Starquest Index...

About Starquest

This trip has been taken by members of the seventh grade gifted program since 1999. Over 325 kids have enriched their understanding of the science, learned team building, experienced independence, and enjoyed many new experiences through this trip. This is, however, not a school field trip. It is a separate, optional opportunity that takes place in June after school is over for the year. It is a four day science trip in which we explore the best the central Florida has to offer in a safe and educational environment. This trip is led by Mrs. Griffin and her son.

This independent trip is designed to enrich, extend, and enhance the physical science curriculum taught during seventh grade in the gifted program. This is similar to the way a foreign language trip is designed to improve the language abilities and cultural understanding of one who studies a foreign language. It allows the trip’s team members to benefit by extending their understanding of science learned throughout the year through hands on experiences and group activities that take place in real life settings. This trip also:

Creates lifelong experiences and memories
Allows students to experience cultural and educational opportunities
Learn the value of teamwork and goal setting through doing
Encourages learning independence and self-discipline
Promotes social skills
Enriches the benefits inherent in your education program
Nurtures inquisitive skills
Develop technological skills through communication and searching online
Motivates student performance and academic excellence
Stimulates intellectual creativity and critical thinking skills

Photo Page from 2009

Starquest 2010 Send Starquest Trip an E-mail

Counting down the days. . .

We have lunch meetings every Wednesday ( & Friday after the holidays)

Essentials to Memorize Finding Your Way!

What's Your Song? Lyrics for Stand By Me?

Game Rules Lyrics to Yo Ho

Score Lyrics to The Lion Sleeps Tonight

Lyrics to Gim Grinnin' Ghosts

Attendance is REQUIRED at the following activities:

All lunch meetings
JMK dinner February 24th
Captain's Day Preparation Activities May 1st Rain date May 7th (weather dependent)
Final Meeting: Last Wednesday of May 19th for participant and one parent

Other activities optional.

Itinerary for 2010

Maps: Magic Kingdom     Epcot     Epcot Animal Kingdom

Packing List     Trip Rules     Challenger Mission

Jungle Adventures     MOSI

World of Physics        Dynamics of Technology

Epcot : Restaurants, Shows, Exhibits, and Menu Samples

Tentative Trip Itinerary for 2010

Dates: June 12th until late on June 16th.

Day 1 - Epcot Shows and Character Dinner

We will leave Rockford early to catch an early flight out of O'Hare on a chartered bus for the airport. We will have time for a quick breakfast at the airport. When we arrive in Florida, we will meet our World Strides guide, get our luggage, grab a bit of lunch and board the waiting chartered bus for Epcot.

Begin with visiting Spaceship Earth and learn the history of communication and how it has affected the development of our world

Next, on to the Living Seas where students descend fathoms into an incredible, 5.8 million gallon saltwater aquarium (the world’s largest), a prototype undersea research facility, to a view man-made coral reef with tropical fish, dolphins, sharks, and manatees while exploring the secrets of a new frontier.

Then head to The Land where students will explore this awesome six-acre pavilion to discover all about how irrigation, hydroponics, and innovative pest management are different from traditional farming methods. The design of the Land Pavilion encourages students to think environmentally as they take a boat ride through the four "greenhouse" areas where they will see such things as tilapia farming and crops "grown without soil".

See some of the outstanding performances in the countries, such as the acrobats in China and the Aztec dancers in Mexico.

Stop in at Mouse Gears

Experience fireworks and lasers through Illuminations, a symphony of music, lasers, fireworks and a little magic! We will enhance your view and complement your understanding with the complete story represented and the facts behind the production

Board our bus for hotel

Check into our hotel. We stay in an all-suite hotel in Lake Buena Vista, close to Disney World.
Evening briefing with Team Leaders

Day 2 - MOSI, Challenger Learning Center & Wonderworks

Breakfast and depart for Tampa by 7:00 for Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) & the Challenger Learning Center

Experience the Hurricane Wind Tunnel & other exhibits, such as the suspended bicycle, as time allows

Study optical effects at the Omnimax Theater

Lunch

At the Challenger Center for Space Science Education, we will do a Mission to Mars. Students will be immersed in a simulated Mission Control and Space Station environment: computer consoles, communication headsets, continuous messages on the loud speakers, electronic messages, teammates they can only see on video monitors, and many more hands-on activities and experiments. In this environment the students become astronauts for the day, direct research, and conduct experiments. Students will work together as a team to solve the many unexpected

problems that can occur during a space mission.

Depart MOSI for Wonderworks, An Amusement Park for the Mind!

