianos work differently, and why this man loves making harpsichords so much!

Reading Public Museum

Who knew that that this museum has an Egyptian mummy, a 4000-year-old funerary barge, interactive exhibits, and a planetarium? We now do.

Painting Workshop

A Swarthmore College professor showed us original frescoes, told us a bit about their history, and shared about the fascinating history of pigments. We also learned about the science and skill behind making paint and had the chance to mix our own egg tempera.

Galanthus Gala

Two Chester County gardeners opened our eyes to the many varieties of this wondrous genus of plant. A few snowdrops dedicated their lives to science and we learned better how bulb plants work. 

Bookbinding Workshop

We joined the co-founder of Peg and Awl in her beautiful West Chester workshop. She told us how she learned to bind books by hand and we enjoyed trying to use all the special lingo—"folio," "signature," and "kettle stitch"—while stitching our own books together.

Wild Food + Foraging Walk 

Plants have powers and we were lucky enough to learn about a few from horticulture educator, Alyssa Schimmel, on a drizzly day in May.

2022-2023

Jewelry Making Workshop 

Shark teeth, stones, and preserved plants... who knew these were the ingredients of jewelry? Field Co-op parent, Michelle West, led us in a hands-on outdoor workshop.  

Gamelin Workshop

There is no such thing as a soloist in gamelin, the Indonesian percussion music we (collectively) tried out during Professor Tom Whitman's amazing workshop. 

Rough & Tumble Historical Association

Steam engines are alive and well in one corner of PA. We learned about old machines, lanterns, trains, lathes, compressors that still work and got to see a few in action, thanks to our marvelous guides Kathleen and Tom. 

Hyperboloid Workshop

Ever make a curved object using only straight lines? A mathematician parent showed us how... hyperboloids! (Also, we ate doughnuts...)

Wagner Free Institute 

We enjoyed a talk on evolution in the lecture hall and then a scavenger hunt among some old and unusual finds at this amazing museum, a local treasure.

Shelter Building

With the guidance of local educator Kelly Dillon, we met in the woods and first learned to draw listening maps, then worked in teams to create shelters.  

Philadelphia Orchestra Open Rehearsal

We watched The Philadelphia Orchestra at work in rehearsal, observing firsthand the artistic collaboration between a world-class conductor and amazing musicians.

National Constitution Center

We saw an inspired performance about our nation's founding and stood face to face with the Constitution's signers (or statues of them that were shockingly life-like!)  

Leveling the Playing Field

We sorted donations at Leveling the Playing Field, an organization dedicated to expanding access to youth sports and recreation programs.

Industrial Repair Center (Chalmers and Kubeck)

We got a rare glimpse inside an industrial maintenance and repair shop where we saw how repairs are done on large pieces of equipment, from the water filters that keep nuclear power plants running to the gear boxes that turn boat propellers.

Seven Stars Dairy

This local dairy has a little over 100 cows and we were able to ask well over 100 questions to our friendly guide, Ryan, who answered each and every one. 

Pennsylvania Hospital

We visited a 19th century operating theater and learned about the history of Pennsylvania Hospital, built in 1751 to care for the "sick poor and insane."

Herr's Factory Tour

We saw the speed with which half a million potatoes turn into thousands of pounds of chips each hour. So many machines and so so SO many chips (and pretzels!)  

Howell Living History Farm

We learned about maple sugaring, its history and practice, in this well-run, hands-on, workshop.  

Pennsbury Manor

A guided visit to William Penn's house gave us a glimpse of Penn's life, a peak into 17th c. medicine, and the chance to try our hands at writing with quill pens.

Heinz National Wildlife Preserve

We made homes for native bees and explored this urban wildlife preserve together on one of the first warming days of spring.

Orienteering Workshop

"Fight," we learned, means "dense vegetation" or "brambles best avoided." That is, if you are orienteering. A volunteer from the Delaware Valley Orienteering Association opened up the wide world of map reading and woods exploration for us at Ridley Creek State Park. 

Archeology Workshops

We stepped into the past and had the chance to participate in hands-on archeology workshops at Newlin Grist Mill, a local mill, established in 1704.

The Clay Studio

We enjoyed working with clay in a gorgeous new building that provides studios and exhibition space to local artists.

The Wetlands Institute

Our eyes were opened to the beauty, vitality, and great importance of salt mashes at The Wetlands Institute in Stone Harbor, New Jersey. We learned about birds, mussels, fiddler crabs, horseshoe crabs, the magnificent properties of mud, and more through hands-on activities and exploration. 

