An annual school tradition brought science beyond the classroom as students explored the museum’s animal, mineral and natural history collections.

Students from Schloss Krumbach International School recently travelled to the Natural History Museum Vienna for one of the school’s annual study trips.

Preparation for the visit began before students arrived at the museum. They researched different animals and natural history topics and prepared short presentations to share with their classmates. This gave them a clear purpose during the visit: to recognise what they had already studied, compare it with the collections in front of them and contribute their own knowledge to the group.

At the museum, students explored exhibits ranging from animals and fossils to minerals and other natural history collections. The trip was accompanied by the School Principal together with teachers of Biology and Mathematics, allowing students to approach what they saw from several academic perspectives.

Study trips form an important part of the educational programme at Schloss Krumbach. Students regularly encounter knowledge beyond the classroom through museums, cultural institutions, historical sites, concerts and other educational visits. The aim is to give them opportunities to apply what they have learned, observe more carefully, ask new questions and make connections between different subjects.

The Natural History Museum trip also reflects a wider principle of learning at SKIS: students are encouraged to take an active role in their education. Preparing presentations, explaining ideas to classmates and discussing what they notice turns the visit into a shared academic experience rather than a passive excursion.

There is also room for curiosity. Seeing a fossil at full scale, examining a mineral collection or encountering an unfamiliar animal can prompt questions that would never arise in quite the same way from a textbook.

For our students, the annual Natural History Museum visit combines academic preparation with the pleasure of discovery, helping knowledge become more concrete, memorable and enjoyable.

About the Author

Toma Gurevich, Marketing and Admissions at Schloss Krumbach International School in Krumbach, Austria. Her work focuses on social media, editorial content and telling the story of the school’s academic, cultural and boarding life.