Turning soil, pulling weeds, and harvesting cabbage sound like tough work for middle and high school kids. And at first it is, says Abby Jaramillo, who with another teacher started Urban Sprouts, a school garden program at four low-income schools. The program aims to help students develop science skills, environmental awareness, and healthy lifestyles.

Jaramillo’s students live in neighborhoods where fresh food and green space are not easy to find and fast food restaurants outnumber grocery stores. “The kids literally come to school with bags of snacks and large bottles of soft drinks,” she says. “They come to us thinking vegetables are awful, dirt is awful, insects are awful.” Though some are initially scared of the insects and turned off by the dirt, most are eager to try something new.

Urban Sprouts’ classes, at two middle schools and two high schools, include hands-on experiments such as soil testing, flower-and-seed dissection, tastings of fresh or dried produce, and work in the garden. Several times a year, students cook the vegetables they grow, and they occasionally make salads for their entire schools.

Program evaluations show that kids eat more vegetables as a result of the classes. “We have students who say they went home and talked to their parents and now they’re eating differently,” Jaramillo says.

She adds that the program’s benefits go beyond nutrition. Some students get so interested in gardening that they bring home seeds to start their own vegetable gardens. Besides, working in the garden seems to have a calming effect on Jaramillo’s special education students, many of whom have emotional control issues. “They get outside,” she says, “and they feel successful.”

The Franklin Institute is one of the oldest and most beloved science museums in the U.S.

Why Visit

In 1824, the Franklin Institute opened in Independence Hall in memory of Benjamin Franklin and his scientific achievements. In 1934, with the construction of the current building and the nearby Fels Planetarium, it became a hands-on science museum.

Today, it holds the distinction of being Pennsylvania’s most visited museum. In the museum’s rotunda (圆形厅), a 20-foot-tall marble statue pay respect to the Founding Father and famous scientist.

Must-See

While the entire museum offers interactive fun, highlights include the high-tech Your Brain exhibit which offers a glimpse into the inner workings of the human brain; Sports Zone, which focuses on the scientific aspects of sports; Two Escape Rooms, where participants solve puzzles and riddles before time runs out; and the on-sile Virtual Reality Demonstration Space.

Pricing

General Admission to the Franklin Institute includes access to three floors of hands-on science exhibits including permanent interactive exhibits, Live Science programs, the Joel N. Bloom Observatory and one show in the Fels Planetarium. Discounts are available for groups of 15 or more.

To purchase tickets, please click the ticket price to be directed to our online ticketing page where all the ticket prices are available. If you prefer to order tickets over the phone, please call 215 -448 -1200(9:00 am-5:00 pm).

Member Tickets

Members of the Franklin Institute receive exclusive (独有的) ticketing benefits, including discounted prices and no service fees. Please select your Membership level before purchasing member tickets.