Facilitated Field Trips
Facilitated School Group Experiences
During a Facilitated Field Trip at the Anchorage Museum, student groups will explore, reflect, build, and create. We use broad topics to guide these facilitated experiences which include at least two of the following: facilitated discussion in a museum gallery, building and creating activity, and/or a planetarium show. These packages may also include time to free explore in one to two gallery spaces of choice and time for students to enjoy a packed lunch in the museum Atrium.
We offer Facilitated field trips on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays starting at 10 a.m. Facilitated Field Trips are $10 per student and $10 per chaperone. Educators and staff may receive free admission with their staff ID badge. Title 1 school groups are $8 per student. Chaperones, educators, and staff receive free admission.
Field Trips must be scheduled at least 2 weeks in advance of the requested program date. All Field Trips require 1 chaperone per 5 elementary and middle school students and 1 chaperone for every 10 high school students.
A minimum of 10 students is required for facilitated programming.
Pre K-1st Grade |
2nd-8th Grade |
9th-12th Grade |
Offerings
Climate Change
Examine our changing climate. Students will learn about the impacts of climate change in Alaska and consider how humans and animals may adapt to the new challenges presented by global warming. Through hands-on activities and interactive science-based inquiry, students will build problem-solving skills and develop approaches to scientific thinking.
Learn how a changing climate affects water and fisheries. Follow the water cycle with a planetarium program and follow salmon from streams to sea and back again with an interactive activity. Join a museum educator-led gallery experience in the Art of the North to learn about fishing technologies and practices across time.
Duration: 3.75 Hours
Includes: Orientation, self-guided time in the Discovery Center, H2O Cycle planetarium program, interactive salmon cycle activity, museum educator-led gallery experience in Art of the North, and time for lunch
Activities support NGSS: 2-LS4-1, 3-LS4-3, 3-LS4-4, 3-LS1-1, 3-LS4-2, 4-LS1-1, 4-LS1-2
Learn about permafrost and its impacts on Alaska's northern built environment. Experience the challenge of building on permafrost and how structures react as it melts. In the Alaska exhibition, take a close look at the unique innovations necessary for the construction of the Alaska pipeline in our dynamic northern environment.
Duration: 3 Hours
Includes: Orientation, museum educator-led gallery experience in the Alaska Exhibition, hands-on permafrost activity, self-guided time in the Discovery Center, and time for lunch
Activities support NGSS: 3-5-ETS1-1, 3-5-ETS1-2, 3-5-ETS1-3, 5-ESS2-1, 5-ESS3-1, MS-ETS1-1, MS-ETS1-2, MS-ETS1-3, MS-ETS1-4, MS-LS1-6, MS-LS2-5, MS-ESS3-3, MS-ESS3-4
Learn about how humans and animals are coping with the disappearance of sea ice. In the planetarium film, A Place Like No Other, delve into current science about the impacts of climate change in Alaska. Students build critical thinking skills through an engaging, interactive activity. Examine the ice-bound lives of the walrus and polar bear in a museum educator-led gallery experience in Art of the North.
Duration: 4 Hours
Includes: Orientation, A Place Like No Other planetarium program, participatory activity, museum educator-led gallery experience in Art of the North, self-guided time in the Discovery Center, and time for lunch
Activities support NGSS: HS-LS2-6, HS-LS2-7, HS-LS2-8, HS-LS4-6, HS-ESS2-2, HS-ESS2-5, HS-ESS2-4, HS-ESS3-5, HS-ESS3-1, HS-ESS3-6
Meet a live reptile and learn about animals and their basic needs. Students will create an object or experience to enhance the lives of the museum's animals.
Duration: 2.5 Hours
Includes: Orientation, museum educator-led activities, self-guided time in the Discovery Center, and time for lunch
Reptile Life and Inventing activity supports NGSS: K-LS1-1, K-ESS3-1, 1-LS1-2, 2-LS4-1, K-2-ETS1-1, K-2-ETS1-2, K-2-ETS1-3
Students learn about the history and forces behind flight through the planetarium program Flight Adventures. In CoLab, students will experience the engineering process as they prototype their own flying crafts.
