Missouri & Beyond: Discover Space & Science With Your Grandchild

Program Registration: 4:00 p.m. After you check in and have your room assignment, join us at the Road Scholar table in the breakfast room to register with the program staff and get any updated information, and confirm the time and location of the Orientation session. If you arrive late, please locate your Group Leader and let them know you have arrived. Orientation. The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. We will review COVID protocols and will adhere to applicable requirements and guidelines throughout the program. This is a Road Scholar Grandparent program. Grandparents are responsible for their grandchildren at all times. If/when separate age group activities are conducted concurrently, program staff will supervise. Minors are never to be left unsupervised. We will learn from a series of local experts who will give lectures and lead field trips. Program-related travel and transfers will be via private bus unless noted otherwise. There is no restroom on the bus. Meals will feature mostly locally-owned restaurants and caterers. Periods in the schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

5:30 p.m. at the hotel.

We’ll be joined by the “Mad Science” team who will lead us through an exciting interactive experiment. Then continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead.

At the hotel.

We will board our bus for a field trip to the St. Louis Science Center, one of the top four science centers in the nation. In a classroom setting, our goal will be to fill an entire area with a functioning Rube Goldberg machine. We’ll work together as a group to create a machine using dominoes, ramps, buckets, and levers in order to flip on a switch. After our hands-on experiment is finished, we’ll have time to explore the Science Center on our own.

At the Science Center, we’ll have box lunches.

Next, we’ll walk over a skybridge to the James S. McDonnell Planetarium on the Science Center campus. This is one of the nation’s leading space education facilities. We’ll explore the planetarium’s space exhibits and view one of its unique programs in the dome-shaped auditorium. Simply by looking up, we’ll learn about past, present, and future planetary phenomena while exploring the solar system, discovering planets, moons, and more in the sky. When done, we’ll board the bus and ride back to the hotel.

At the hotel.

Evening We’ll remain where we are and watch “Monument to the Dream,” a short movie about the creation of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Arch that stands today as the nation's tallest arch and national monument. The remainder of the evening will be at leisure for a swim in the pool (with grandparents present), spending time with new Road Scholar friends, or just relaxing.

At the hotel.

We will take the bus to St. Charles Community College where we will meet with a Play-Well TEKnologies expert where we will master your engineering skills with thousands of LEGO parts to explore space.

On the St. Charles Community College campus, we’ll have box lunches.

We will be joined at the SCC campus by an expert from the Challenger Learning Center-St. Louis who will teach about drones. We’ll fly and land drones and then create and compete in a drone obstacle course. The Challenger Learning Center is dedicated to inspiring future generations of innovators through space mission simulations and other STEM education programs.

Walk to a local restaurant.

Returning to the hotel, the remainder of the evening will be at leisure for a swim in the hotel pool (with grandparents present), spending time with new Road Scholar friends, or just relaxing.

At the hotel.

We will set out on a field trip to the Challenger Learning Center and participate in a simulated space mission. We’ll have an opportunity to become an “astronaut” on board the Space Center and/or take a turn at working for Mission Control.

The bus will return to the hotel after the Challenger Learning Center. Lunch has been excluded from the program costs and is on your own to have what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to make suggestions. There are many choices on Main Street in St. Charles.

Free time. This period of time has been set aside for your personal independent exploration to see and do what interests you most. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Please note that the period scheduled for free time is subject to change depending on local circumstances and opportunities for independent exploration. Take this opportunity to explore the historic St. Charles area on your own. To mix a bit of history into our science experiences, you might like to walk in the footsteps of Lewis and Clark in the river town where their expedition began. Or, you might like to visit the Lewis & Clark Museum & Boat House, Frontier Park, or whatever appeals to you.

This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to have what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. There are many choices on Main Street in St. Charles.

At leisure.

At the hotel.

We will set out on a field trip to explore the Gateway to the West at the St. Louis Arch. We’ll learn more — remember “Monument to the Dream?” — about the engineering marvel of this iconic structure. We’ll take a tram ride to the top for panoramic views of the Mississippi River, Busch Stadium, and the St. Louis Courthouse.

At a local venue, we’ll have box lunches.

Next, we will take the bus to the St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station. We’ll learn about aquatic life in the 120,000-square-foot aquarium, packed to the gills with more than 13,000 animals across 44 exhibits. We will have an expert-led exploration followed by some independent time to see what interests each of us most. Union Station also offers optional activities at additional cost.

At a local restaurant.

Returning to the hotel, the remainder of the evening will be at leisure for a swim in the hotel pool (with grandparents present), spending time with new Road Scholar friends, or just relaxing.

At the hotel.

We will ride to St. Charles Community College where we’ll be joined by a rocket expert from the Challenger Learning Center. We’ll spend our morning learning about the history of rockets and the U.S. space program to the moon. Then we’ll begin to build our own rockets!

On campus, we’ll have box lunches.

We’ll continue learning about the mechanics of thrust and stability by launching the rockets we built this morning. After the rocket launch, we will do repairs — if needed — so that we can take our rockets home for future blastoffs.

At St. Charles Community College, we’ll have a cookout. Share favorite experiences and enjoy camaraderie with new Road Scholar friends during our farewell dinner.

Returning to the hotel, the remainder of the evening will be at leisure for a swim in the pool (with grandparents present), spending time with new Road Scholar friends, or just relaxing. Prepare for check-out and departure in the morning.

At the hotel. This concludes our program.

If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!