Are you looking for a unique and memorable field trip experience where students engage in interactive activities? Or a mobile outreach program that can be done at your location? Your search stops here!
The Aerospace Center for Excellence (ACE) features the Florida Air Museum, the Science on a Sphere, and the Skylab Innovation Center, all of which provide sensational STEM programming for students of all ages.
ACE offers a variety of on-site field trip programs at the SUN ‘n FUN Campus, as well as outreach programs at your own school or location. These educational experiences aren’t limited to school groups or traditional field trips – ACE also welcomes homeschool organizations, scouts, summer camps, and other groups of K-12 students.
Keep reading to get the scoop on all of the options available for your next field trip!
The Aerospace Center for Excellence is a Lakeland Mom Sponsor and we are excited to tell you what they have to offer students and families in our community.
VIDEO: Aerospace Center for Excellence + Florida Air Museum
Field Trips at the Aerospace Center for Excellence
Engaging, hands-on, fascinating, fun are just a few of the words used by students and teachers to describe a field trip to the Aerospace Center for Excellence Innovation Skylab and Florida Air Museum. Structured field trips are designed for specific age or school grade ranges. The lesson catalog can be viewed here under K-12 Program Catalog. A field trip consists of three labs. Read on for more information!
Redbird Flight Simulator Room
After learning about the forces of flight and the parts of an airplane, students will take a seat in front of a flight simulator and conduct an experiment as virtual pilots.
{Editor’s Note – I tried one during a private tour of ACE and it was fascinating! I had no idea how smooth and slow it feels to fly an airplane. Please note: Simulators are for 5th -12th grade use, and only as part of a field trip reservation.}
Engineering Laboratory
Accept a mission to design rockets for NASA or test parachutes to help Operation Vittles during World War II. Younger students will learn that balance tricks aren’t magic, it’s gravity!
Science on a Sphere
Science On a Sphere® (SOS) is exactly what it sounds like – science projected onto a large glowing sphere in the center of a dark room. It is so cool!
Researchers at NOAA developed Science On a Sphere® as an educational tool to help illustrate Earth System science to people of all ages. With hundreds of datasets available you can project any type of science lesson onto the sphere – the solar system, the moon, the sun, weather patterns, forecasting hurricanes, and constellations, to name just a few. Having these interactive visuals projected onto a sphere instead of a flat map will bring this information to life for your students.
There are only 175 Science on a Sphere locations worldwide, including this one at the Aerospace Center for Excellence and Florida Air Museum! (Be sure to request a quick glimpse of the Death Star…)
Florida Air Museum
Open to the general public for self-guided tours seven days a week, the Florida Air Museum also takes group reservations. Students of all ages will gape at aircraft above them as they answer the age-old question, why do humans want to fly? And how did they finally manage to do it? Spend a few moments enjoying interactive exhibits and games in the Discovery Zone. Learn more and see additional photos in our article about Things to Do at the Florida Air Museum.
Aerospace Pavilion
Need space for lunch or to let your students burn off some energy? The Aerospace Pavilion is the perfect covered outdoor area to have lunch or gather back together as a larger group.
This is just a basic overview of the field trip options available on-site at ACE – give them a call, visit the ACE field trip website, or plan a visit to learn more.
Homeschool Field Trips
The Aerospace Center for Excellence welcomes homeschool groups and families. Two options are available:
- Groups of 15 or more students can book through the traditional field trip program detailed above
- Homeschool families can register individually for special Homeschool Field Trip Days. No group required! Explore hands-on, age-appropriate programs on select dates. Visit the Homeschool Field Trip page for upcoming dates and registration.
Outreach Programs + Mobile Field Trips
Looking for mobile field trips that can be done on-site at your school or summer camp? For a fee, ACE’s Portable Planetarium and Sonex Aircraft can travel to you! Learn more about the Outreach Programs offered by the Aerospace Center for Excellence:
Portable Planetarium
Travel the galaxy inside the Portable Planetarium. Your group will enter the inflatable dome and be surrounded by a 360-degree projection space where science lessons will come to life all around you.
The Portable Planetarium is 25’ in diameter and 11’ high, and seats 20 people at a time, allowing you to have multiple classes or groups experience the planetarium in one day. Programs last approximately 20-30 minutes and can be geared towards any age group, from kindergarten to 12th grade, or even for adults.
Sonex Aircraft
Bring the world of aviation to your school with a hands-on airplane experience! Your students will have the opportunity to sit inside a Sonex aircraft and learn about the instruments and the function of each part of the airplane.
Check the ACE website for more information on mobile field trip options as well as space requirements at your location.
Aerospace Center for Excellence Events + Group Discounts
In addition to booking your own field trip, ACE also hosts special events and tours during the year.
Wings ‘n Things
Wings ‘n Things is an annual event designed for families, scouts, and homeschool groups, typically held on a weekend each fall. You can experience the wonders of aerospace through a full day of free hands-on activities that range from a scavenger hunt with prizes to solar observations in a planetarium to constructing and launching rockets. Many of the field trip activities mentioned above are also available during Wings ‘n Things. This event is free!
SUN ‘n FUN Expo Field Trips
During SUN ‘n FUN – Lakeland’s annual fly-in event – a variety of educational activities are planned including youth workshops and activities in the Junior Aces Tent, the SkyLab Innovation Center, and Florida Air Museum. Self-guided field trips are FREE for every student age and school type! Chaperones receive a discounted wristband. Learn more.
Teachers’ Pre-flight Experience
Teachers – this program is just for you! Learn how to infuse STEM concepts in and through your
classroom and inspire the next generation of aerospace professionals. Held each year during SUN ‘n FUN. Space is limited so sign up soon.
At the heart of each ACE field trip is the desire to inspire students to connect with science and aerospace in a meaningful and memorable way. A STEM-prepared workforce is vital to our future, and it begins with exposing today’s youth to science and engineering opportunities.
Plan your next field trip with the Aerospace Center for Excellence and ignite a spark, inspire future aerospace professionals, and impact our future.
Learn more:
- Aerospace Center for Excellence
- Florida Air Museum
- SUN ‘n FUN Aerospace Expo
- Location: 4075 James C. Ray Dr, Lakeland, FL 33811
100+ Things to Do with Kids
Check out our Ultimate List of Things to Do with Kids in Lakeland + Polk County to find indoor fun, outdoor fun, free things to do, seasonal activities, and more.
