Missouri Architectural Field Trips for Homeschoolers

Architectural field trips may not be your cup of tea, but if you have boys who are interested in building with LEGO bricks, K’Nex rods, Magnetix or even Minecraft they may perhaps have an engineering mind like my son does. Which is why I’m sharing this architectural field trips to explore in Missouri list. 

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Field trips, those two words are either an exciting prospect to a homeschooling mom, or serve as another must do check off the list of to-dos for others. For kids field trips can be fun, educational and can serve that all important socialization requirement. 

Ideally, a field trip will be both fun and educational. We want our kids to learn to expand their areas of knowledge but if they are bored they are less likely to do so. So, when we find a trip that allows both fun and learning to occur chances are our children will remember both the experience and the bits of education instilled during the trip.

He has been fascinated by architecture for a long time and over the years his curiosity about the field of study has continued to increase. In other words his passion has grown beyond LEGO Bricks and K’Nex rods to real life structures.

The first time we spent time driving around our new city we were very excited to discover the variety of architectural engineering to observe and explore. I mean did you know that Kansas City, Missouri is filled with beautiful buildings? I mean, BEAUTIFUL. Many buildings are designed in a Spanish style. But, there are also many fascinating works of engineering that make my jaw drop.

Turns out, Missouri is a state with a wealth of architectural experiences. 

I’ve been gathering a list of buildings, sites and local places both here in the city as well as across the state to visit. I think doing so will help my son to be inspired and continue to help him grow his passion for the field of study.

Architectural Field Trips to Explore in Missouri

Carthage

• Jasper County Courthouse by architect Max A. Orlopp Jr.

Jefferson City

• Harry S. Truman State Office Building designed by architect Louis A. Simon.
• Missouri State Capitol Building was designed by Stephen Hills.

Kansas City

• Jackson County Courthouse designed by Wight and Wight.
• Kansas City Public Library designed by (Be sure to look at the inset pictures on the right.)
• The Kauffman Center for Performing Arts designed by Moshe Safdie
• The National World War 1 Museum at Liberty Memorial designed by Harold Van Buren Magonigle
• Bartle Hall Convention Center (Suspended over  Truman Road and I-670). designed by HNTB Architects.
• Union Station designed by Jarvis Hunt
• Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art designed by Wight and Wight.
• The Crown Center The master design was prepared by Edward Larrabee Barnes.
• Country Club Plaza by designer Jesse Clyde (J.C.) Nichols. 

Poplar Bluff

• Rodgers Theater designed by architect Hugo K. Graf

Saint Louis

• The Saint Louis Gateway Arch designed  by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen
  The Wainwright Building designed by Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler
• 1884 U.S. Customs House and Post Office  designed by Alfred B. Mullett, who also designed the Executive Office Building in Washington, D.C.
• Fumihiko Maki  and Steinberg Hall at Washington University – Designed by Pritzker Prize winning architect Fumihiko Maki,
• St. Louis Art Museum designed by Cass Gilbert.
• The Fox Theatre, a 1929 movie house designed by architect C. Howard Crane.
• The Climatron, at the Missouri Botanical Garden incorporating the principles of R. Buckminster Fuller, inventor of the geodesic system. 
• The I-70 Bridge across the Mississippi River in Saint Louis

I’ve just discovered this blog filled with additional ideas, A Sometime Architourist. This is my first time to research this vast oppotunity of architectural wonders in this state. I suspect I’m going to continue to discover hidden must see treasures througout the state because I’m just starting to realize how many architectural firms, schools and visionaries have lived in the state. I may have to follow up with a second post soon.

Being new to Missouri I’m still discovering all of the other types fantastic field trips for homeschoolers. I can’t wait to both explore the state, and the neighboring states and share what I discover with you. In fact just today Young Man and I will be going to the Sea Life Aquarium.

Here are some posts about field trips for homeschoolers to explore in Ohio.

• Central Ohio Homeschool Field Trips
• Exploring the Greater Cleveland Aquarium
• Exploring the Great Lakes Science Center
• Exploring the Cleveland Zoo
• Ohio Where Field Trips Abound
• Places to Visit in Southwest Ohio

What are your favorite field trips? Share your best one in comments.

This post is part of iHomeschool Network’s How to Homeschool Creatively.

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This post is part of iHomeschool Network’s Best Homeschool Field Trips link up.