Duration: 2.5 Hours
Includes: Orientation, Flight Adventures planetarium program, museum educator-led activity in CoLab, self-guided time in the Discovery Center, and time for lunch
Flight Adventures planetarium program and activity supports NGSS: 3-PS2-1, 3-PS2-2, 3-5-ETS1-1, 3-5-ETS1-2, 3-5-ETS1-3 , MS-ETS1-1, MS-ETS1-2, MS-ETS1-3, MS-ETS1-4, MS-PS2-2
Investigate the ways humans have traveled across Alaska's diverse landscapes with a museum educator-led gallery experience in the Alaska Exhibition. In CoLab, students will experience the engineering process as they prototype their own travel method.
Duration: 2.5 Hours
Includes: Orientation, museum educator-led gallery experience in the Alaska Exhibition, engineering activity in CoLab, self-guided time in the Discovery Center, and time for lunch
CoLab activity supports NGSS: 3-5-ETS1-1, 3-5-ETS1-2, 3-5-ETS1-3, MS-ETS1-3, MS-ETS1-2
Students learn about conservation of energy and momentum, and how NASA utilizes planets to aid in spacecraft exploration through the planetarium program Gravity Assist. In CoLab, students experience the engineering process with a hands-on activity.
Duration: 2.5 Hours
Includes: Orientation, Gravity Assist planetarium program, museum educator-led activity in CoLab, self-guided time in the Discovery Center, and time for lunch
Gravity Assist planetarium program and CoLab activity supports NGSS: HS-PS2-2, HS-PS3-1, HS-PS3-2, HS-PS3-3, HS-ETS1-2, HS-ETS1-3
Northern Waters
Investigate the innovative technologies designed to navigate Alaska’s streams, rivers, lakes, and oceans without getting wet. Students will examine cultural materials to develop an understanding of how Alaska’s waters shape lifestyles and will foster critical thinking skills through hands-on activities.
Through a museum educator-led gallery experience, the Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center, students look closely at primary sources showcasing innovative technologies Alaska Native peoples create to navigate Alaska’s waters and participate in a hands-on activity. In the Discovery Center, students meet live aquatic animals at the Intertidal Tank and learn about tidepools in Alaska.
Duration: 3 Hours
Orientation, museum educator-led gallery experience, hands-on activity, museum educator-led activity with animal encounter in Alaska Marine Life, self-guided time in the Discovery Center, and time for lunch.
Northern Waters gallery experience supports Alaska Content Standards: AH.PPE 1, AH.PPE 2, GEOG.B1, HIST.A 8, Arts.A 1, Arts.C 5
Through a museum educator-led gallery experience in the Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center and Alaska Exhibition, students look closely at primary sources showcasing innovative technologies Alaska Native peoples create to navigate Alaska’s waters. Learn how water on Earth is connected in the Water Cycle planetarium program followed by an interactive activity where students learn about tidepools and meet live aquatic animals.
Duration: 3.5 Hours
Orientation, museum educator-led gallery experience, Water Cycle planetarium program and museum educator-led activity with animal encounter in Alaska Marine Life, self-guided time in the Discovery Center, and time for lunch
Northern Waters gallery experience supports Alaska Content Standards: AH.PPE 1, AH.PPE 2, GEOG.B1, HIST.A 8, Arts.A 1, Arts.C 5
Water Cycle planetarium program and Alaska Marine Life supports NGSS: K-ESS3-1, 2-LS4-1, 2-ESS2-3, 3-LS3-2
Through a museum educator-led gallery experience in the Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center, students look closely at primary sources showcasing innovative technologies Alaska Native peoples create to navigate the waters of Alaska. Students learn about Alaska tidepool habitats and meet live aquatic animals with a museum educator.