Explore Wonderworks and enjoy their magical dinner show

Possible swim time

Evening briefing with Team Leaders

Day 3 Physics Seminars at the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom

Breakfast and depart for Magic Kingdom by 6:30 AM
to arrive before park opens for Disney’s Properties in Motion Seminar

Examine and use the Scientific Method.

See demonstrations of Newton's Laws as we travel the monorail to the park.

Ride Space Mountain with lights on and again with the lights off, while studying velocity,

momentum, and potential vs kinetic energy,

Learn more about mechanics, lasers, hydraulics and pneumatics at Buzz Lightyear Use Big Thunder Mountain to find the speed, acceleration, inertial effects, and G-forces using various tools while riding the speed, acceleration, inertial effects, and G-forces using various tools while riding
Study reflection, refraction, and acoustics at the Haunted Mansion
.
Lunch
Study magnetism and magnetic induction at the Tomorrowland Transit Authority

Experience 4-D and altered perception at Mickey’s PhilharMagic Show

Continue to explore the rest of the Magic Kingdom and its Physics

Kilimanjaro Safaris is where we’ll really get to see the animals -- living under trees, wallowing in waterholes and grazing the savannah’s grasses.

Take the Wildlife Express to visit Conservation Station, where we can experience the inhabitants of Conservation Station up close & personal on the indoor presentation stage, see the veterinarians at work and the nursery and hatchery.

Visit the Himalayas in search of the Yeti on Expedition Everest while exploring the effects of g forces from a variety of angles!

Depart for hotel, evening briefing with team leaders

Dinner at Downtown Disney
Depart for hotel

Evening briefing with team leaders

Possible swim time



Day 4 - Technology Seminars at Epcot and Dinner in the Countries

Have an early breakfast and depart for Epcot by 7:00 to arrive and enter before park opening for the Dynamics of Technology Seminar that takes place at Mission: SPACE® and at Test Track
Here we will learn that technology is anything but static and will come to realize how it impacts daily lives and culture. Technology is the result of applying science and creative problem-solving to a perceived need. Throughout our visit we will discover the innovation, teamwork and sacrifices that enabled us to explore the universe. We will also explore the interplay of electric and magnetic forces in technological designs
and examine interactions between creativity and technology to see synergistic applications to our daily lives
Experience simulated space flight at Mission Space, the team will get to play the Mission Space Race, and the trial of Test Track during our seminar

Travel on solar powered theater cars through the history of energy resources and view upcoming technology while comparing solar vs photo voltaic cells, fossil fuels, solar power, wind power, and nuclear energy

Study the use of fiber optics for the various ways in which they are used for communications within our world

Lunch

Study altered perception and other optical effects through Soarin'
Enhance our understanding of the use and effects of 3-D through the Imagination Theater

Visit the countries of the World Showcase: Mexico, Norway, Germany, Italy, Japan, America, Morocco, France, United Kingdom, and Canada See some more of the outstanding cultural performances, such as the Miyuki in Japan, and Off Kilter in Canada.

Everyone will meet and interview the young people working in at least three different countries

View 360 degree movies encompassing China and Canada

Dinner in Countries .. All participants will have reservations at one of the countries chosen by their group as a part of their cultural experience

Depart for hotel
and evening briefing and possible swim time.

Day 5 - Jungle Adventure, Ron Jon's and Cocoa Beach

Have an early breakfast and check out of hotel by 7:30
Depart for an excursion at the Jungle Adventure. Spend out morning experiencing the animals indigenous to Florida up close and personal! .
Jungle Adventures Nature Park & Zoo is the natural habitat jungle home of the famous 200 foot long roadside wonder, Swampy, the World's Largest Alligator.
We will experience Live Guided Wildlife Encounters with rare Florida panthers, black bears, gray wolves, white-tailed deer, tropical birds, gators, and a variety of reptiles and arachnids.
We will have our own trainers explain background information and helping us to handle alligators, tarantulas, scorpions, a variety of snakes, and more.

Then we will have our own seminar where they will personally answer our questions as we see them coax huge full grown alligators up and out of the water, wrangle’em one on one, and hand feed them their favorite foods!

Head to Cocoa Beach, making a stop to shop at Ron Jon's Famous Surf Shop along the way

Go to the Cocoa Beach Holiday Inn Resort for a cook out at the beach (hot dogs, hamburgers, salads, etc)

Then we spend the remainder of the afternoon studying the waves and doing some swimming and body surfing and sometimes dolphin spotting in the Atlantic Ocean

Head for the airport and grab some dinner before boarding our plane in the early evening back to Rockford

Arrive in Chicago and board the waiting charter bus for Rockford to meet parents, who will be anxiously awaiting for our return.

NOTE: All activities, days, and times are always subject to change as necessary.

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