Parents and their children filed into the front lobby of the National Museum of the US Air Force and dispersed to different parts of the galleries. One by one, each student took his or her place at a table, a spot on the floor, or a seat in the auditorium, surrounded by planes such as the 1909 Wright Flyer, the first military aircraft, or the YF-22, a prototype of the Air Force’s newest fighter aircraft.

For most any student, this setting would be out of the ordinary—more like a field trip or day off from school. For these particular students, however, this school day was a field trip with a slight twist.

This past spring, the National Museum of the US Air Force near Dayton, Ohio, hosted Home School Day. Each year, a session for homeschool children is held in the fall and spring. It is one way the museum helps provide a way for homeschool students to meet national standards for history, science, and math. Educational activities are offered to homeschool children ages 3 through 18. This is the sixth year the museum has hosted the special event.

Museum Aerospace Educator Cindy Henry said several years ago she had received many phone calls from homeschooling parents who wanted to bring their children to the museum for some school programs. They usually did not meet the minimum requirement for a class of the same grade level students. Because of staffing limitations, the museum’s Education Division could not offer a class to one or two students at a time.

“I realized the museum would be filling a need by offering classes to homeschool students as a group,” said Henry. “That way we could pool students from different families and have enough for a class. I sent out a survey to several local homeschool groups and received an overwhelmingly positive response.”

So, in 2001, Home School Day at the National Museum of the US Air Force began. The first year about 500 students attended. Since then, the program has grown tremendously. Usually, the Education Division must place students on a waiting list because the classes fill up so quickly. On April 3, more than 900 students attended classes such as Hot Air Balloons, Supersonic Flight, and Cold War Culture.

Home School Day has drawn students not only from Ohio but from eight other states as well, including students from as far away as New York.

This year, 13-year-old Cherylyn Geers attended the Rocketry class during Home School Day. She is working on a 4-H project on rocketry. This class fits in very well with what she will be doing for the project.

The Rocketry class was taught in the middle of the Modern Flight Gallery by Cindy Henry. Students were surrounded by aircraft such as the Boeing B-52 and the Douglas C-124. A Global Hawk and Predator were suspended from the ceiling above. Henry began the class by going over the history of the rocket. She talked about Newton’s three laws of motion and the class then watched a short video. A Home School Day volunteer then assisted Henry in doing a demonstration of the third law: the law of action/reaction.

Then the time came for the students to begin building their rockets. They could choose the number of fins to place on the rocket, three or four, and could also choose where to place the fins. A lot of chatter was going on throughout the room. The children began discussing why they thought their rocket would travel the furthest.

Finally, the time came for students to launch their rockets in the gallery. “Five, four, three, two, one, liftoff!” the students would say in unison as each rocket was blasted. Some traveled straight up; some shot out in almost a straight line. A competition informally began on whose rocket could travel the farthest.

When asked what she liked best about the class, Cherylyn said she really liked watching how the different fins affected the length and height of the rocket’s flight and said that she planned to try more rocket launching at home. During the day, she watched the IMAX movie Magic of Flight and said she was excited about watching the Blue Angels fly in formation.

Cherylyn’s mother, Donna Palmatary, said that her daughter has sights set on a career in electronic engineering. As a result, she is always looking for hands-on activities that will enrich her studies. “The offerings at the Home School Day at the museum greatly enhance my daughter’s knowledge base,” said Palmatary, “particularly through concepts that combine scientific principles and mathematical facts.” She added that the Home School Day is definitely an enhancement to their homeschool curriculum. “It provides wonderful hands-on activities, enriching science lessons, and a great venue in which to present the sessions. It also allows the students to take home an enthusiasm for their newly gained knowledge,” she said.

This is the second year Cherylyn Geers has attended Home School Day. She plans to attend again and hopes that next time there will be a class about the International Space Station.

Programming changes each year, with the fall programming being a repeat of the previous spring programming. This is done so students can come once a semester and be able to attend different classes.

Most Home School Day activities are free. The event begins at 9:15 AM and ends at 4 PM. Students may enroll for one class or as many as space or time allows. They also have the option to watch an IMAX movie in the museum’s IMAX Theater, ride the Morphis movie ride, or visit the Presidential Gallery and walk through planes such as John F. Kennedy’s Air Force One.

Scavenger hunts, aerospace demonstration stations, guided tours, and other activities take place throughout the museum during the day, so students can find something to do in almost every corner.

Since the National Museum of the US Air Force is open from 9 AM to 5 PM, homeschoolers and their families still have time to walk around the world’s oldest and largest aviation museum. They can learn about the history of aviation from the Wright brothers to the stealth technology of today’s Air Force. The museum holds more than 300 aircraft and missiles under 17 acres of indoor exhibit space.

Advanced registration for the museum’s Home School Day is required. Upcoming programs will be held on April 2 and October 1 in 2007. More information about Home School Day can be found at www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/education/homeschool.asp.

“Given the huge response we receive and the long waiting lists of children who want to attend, I know that our program is filling a need,” said Henry. “I am happy to know that we are supporting the homeschool community in this way.”

Sarah Parke is a public affairs specialist at the National Museum of the US Air Force.