FREE & Discounted Programs
FREE SCHOOL YEAR SELF-GUIDED VISITS through March 2024
Funding for the Title 1 School programs below has ended for 2024.
Bring a world of hands-on learning and discovery to your students at The Children's Museum of New Hampshire with a School Year Self-Guided Visit! For Title 1 Schools in NH, these visits are always FREE! Schedule a FREE Self-Guided Group Visit for a date before the end of March 2024, and with a minimum of 12 students and 4 adult (parent or teacher) chaperones and a MAXIMUM of 60 students plus up to 12 adult chaperones. If this applies to your school, please choose the "MIR Self-Guided Group Visit" price type when booking to reserve a date/time for $0. Once we receive your reservation we will confirm that you are from a Title 1 school. Please note that we will still need you to answer the questions about number of participants, etc.
Time: Please note these free visits have ended for Spring 2024. Available during the school year. Must book your visit for a date before the end of March 2024. Self-Guided Group Visits last for two hours, 9:30-11:30am and are offered Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, or Fridays.
Bus Reimbursement: For in-person visits, half of the cost of busing, up to $200 is reimbursed by the museum.
Required: Please note these free visits have ended for Spring 2024. Must be scheduled in advance. All groups are required to have one adult (parent or teacher) chaperone for every five students visiting the museum. Any additional chaperones will need to pay normal museum admission, separate from the group >>
THESE VISITS ARE CALLED "MUSEUM-IN-REACH" VISITS AND ARE FREE FOR NH TITLE 1 SCHOOLS (October - March only)
To Book: Please note these free visits have ended for Spring 2024. Click here to see what dates are available. Please choose the "MIR Self-Guided Group Visit" price type when booking to reserve a date/time for $0. Once we receive your reservation we will confirm that you are from a Title 1 school. Please note that we will still need you to answer the questions about number of participants, etc. If you have questions, call 603-742-2002 and ask for Emily Zaleski. If you need an invoice sent to you, we are happy to provide that. Please email Emily at ezaleski@childrens-museum.org as soon as possible if you need an invoice.
Eating Arrangements:
Food and beverages are not permitted within the Children's Museum of New Hampshire at this time. During the warmer weather months, groups are welcome to bring bag lunches to eat at the outdoor picnic tables or amphitheater in Henry Law Park before or after their scheduled time in the museum.
Chaperones:
All groups are required to have one adult chaperone, whether a parent or teacher, for every five students visiting the museum. Any additional chaperones beyond this ratio will be charged regular admission to the museum. (They may use discount programs if applicable but there is not a discount for attending with the group). Please divide up your students into groups before arriving at the museum so each student knows which group they belong to ("Group A, follow Mis McRae. Group B, it's time to line up" etc.) Adults, please instruct your students (and adult chaperones) that they will need to stay with their groups at all times during their visit. Students are not allowed to roam the museum alone during a field trip.
Masks:
The Children's Museum of New Hampshire welcomes mask wearing, but does not require it.
Drop-in Programs:
Due to the discounted rate of group visits, special drop-in activities happening at the Museum that are available for regular visitors, are not available for groups. If you would like a special activity during your visit, consider booking an educator-led STEAM Workshop visit for your group.
Accessibility:
The Children's Museum of New Hampshire is equipped with both an elevator and ramp access between the two floors of exhibits. The Children's Museum of New Hampshire also has accessible bathrooms, parking and a designated drop-off zone for visitors with disabilities. If you have any questions about accessibility, please email xanthi@childrens-museum.org.
Cancellations:
If you need to cancel your Self-Guided Group Visit, please do so at least two weeks in advance. We will make every effort to reschedule Group Visits that are canceled due to poor weather conditions.
Orientation:
Watch this short 3 minute orientation video with your students before visiting, so everyone knows what to expect and what the rules are at the museum. Please note that we aren't currently offering lunch or snack breaks for visiting groups inside the museum.
FREE VIRTUAL PROGRAMS
Funding for the free virutal programs below has ended for 2024.
A sneak peak at our "Engineering a Fairytale" virtual program
Bring STEAM to your students with four pre-recorded workshops led by a Museum educator (with optional materials shipped to your school)! Designed for K-5th grade classes of up to 25 students. Choose from:
Nocturnal Animals: Learn about nocturnal animals and the adaptations that help them survive.
Engineer a Fairy Tale: Explore the engineering design process through creative problem-solving and building challenges
All About Flight: Learn about the physics of flight and the diverse aviation heroes who have made flight possible. Make flying contraptions to try out.