Duration: 3.0 Hours
Orientation, museum educator-led gallery experience, museum educator-led activity with animal encounter in Alaska Marine Life, self-guided time in the Discovery Center, and time for lunch
Northern Waters gallery experience supports Alaska Content Standards: AH.PPE 1, AH.PPE 2, GEOG.B1, HIST.A 8, Arts.A 1, Arts.C 5
Alaska Marine Life supports NGSS: 4-LS1-1, 5-LS1-2, MS-LS2-1, MS-LS2
Through a museum educator-led gallery experience in the Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center and Art of the North, students look closely at primary sources showcasing innovative technologies Alaska Native peoples create to navigate Alaska’s waters. Students meet live aquatic animals to learn about the adaptations of Alaska tidepool creatures and how climate change is impacting these ecosystems.
Duration: 3.0 Hours
Includes: Orientation, museum educator-led gallery experience, museum educator-led activity with animal encounter in Alaska Marine Life, self-guided time in the Discovery Center, and time for lunch.
Northern Waters gallery experience supports Alaska Content Standards: AH.PPE 1, AH.PPE 2, GEOG.B1, HIST.A 8, Arts.A 1, Arts.C 5
Alaska Marine Life experience supports NGSS: MS-LS1-4, MS-LS2-1, MS-LS2-4
In a museum educator-led gallery experience in Art of the North, students draw connections between art, sound, and their sense of place through the lens of soundscape ecology. Students create their own soundscapes and learn about sound using different instruments in a hands-on activity.
Duration: 3 Hours
Includes: Orientation, hands-on activity, museum educator-led gallery experience, self-guided time in the
Discovery Center, and time for lunch
Soundscapes supports NGSS: K-ESS3-1, 1-PS4-1, 2-LS4-1
Through a museum educator-led gallery experience in Art of the North, students learn about soundscape ecology at the intersection of art, identity, and sound. Students build understanding of scientific approaches through a sound-based interactive activity.
Duration: 3 Hours
Includes: Orientation, interactive activity, museum educator-led gallery experience, self-guided time in the
Discovery Center, and time for lunch
Global Soundscapes planetarium program and activity supports NGSS: 3-LS4-4, 4-PS4-1, MS-PS4-1, MS-LS2-2
Students are introduced to the field of soundscape ecology with a live planetarium program. Students build understanding of scientific approaches through a sound-based interactive activity.
Duration: 3 Hours
Includes: Orientation, Global Soundscapes planetarium program, museum educator-led activity, self-guided time in the Discovery Center, and time for lunch
Global Soundscapes planetarium program and activity supports NGSS: 3-LS4-4, 4-PS4-1, MS-PS4-1, MS-LS2-2
Students are introduced to the field of soundscape ecology with a planetarium program. Students learn about current soundscape ecology research and develop their own soundscape ecology research questions and hypotheses, building approaches to scientific thinking.
Duration: 3 Hours
Includes: Orientation, Global Soundscapes planetarium program, museum educator-led activity, self-guided time in the Discovery Center, and time for lunch
Global Soundscapes planetarium program and activity support NGSS: HS-PS4-1, HS-LS2-6
Investigate our night sky in an immersive program in the planetarium and learn about the North Star, Big Dipper, Sun and Moon. In a hands-on activity, students will experience what it is like to be an astronaut.
Duration: 2 .5 Hours
Includes: Orientation, planetarium program and participatory activity, self-guided time in the Discovery Center, and time for lunch
Learn about the interactions between the earth, moon and sun through a live planetarium program and discover why we have days, nights and seasons with a hands-on activity. Examine our place on Earth with an interactive mapping activity.
Duration: 3 Hours
Includes: Orientation, planetarium program, hands-on activities, self-guided time in the Discovery Center, and time for lunch
Planetarium program and activity supports NGSS: 1-PS4-2, 1-ESS1-1, 1-ESS1-2, 2-ESS2-3
Students learn what objects are in our night sky and how what we see changes based on location and time in a live planetarium program and hands-on activity. Examine our place on Earth with an interactive mapping activity.
