Taking Flight: A Grandparent Adventure About Space & Aviation
Road Scholar’s Grandparent adventures offer an amazing opportunity for multiple generations to come together on an educational journey. These learning adventures take place across the world, covering topics that both grandparents and grandchildren will love, including human history, unique wildlife and science and engineering projects. Together, participants can create unforgettable memories through engaging and exciting experiences.
Patti Phelps is a Road Scholar grandparent who began learning and exploring with her grandchildren over a decade ago. Below, she shares her experience with her grandson on a Grandparent adventure to Kansas:
Is your grandchild interested in space and airplane flight? Is your grandchild a curious and adventurous person? Then you ought to consider this Grandparent adventure in Kansas.
When I took my first grandparent trip in 2009, I learned that one of the grandmothers had taken each of her eight grandchildren on a Road Scholar Grandparent program. I asked her which one was her favorite and she said this trip in Kansas was the best. That led me to put it high on our list, which was a good thing!
We spent five days and evenings learning about space and flight in Kansas. We built and launched rockets and made robots and model airplanes. I knew that flying an airplane would be part of this trip for my grandson, but can you believe that my 14-year-old grandson taxied and took off when we had our chance to fly? (We had an instructor pilot with us, guiding us.) Needless to say, we were excited and because my grandson liked flying so much, this may turn out to be the most expensive vacation ever when he decides to take flying lessons when he returns home.
Another highlight was the emphasis on space. The Cosmosphere has many of the early space exploration artifacts, including a Mercury space capsule and a Soyuz capsule. We learned how to do mission control, make a lunar landing craft and do a challenge copy of Apollo 13’s air filter problem. But the most exciting space stuff was our experience in a 4G machine and the simulator multi directional machine.
So when you’re considering a grandparent trip, do not overlook Kansas and the space and flight camp. It was one of the best ever!
Explore all of Road Scholar’s Grandparent adventures (as well as adventures that include the whole family) on our website.
About the Author:
Patti Phelps has embarked on over a dozen Road Scholar learning adventures. She is a retired teacher, administrator and fundraiser who has worn many hats through her career. After raising her family in Colorado, she moved to North Carolina with her husband after retirement so they could pursue their love for sailing.