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Gr 1-Adult | Special Needs
Grades 1-3 | ~60 Minutes
Grades 4-Adult | ~90 Minutes
➊ The Smart Energy Hubs at the ComEd Chicago and Rockford Training Centers each have a dedicated room with 6 interactive stations. Due to fire codes and building security requirements, the experience is recommended for a single group of 5-32 students at any given time with a recommendation of 1 chaperone per every 8 students to ensure both safety and equal student participation opportunities.
➋Multiple groups/classes are not allowed on-site at the same time with the exception of exchanging students on/off buses. There are NO facilities for groups/classes to eat lunches on site.
⚑ What do I do if my group size is larger than 32 students or I have multiple groups/classes?
➌ Please bring field trip permissions slips to the Smart Energy Hub the day of your field trip (available in the Resources Tab above). This is not required if you have a blanket field trip permission slip or policy for your group on file with your own organization.
➍ If you need to cancel or reschedule, please contact FieldTripFactory.Org at least 24 hours before your scheduled arrival – please do not attempt to contact the facility directly.
➎ Scout Groups: Receive a patch for each scout participating in this event – ask your Field Trip Leader!
➏ Need special assistance with a large group or a short notice booking (less than 2 weeks)? Please contact FieldTripFactory.Org directly to discuss options.
➐ The Smart Energy Hubs are open all days of the week.
• Permission Slip (English) – Please bring completed slips to the facility the day of the event!
• K – 3 | Pre-Field Trip Activities
• K – 3 | Post-Field Trip Activities
• Gr 4 – 6 | Pre-Field Trip Activities
• Gr 4 – 6 | Post-Field Trip Activities
• Gr 7 – 8 | Pre-Field Trip Activities
• Gr 7 – 8 | Post-Field Trip Activities
• Gr 9+ | Post-Field Trip Activities
As northern Illinois’ local utility and energy delivery company with more than a century of experience, our commitment to customer service, security, and satisfaction is guided by the progress of the past and the promise of the future. Driving an industry that is entrepreneurial in nature, we have always remained focused on benefiting the people, environment, and economies of the communities we serve. We continue to enhance our services and the workforce that helps us generate smart ideas.
Visit www.ComEd.com/Education Our fourth graders had an amazing time at ComEd Training Center. They learned about renewable and nonrenewable energy. They loved the hands-on and the interactive activities. Vanessa was so kind and knowledgeable.
We had an amazing time visiting ComEd on 11/14/24. Vanessa was great with our students and found ways to include each student in demonstrations and participation. We truly valued our time and enjoyed the trip!
I’ve been bringing my 2nd and 4th grade students here since 2019!! We LOVE the activities and the presenters are always knowledgeable, patient, and kind. The students have a blast and the ComEd instruction ties perfectly into our Electrical Engineering units!
Thank you so much for providing this amazing opportunity to our students!
Trip was amazing. The guide was extremely engaging and explained everything in a manner that was on the level for our participants with special needs. Com Ed also provided several hands on activities to help reinforce the experience.
Option 1 – Break into smaller groups of 5-32 students and book each group separately.
These multiple groups can either come on the same day (using staggered arrival/departure times) or on separate dates depending on your transportation options. However, no more than 1 group can be at/inside the facility at any given time with the exception of exchanging students on/off buses.
If your transportation budget is limited and your organization is within a reasonable distance to/from the ComEd facility, consider staggering your groups with start times at least 2 hours apart to utilize the same bus.
Example: [9am] Group 1 is dropped off at ComEd and the same bus then returns to school/org to pick up Group 2. [10:30-11am] Group 2 is dropped off at ComEd and the same bus reloads with Group 1 to return to school/org. [12:30-1pm] The same empty bus arrives back at ComEd again to pick up Group 2 to return to school/org.
Option 2 – Consider the ComEd Powering Lives Community Center as an alternative.
The experience is comparable to the Smart Energy Hub’s content and is recommended for Grades 6+. Howevever, groups as young as 4th grade have had good experiences at the PLCC. The interactive content does require reading that may be challenging (in general) for groups younger than 6th grade. For more information to see if this experience may be an alternative for your group, please visit:
https://FieldTripFactory.Org/ComEd-PLCC
If neither of those first two options fit your group(s), you likely need to think about an alternative experience.
If your large group size is very close to 32 students (and we mean close, like 33, 34-ish) – then go ahead and select the Field Trip Type = Large Group > 32 Students during the booking process. We’ll contact you and let you know if the request can be met. However, this means some students will have to wait and rotate with other students at various experiences at the Smart Energy Hub.
Option 1 – Break into smaller groups of 7-50 students and book each group separately.
These multiple groups can either come on the same day (using staggered arrival/departure times) or on separate dates depending on your transportation options.
The PLCC is a large facility. However, large groups are asked to divide into sub groups stagger their walking entrance to prevent bottlenecks (e.g. If the total group is 50 students, then Group A of 25 students enters while Group B of 25 students waits 5 minutes on the bus and then enters).
If your transportation budget is limited and your organization is within a reasonable distance to/from the ComEd facility, consider staggering your groups with start times at least 2 hours apart to utilize the same bus.
Example: [9am] Group 1 is dropped off at ComEd and the same bus then returns to school/org to pick up Group 2. [10:30-11am] Group 2 is dropped off at ComEd and the same bus reloads with Group 1 to return to school/org. [12:30-1pm] The same empty bus arrives back at ComEd again to pick up Group 2 to return to school/org.
If these scenarios do not fit your group(s), you likely need to think about an alternative experience.
If your large group size is very close to 50 students (and we mean close, like 51, 52, 53-ish) – then go ahead and select the Field Trip Type = Large Group > 50 Students during the booking process. We’ll contact you and let you know if the request can be met.
What can you do?
FieldTripFactory.Org is constantly working to add new programming and restart old favorites!