Duration: 3.5 Hours
Includes: Orientation, live planetarium program, hands-on activity, self-guided time in the Discovery Center, and time for lunch
Live planetarium program and interactive activity supports NGSS: 5-PS2-1, 5-ESS1-1
Explore the scale of the solar system in a live planetarium program and make a pocket-size solar system in a hands-on activity.
Duration: 3 Hours
Includes: Orientation, planetarium program, hands-on activity, self-guided time in the Discovery Center, and time for lunch
Live planetarium program and participatory activity supports NGSS: MS-PS2-4, MS-ESS1-1, MS-ESS1-2, MS-ESS1-3
Place self-guided experience supports Alaska Content Standards: AH.PPE1, AH.PPE2, AH.ICGP2, ARTS.C5
Students traverse the universe to learn more about our perspective and the relative “place in space” in a live planetarium program and interactive activity.
Duration: 3.5 Hours
Includes: Orientation, live planetarium program, interactive activity, self-guided time in the Discovery Center, and time for lunch
Live planetarium program and participatory activity supports NGSS: HS-ESS1-1, HS-ESS1-4, HS-ESS2-7
Examine the history of Alaska’s earthquakes during a museum educator-led gallery experience in the Alaska Exhibition. Learn about the engineering process by working to design structures that can withstand an earthquake. Find patterns in scientific maps to find out the earth processes that drive earthquakes.
Duration: 3 Hours
Includes: Orientation, self-guided time in the Discovery Center, interactive plate tectonics and engineering activities, museum educator-led gallery experience at Alaska Exhibition, and time for lunch
Hands-on map activity and CoLab activity supports NGSS: 3-5-ETS1-1, 3-5-ETS1-2, 3-5-ETS1-3, MS-ETS1-3, MS-ETS1-2, MS-ESS2-2, MS-ESS2-3, MS-ESS3-2
Practice map-reading skills while learning about the underlying earth processes surrounding earthquakes. Investigate the history of earthquakes around the world in the planetarium. Learn about the engineering process by working to design structures that can withstand an earthquake.
Includes: Orientation, self-guided time in the Discovery Center, Planetarium show, plate tectonics activity, and museum educator-led plate tectonics and engineering activities, and time for lunch
Planetarium show, hands-on map activity and CoLab activity supports NGSS: HS-PS2-2, HS-PS3-1, HS-PS3-2, HS-PS3-3, HS-ETS1-2, HS-ETS1-3, HS-ESS1-5, HS-ESS2-1, HS-ESS2-3
Through a museum educator-led gallery experience in Art of the North, students will examine how artists represent Alaska and the North through multimedia works. Students will learn about the science of color by experimenting with light and pigment.
Duration: 2.5 Hours
Includes: Orientation, museum educator-led gallery experience, hands-on activity, self-guided time in the Discovery Center, and time for lunch
Art of the North gallery experience supports: (ALASKA CONTENT STANDARDS) Arts.A1, Arts.B1, Arts.B2, Arts.C4, Geog.B1, Geog.B7, Hist.A5, Hist.A8
Additional Resources
The Anchorage Museum offers a range of online resources and publications that you can use from home, selectable by grade level and topic. Explore resources for teaching and learning.
ART: DENALI/DENIAL
Examine the artwork Denali/Denial by Chris Jordan with 7th-grade students.
BELONGING
Explore the idea of belonging through artworks created by artists who have made Alaska their home with K12 students.
SCIENCE PASSPORT: HOME EDITION
Explore the world of science in and around your home. Use this passport to mark the scientific adventures you discover in your everyday spaces.
NORTHERN WATERS
Dive into the northern waters of Alaska with K12 students
CITIZEN SCIENCE: REPEAT PHOTOGRAPHY
Learn about repeat photography and then be a citizen scientist by participating in the Anchorage Museum’s repeat photography project.
TWENTY QUESTIONS
Delve deeply by using this deck of twenty questions to ask any museum object with K-12 students.
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS
The Anchorage Museum is grateful to our generous sponsors for supporting our mission and making virtual field trips in the 2022-23 school year possible for students and educators across Alaska.
