More than 200 third grade students from McPherson County toured an interactive exhibit of the body at McPherson College on December 12, making stops at places like the mouth, stomach, intestine, muscle, and skin.
The Teacher Education program at McPherson College hosted the Body Venture exhibit and students from the program led sessions in each of the 12 stations throughout the exhibit.
“It takes a lot of volunteers to host this event and what better volunteers to do it than future teachers?” Vicki Schmidt, assistant professor of teacher education, said. “It is a great opportunity for our students to practice their teaching skills and be part of something worthwhile that the younger students will remember forever.”
Body Venture is an educational exhibit for students in grades K-5 sponsored by Child Nutrition & Wellness of the Kansas State Department of Education. Body Venture is about learning the importance of making healthy food choices and being physically active. The exhibit, a 45-foot by 50-foot representation of the human body, puts students inside a tour of the body with engaging and experiential educational activities.
It is the first time in several years that the exhibit has been in McPherson, according to Schmidt. She was familiar with it because students from the teacher education program traveled to Salina elementary schools for the past several years to volunteer at exhibits there.
“It is a very dynamic exhibit that presents important information to students in a way that is fun, and it is the perfect experience for our students to build confidence in teaching,” Schmidt said. “After participating in this, I hear many of our students comment that they can’t wait to be a teacher.”
The McPherson County Community Foundation provided funds to help keep the exhibit free to the students who attended. Schmidt said she already has the exhibit booked for next year.