A Trip Inside The Earth

By Kendra Bobowick

Wendy Furell sat alone in a corner of the Middle Gate School auditorium, surrounded by pairs of children’s shoes and the whisper of a fan humming steadily. Turning her wristwatch to glance at the time, Ms Furell, a member of the elementary school’s PTA, stepped around pairs of sneakers toward Steve Jansen’s voice, his deep tones coming from the inside of a canvas, inflated replica of Earth.

Placed in the center of the gymnasium at half court, and reaching nearly to the ceiling 20 feet above, was a hand-painted, to-scale, Earth Balloon. Inside were the Middle Gate students who visited class by class as Mr Jansen offered lessons about geography, the oceans, global warming and more on Tuesday, April 29.

“It’s nice to keep the kids in touch with geography, it’s a great learning experience,” Ms Furell explained. Why are seashells found in the Himalaya Mountains? Why is the Earth’s crust cracked? Where can you swim outdoors in the winter months? Mr Jansen had the answers. He entertained class after class with his explanations.

As one class exited through a zippered seam in the balloon, the next group of children soon filed in. Before they had taken more than a step, children’s eyes flew upward and around the globe, and mouths opened as they saw the world from the inside out. The class would soon “travel around the globe” and line up to listen and watch as lessons began.

The Earth Balloon is a program offered through WhereAbouts Inc, an Illinois-based company that provides enrichment programs for schools, museums, and other venues.