Wharton Esherick Studio & Home 

We were mesmerized by what craft plus imagination plus wood can make on this tour of a local treasure and National Historic Landmark for Architecture, the home and studio of Wharton Esherick. 

2023-2024

Batso Village

We enjoyed a guided walking tour of the village and mansion, exploring the significant history of this nationally-recognized historic site. 

BalletX

We watched company dancers rehearse for an upcoming NYC tour then enjoyed the rare opportunity to work with a teaching artist and learn some moves!

Japanese Tea House

After a tour of the Shofuso Japanese tea house & garden, designed by a mid-century modernist architect and built with traditional materials and techniques, we participated in a tea ceremony.

Longwood Gardens

Learning about the careers that various people pursue to keep Longwood running was the subject of our escape-room-style group visit at this gorgeous public garden.

Sycamore Studio

The art and practice of stained glass captivated us as we observed how this long-standing tradition is maintained at a local shop. 

Piano Factory Tour

We toured Philadelphia's oldest piano factory which has been assembling and restoring pianos with an ear for beautiful sound since 1891.

Franklin Fountain

History meets ice cream cream at this local treasure. Co-founder, Eric Berley, gave us a tour and spoke about how he and his brother weave their love of history, antiques, food, and sustainability into their business.

Ship to Shore

We gathered for a live "ship to shore" interaction over Zoom with scientists, engineers, and educators aboard the Nautilus expedition where they are mapping the sea floor and characterizing deep-sea habitats through Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs).

How I Came to Love Shakespeare

The artistic director of Delaware Shakespeare shared the story of his personal journey to loving the works of Shakespeare in this interactive one-hour performance. Part presentation, part one-man show, his program included material from Hamlet, Henry V, Twelfth Night, Two Gentlemen of Verona, and more. 

East Falls Glassworks

Professional glassblowers made several objects while explaining the art and science of glassblowing. We saw 2000 degree molten glass slowly take the shape of a snowman!

Curtis Institute: Berlioz & More 

The Curtis Institute of Music awed us with their performance in the extraordinary Kimmel Center. 

US Mint

We visited the largest coin factory in the world where coins have been continuously made for 200 years! 

Penn Archeology Museum

An ancient footprint, an Egyptian sphinx, a camel sculpture from 600 BCE, and a Mayan stela were a few of the treasures we saw.

Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion 

We walked from the 1860s through the 1890s in this meticulously-restored house and learned all about parlor domes, stereoscopes, hair art, and other fascinating details about 19th-century life for one Philadelphia family.

WHYY Tour

At WHYY we learned about the production of public radio and had a chance to interview one another on a live screen.

Fairmount Waterworks

We learned all about the history and science of water for the city of Philadelphia. We also enjoyed learning about mussels and the amazing techniques to propagate these natural water filters!

Artist Studio 

We visited a husband and wife studio in Philadelphia to learn about their process and work. 

Bridge Design Workshop

Field Co-op students worked on a bridge design-and-build project (facilitated by a parent extraordinaire) to start thinking about structural engineering before our visit to the Roebling Steel Mill.

Mather Planetarium: Solar Eclipse

This field trip featured a tour of the night sky, including several prominent constellations and some mythological stories behind them. We also learned about the moon, the planets, and the sun with special attention paid to the pending solar eclipse. 

Rosenbach Library Museum

We visited this fabulous collection of manuscripts, literature, and rare books including books held by authors such as Lewis Carroll and Charles Dickens. 

MOMIX!

Dance + magic = MOMIX! We were amazed by the choreography of Moses Pendleton, the costumes, the lighting, all of it! 

Philadelphia School of Circus Arts

It's not every day that a kid gets to join the circus. Our students got to give a few circus arts a try: trapeze, aerial silks, juggling, and more.

Roebling Museum

We visited this unique museum that pays tribute to both the workers and the feats of civil engineering that took place here.

Wetlands Institute: Delaware Bay Field Study

We learned all about the natural history of horseshoe crabs and what makes them such amazing creatures. We also had the chance to walk along the beach and rescue some horseshoe crabs stranded by the tide.

Philly Typewriter

"The future is typewritten!" according to the staff who kindly gave us a tour of their shop and allowed us to try out plenty of typewriters, too. We learned how typewriters, made 100 years ago, can still work perfectly (with a little care and restoration.)