MARENGO — Science came to life beneath the earth’s surface on Tuesday as third-grade students from Lincoln Elementary School embarked on an educational field trip to Marengo Cave National Natural Landmark.
Led by teachers Jamie Hooten and Wendy Butterfield, the Bedford students traded their traditional classroom setup for hard hats and flashlight beams to study southern Indiana’s rich geological history up close.
During the guided walking tours, students ventured through subterranean chambers filled with delicate geological formations. Cave guides walked the classes through the winding passages of the historic cavern, which was first discovered by two local children in September 1883.
Throughout the trip, the third graders learned about key Earth science concepts, including:
- Speleothem Formation: Students gained a hands-on understanding of how mineral-rich water creates cave features over thousands of years. Guides shared the famous memory trick to help students distinguish between stalagmites (which grow up from the ground) and stalactites (which hang tight from the ceiling). Brook and Holler
- Unique Speleothems: The classes observed rare formations such as “soda straws”—hollow, tube-like stalactites—along with massive flowstone deposits, totem poles, and delicate draperies lining the passage walls. Marengo Cave
- Karst Geology: Students learned how rainwater absorbing carbon dioxide becomes slightly acidic, dissolving the region’s underlying limestone bedrock over a million years to form vast cave systems and underground rivers.
- Cave Ecosystems: The tour highlighted the unique, lightless environment inside the cavern, introducing students to cave ecology, native wildlife, and the importance of preserving fragile subterranean habitats.
The field trip provided the students with a memorable hands-on extension of their third-grade science curriculum, blending local history with active geological exploration before the classes returned to Bedford.
