Collaboration In Education

Each year, school groups from all over the region take trips to learn about the caverns here in Eldon, Missouri. Because education is an essential part of the mission at Stark Caverns, we are always looking at ways of improving the experience for students.

In 2020, we are excited to announce the development of a new curriculum in partnership with the Museum at Prairie Fire in Kansas City. Designed to support the education standards of the state of Missouri, the goal is to create a menu of interactive learning experiences for students grades K - 8.

Instead of a standard cave tour, students will visit stations throughout the cave where they will experience lessons on history, geology, biology, conservation, and engineering. Each lesson will be designed to have visual, auditory and tactile learning opportunities.

Interactive learning experiences improve a student’s ability to retain information. The design of this new curriculum will allow continued expansion of activities inside each subject to provide educators a plethora of options to choose from year after year.

To launch the new curriculum, Stark Caverns will hold a Teacher’s Appreciation event on February 27, 2020. Regional educators are invited to stop by and enjoy a glass of wine and some light refreshments and experience the new stations first hand.

“Our hope is to develop a strong relationship with local and regional educators to create a learning experience that supports their efforts in all of these categories. Materials will include everything from science experiments to writing assignments, and stations may include interesting focal points like toolsused by Native Americans to the history of black bears in Missouri,” says Amy Hargroves, owner of Stark Caverns.

For more information on the new curriculum, or to schedule an educational field trip to Stark Caverns, please email info@starkcaverns.com or call 573.369.3306.