Partners in Science

Lake Compounce Amusement Park, Bristol, CT

Although one might not think of an amusement park as a science field trip destination, Lake Compounce is just that. They have set aside days in the months of May and June as Education Days to encourage teachers to bring their students to experience the science of the park. Check their web site for the specific days each year and to reserve your spot. On these days, the park is open from 9 – 4 and the park is operating with about 1/3 the normal capacity to allow for more student interaction with the rides. Please note, however, that teachers may bring their students on any day the Park is open. Although the Park does not offer staff-directed programs, the staff has written downloadable curricular guides intended for use by a variety of grade levels from elementary through high school. These guides include math and science activities using the park rides and involving measurements, calculations, descriptions, and written explanations of scientific principles. The students work on their own as they explore the park with their teachers and chaperones.

This is not intended to be a complete listing of information. For complete descriptions of the curricular guides, visit their webpage: www.lakecompounce.org

Teacher Preparation:

No specific teacher preparation is required. The Park does offer free on-line (PDF files) curricular guides with reproducible worksheets and partial answer keys to help the teacher make the best use of the facilities.

To view aligned field trips at the Lake Compounce, visit our
Science Framework Resources Database