Groups & Field Trips

The Museum provides children with hands-on learning opportunities to develop their understanding of the shared built environment and empower them in shaping that environment.

School groups can take field trips on MondaysWednesdaysThursdays, and Fridays. Please note that the Museum Exhibitions are closed on Wednesdays for self-exploration.

Choose from 3 Levels of Experiences:

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1

Explore

Bring students to self-guide the exhibitions (no facilitation)

Cost: $5 per student, 1 free adult for every 5 students (additional adults are $5)

Title I schools: $3 per student, 1 free adult for every 5 students (additional adults are $5)

2

Discover

Book a 45-minute lesson facilitated by a Museum Educator. Does not include full exhibition access. Choose from the programs below.

Scene from the fairy tale The Three Little Pigs. Three little pigs stand near their houses made of stone, straw, wood, and an angry, hungry wolf walks nearby. Funny cartoon characters.

3 Little Pigs (grades K3-K)

Using interactive storytelling of this classic tale, children will learn the parts of a house, the strength of different materials, and how we choose materials for a structure.

Cost: $50 per group (max 20 students)

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Discover Building Stories (grades K4-3)

Our newest exhibition, Building Stories, connects children’s storybooks and the built world through a series of unexpected, playful, and visually inspiring installations. Guided by a museum educator, this program will immerse students in a place where literacy and architecture intersect.

Cost: $150 per group (max 20 students)

Title I schools: $75 per group

Limited availability: this program is only available on Wednesdays or Thursdays at 9am and Fridays at 9am.

3

Engage

Book a two-hour program facilitated by a Museum Educator for a maximum of 50 students in one trip (more students may be accommodated depending on the spaces available on the date requested). Includes self-guided exhibition access before or after the two-hour program. Choose from one of the programs below.

Cost: $225 per package (one package is required for every 25 students; 1 adult is required for every 10 children and 1 adult is free for every 5 children; additional adults are $5)

Title I schools: $125 per package

School Programs GreenXdesign

My House, My Home (grades K4-1)

Students will explore the process, tools, and materials used to construct homes before building a home of their own. Guided by a museum educator, students begin to see connections between school curriculum and their own community. This program is available for students ages 4 and up.

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Patterns, Patterns Everywhere (grades K3-1)

Our built environment is made up of combinations of patterns. By learning to recognize shapes and patterns in the built environment, students will become better equipped to “read” buildings and their surroundings, and understand the meanings and associations that building forms are meant to convey.

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City by Design (grades 1-6)

Students will become city planners for the day as they design their own model city. Students consider the problems a city can have and offer solutions by planning their own community. They use their imaginations to design and construct model buildings for the city using colorful supplies and recycled materials. This program meets content standards for social studies, language arts, technological literacy, and visual arts.

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Arches & Trusses & Bridges (grades 3-8)

Students will assume the role of an architect to investigate how materials, invisible forces, geographic factors, cost, and aesthetics work together to form stable and safe structures. The knowledge they construct during the program can also be used to analyze other buildings and bridges they encounter in the future.

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Designing for Disaster (grades 3-8)

Recent natural disasters continue to underscore the importance of preparing for and understanding the way in which structures respond during natural hazards. In this program, students will learn about methods engineers have devised to create earthquake resilient buildings, then construct and test their own buildings using a shake table.

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Coming in early 2025 – Build Your Story

A two-hour program that involves exploring the Building Stories exhibit and making a hands-on craft.