Finding Science in Folk Tales: Investigate animal science through popular folktales and legends through storytelling and related science activities.
What to expect
Each program includes hands-on experiments and activities that can be done in the classroom or at home.
Short videos allow students to see the museum exhibits while learning about each topic, and try experiments and activities on their own.
Each hands-on activity comes with instruction sheets.
Our programs are NOT live. This allows teachers to go through videos and projects at their own pace, and to show videos more than once if needed, pause, and rewind. Between possible technology glitches, scheduling, and students learning both in the classroom and at home, the education team chose this format because it would be the best option to allow teachers flexibility in their program options and needs.
Is it really FREE?
YES, but these programs are no longer available for Spring 2024 as funding has ended. Thanks to funding from The Lincoln Financial Foundation, the Children's Museum of New Hampshire is offering one of these four Virtual Programs, including materials, to NH, Maine, or Mass Title 1 elementary school classrooms for free on a first come, first served basis.
How do I sign up?
Please reach out to Meredith Brustlin at meredith@childrens-museum.org
Q. When will I receive the videos and materials for activities?
A. The digital materials will arrive as soon as you can coordinate with our Education Department. To have materials shipped directly to your schools in bulk from Amazon please book at least two weeks in advance.
Q. How will you send the videos?
A. We will email you a Google Drive folder to access the video links and written instruction sheets for the activities. You do not need a Google account to access this folder. Videos will be linked to private YouTube pages. Activity sheets will be able to be printed to distribute or saved as PDFs and emailed for students learning at home. Please note: When you book these virtual programs, you are agreeing to offer these videos for your classroom use only. Do not copy or share videos with other classrooms.
Q. How can I share the videos with students who are learning at home?
A. We are asking that teachers find a way to share the videos that is somewhat private. Since many schools are paying for this service, we want to do our best to make sure the videos are not shared "far and wide" free of charge. There are a few options to do this:
Email the video links and PDF instructions to students
Use Google Classroom or a similar platform to share the video links with your students
Use screen sharing on a video call to show the videos
The materials will be in bulk and can be divided into kits for students learning from home. Each activity sheet has a supply list, so students may also use materials they already have at home.
Q. I'm not getting the activity materials, will there be written information about how to do the project to accompany the videos?
A. Yes! Each project has an activity sheet that lists materials needed, directions, and questions to inspire children to think beyond the lesson content! The materials needed for projects should all be fairly easy to find at home.
A sneak peak at our "Nocturnal Animals" virtual program
DISCOUNTED School Year Group Visit + STEAM Workshops
Funding for these discounted School Year Group Visit + STEAM Workshops below has ended for 2024.
Bring the world of science and inquiry to your students, Grades K-5, with the Children's Museum of NH's S.T.E.A.M. Innovation Lab (Science Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math). S.T.E.A.M. Workshop visits include a 2-hour visit to the museum featuring a variety of creative science inquiry based activities related to the Next Gen Science Crosscutting Concepts (lesson time = 30-40 minutes) plus free exploration within the Children's Museum of New Hampshire. Group Visits + STEAM Workshops can be scheduled for groups of (minimum) 12 Students + 5 Adults, and (maximum) 65 Students + 13 Adults.
Time: Please note these discounted visits have ended for Spring 2024. Each visit runs from 9:30am-Noon, Tuesdays, Thursdays, or Fridays. Group visits are not available during February or April NH, MA & ME school vacation weeks.
Required: Please note these discounted visits have ended for Spring 2024.Visit must be scheduled in advance. One adult chaperone (parent or teacher) for every 5 children. Any additional chaperones will need to pay normal museum admission, separate from the group >>
Title 1 School Fees: Group Visit + STEAM Workshops are tiered flat rates based on the number of participants. Adults are included in this count.
Thanks to support from the Lincoln Financial Foundation we can offer Title 1 Schools discounts on Group Visits + STEAM Learning Labs
12-25 Title 1 Students + 5 Adults: $140
26-40 Title 1 Students +8 Adults: $220
41-65 Students + 13 Adults: $340
These fees for Title 1 school visits are not eligible for the 20% Fall 2023 promotional discount.
1-to-1 Aides are always free and do not count towards the total Adult Chaperones.
Adult chaperones are any adults (parent or teacher) who will accompany the students during the field trip.
For Title 1 Schools, we also reimburse 50% of bus costs for these visits, up to a maximum of $200.
Title 1 Schools must schedule their reduced cost visits for a date before the end of March 2024.
