Conversation Sparks
Brainstorm questions to ask while you are there to get more out of the experience. After your visit, encourage your kids to process what they learned using questions to get them thinking more deeply, such as:
- What surprised you the most about what you learned today?
- What jobs did you see working there?
- What jobs did you learn about?
- What jobs helped to create this place?
- What did this experience remind you about that you’d learned about before?
- What would you like to learn next about this field?
- Do you think you might like to work someday in this industry?
If you live in a different state, we’re sure there are similar places to visit and learn about careers near you!
Aviation & Transportation
Atchison Rail Museum (Atchison)
The Kansas Cosmosphere (Hutchinson)
Kansas Aviation Museum (Wichita)
Kansas City Auto Museum (Olathe)
Kansas Motorcycle Museum (Marquette)
Midwest Dream Car Collection (Manhattan)
St. Francis Motorcycle Museum (St. Francis)
The Combat Air Museum (Topeka)
The Mid-American Air Museum (Liberal)
The Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum (Atchison)
TWA Museum (Kansas City, Missouri)
The Airline History Museum (Kansas City, Missouri)
Agriculture & Animal Health
National Agriculture Center and Hall of Fame (Bonner Springs)
Flint Hills Discovery Center (Manhattan)
Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead (Overland Park)
Plumlee Buffalo Ranch (near Alma)
Zoos — such as Rolling Hills Zoo (near Salina), Topeka Zoo, Sunset Zoo (Manhattan), Lee Richardson Zoo (Garden City), Kansas City Zoo (Kansas City, Missouri), Kansas State University Insect Zoo (Manhattan), Sedgwick County Zoo (Wichita)
Culinary & Food Service (Ask about arranging tours!)
Chip’s Chocolate Factory (Kansas City, Missouri)
Grandma Hoerner’s Foods (near Alma)
The Pizza Hut Museum (Wichita)
General STEAM-Based Destinations (organized alphabetically by location)
Art and History Museums — look for museums in your area, but don’t miss the Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Childhood Home (Abilene), Nelson Atkins Museum of Art (Kansas City, Missouri), or the Kansas Museum of History (Topeka)
National Weather Service Office (Contact offices in Topeka, Wichita, Dodge City or Goodland to find out about tours)
Museum of Independent Telephony (Abilene)
Tallgrass Prairie Preserve (near Cottonwood Falls)
Kansas Teachers Hall of Fame (Dodge City)
Johnston Geology Museum (Emporia)
Peterson Planetarium (Emporia)
True Crime Exhibit (Garden City)
Cheyenne Bottoms (Great Bend)
Barton County CC Planetarium (Great Bend)
Heart of America Science Resource Center (Haviland)
Sternberg Museum of Natural History (Hays)
Strataca: Kansas Underground Salt Museum (Hutchinson)
Science and Technology Center (Independence)
SEA LIFE Kansas City (Kansas City, Missouri)
Hallmark’s Kaleidoscope (Kansas City, Missouri)
Legoland Discovery Center (Kansas City, Missouri)
The Money Museum (Kansas City, Missouri)
Science City at Union Station (Kansas City, Missouri)
KU Natural History Museum (Lawrence)
Powell Astronomical Observatory (Louisburg)
Crispin's Drug Store Museum (Lincoln)
Konza Prairie Biological Station (near Manhattan)
Milford Nature Center and Fish Hatchery (Milford)
Rock City (Minneapolis)
Little Jerusalem Badlands (near Oakley)
Curious Minds Discovery Zone (Parsons)
Kelce Planetarium (Pittsburg)
Lakewood Discovery Center (Salina)
Art Lab at Washburn University (Topeka)
Kansas Children’s Discovery Center (Topeka)
Exploration Place (Wichita)
Lake Afton Public Observatory (Wichita)
Kansas Firefighters Museum (Wichita)
Public Works & Utilities WATER Center (Wichita)
Splash! Aqua Park (Wichita)
Got a Suggestion?
Know a destination we missed that can teach kids about possible careers? Email us with suggestions we can add at [email protected].
Other Activities:
Dramatic Play and Roleplaying STEAM-based Activities Career Activities in Your Community