To book: Please note these discounted visits have ended for Spring 2024. A $50 deposit is required to reserve your date. If you are unable to pay the deposit online with a credit card, please email ezaleski@childrens-museum.org and request to reserve a date/time with a check through the mail. The balance is due at least two weeks in advance of your schedule visit. Please call 603-742-2002 and ask for Emily Zaleski to pay your balance. If you need an invoice sent to you, we are happy to provide that. Please email Emily at ezaleski@childrens-museum.org as soon as possible if you need an invoice.
Eating Arrangements:
Food and beverages are not permitted within the Children's Museum of New Hampshire at this time. During the warmer weather months, groups are welcome to bring bag lunches to eat at the outdoor picnic tables or amphitheater in Henry Law Park before or after their scheduled time in the museum.
Chaperones:
All groups are required to have one adult chaperone, whether a parent or teacher, for every five students visiting the museum. Any additional chaperones beyond this ratio will be charged regular admission to the museum. (They may use discount programs if applicable but there is not a discount for attending with the group). Please divide up your students into groups before arriving at the museum so each student knows which group they belong to ("Group A, follow Mis McRae. Group B, it's time to line up" etc.) Adults, please instruct your students (and adult chaperones) that they will need to stay with their groups at all times during their visit. Students are not allowed to roam the museum alone during a field trip.
Masks:
Masking is optional when visiting the Children's Museum of New Hampshire
Drop-in Programs:
Due to the discounted rate of group visits, special drop-in activities happening at the Museum that are available for regular visitors, are not available for groups.
Accessibility:
The Children's Museum of New Hampshire is equipped with both an elevator and ramp access between the two floors of exhibits. The Children's Museum of New Hampshire also has accessible bathrooms, parking and a designated drop-off zone for visitors with disabilities. If you have any questions about accessibility, please email xanthi@childrens-museum.org.
Cancellations:
If you need to cancel your Self-Guided Group Visit, please do so at least two weeks in advance. We will make every effort to reschedule Group Visits that are canceled due to poor weather conditions. The Children's Museum of New Hampshire does not provide refunds on the $50 deposit.
Orientation:
Watch this short 3 minute orientation video with your students before visiting, so everyone knows what to expect and what the rules are at the museum. Please note that we aren't currently offering lunch or snack breaks for visiting groups inside the museum.
SCIENCE & MATH
Flight: Pushes and Pulls, Grades 1 - 5
Learn all about the forces of flight in this build-and-test lab. This lesson concludes with each student trying out a flying contraption of their own design in our Build It. Fly It. exhibit!
All About Patterns, Grades K - 2
Learn about symmetry, shapes & tessellations while you explore basic foundations of math and create a pattern project to take home with you.
Digging Dinosaurs, Grades K - 4
Explore the Scientific Method by pretending to be a paleontologist! Dig into a mini dinosaur fossil site with other "scientists in training" and identify the dinosaur that has been unearthed.
Engineer a Fairytale - Grades 1-5
Travel around to different stations and solve fairytale themed engineering challenges like making a sturdy house for the three little pigs, crafting a tin foil boat to help the gingerbread man escape, and building bridges for the three billy goats gruff.
Science of Sound, Grades 1-5
Experiment with sound – how do we make it, how do we hear it, how does it travel, and what’s the science behind it?
ECOLOGY & THE GREAT OUTDOORS
Nocturnal Animals, Grades K - 5
This lesson introduces nocturnal animals through hands-on activities and experiments. Students will learn about the special senses these animals have to help them survive at night, and make a project to take home.
Birds, Beaks, and Adaptations - Grades 1-5
Would a woodpecker be able to gather food in a pond? How successful would a duck be gathering food on a prairie? Find out in this hands on lab all about bird beak adaptations.
River Builders, Grades 1 - 5
Discover the many creatures that build along and within the river through interactive observation. Students will learn how different creatures build, why and where they build, as well as how the river ecosystem supports these builders.
HISTORY & WORLD CULTURES
World Celebrations, Grades 1 - 5
Using artifacts from different cultures students will explore what makes our culture and other cultures unique. Discover and compare everyday items, food, and customs from around the world as you explore actual artifacts from the museum's collection.
Gyotaku Fish Printing - Grades 1-5
Learn about the Japanese art of Gyotaku, aka Fish Printing, and make a beautiful fish print on a piece of fabric to take home.
Decorative Mask Making, Grades K - 4
Learn how masks are used during ceremonies and festivals by cultures around the world. Explore the techniques and materials used to make these works of art while creating your own unique mask to take home.