Field Trip Checklist

Read this page thoroughly before your field trip and refer to it on the day of your trip to the Science Museum of Minnesota. Share this page with other teachers in your group.

Museum Manners

A few rules to assure a safe and fun trip for everyone (including teachers and chaperones!) Review with students and chaperones.

• Respect others in your group and other museum visitors
• Use indoor voices
• No climbing on exhibits
• No food or drink outside of lunch area
• Walk in the museum—no running
• Teachers and chaperones must stay with their groups at all times.

In the infrequent event that a student's behavior is disruptive to others, museum staff will ask for additional assistance from teachers and chaperones for the group. In extreme situations, museum staff reserves the right to ask the students to leave the museum.

One week before your trip

• Review your reservations.
• Confirm that the times for your scheduled activities are correct.
• Groups must have space reservations to bring and eat a brown bag lunch at the museum or eat in the museum's restaurants.
• If anyone in your group has special accommodation needs, which were not arranged when making the reservation, call (651) 221-9444 or (800) 221-9444 now.
• Check on bus reservation and schedule.
• Obtain one check, payable to the Science Museum of Minnesota. Discount coupons are not valid for school groups, but you can use Science Museum memberships. List the membership numbers on the Attendance and Admission form (enclosed in your field trip packet) to give to the box office with your payment. Member totals within the group must be accurately reported before final payment is made. Any adjustments will be made in the form of vouchers for a future visit.
• Complete pre-visit classroom activities that integrate your classroom unit(s) with the museum visit.
• Review schedule and plans for the museum trip with your students
• Review Museum Manners. Share behavior expectations and generate your own trip guidelines. Students and chaperones must stay together at all times.
• Make copies of the bus driver map for each driver.
• Assemble a packet to bring with you:
  • copy of the field trip contract
  • bus driver map
  • list of students and chaperones
  • group and bus assignments
  • map of the museum
  • schedule of the day
  • any activity sheets you will use
• Confirm chaperones. The Science Museum of Minnesota requires a minimum of one chaperone, 21 years or older, for every 10 students. Without this minimum, all teachers and chaperones will be charged for admission. Students and chaperones must stay together at all times.

Before leaving school

• Meet with chaperones to review schedule, introduce students, share expectations, Museum Manners.
• Get accurate count of students, Science Museum members, chaperones and complete the Attendance and Admission form (enclosed in your field trip packet).
• Backpacks are not allowed in the exhibit galleries. Collect lunches in boxes or grocery bags. Lunch storage space is limited, so discourage individual coolers. Gather each chaperone's group lunches together. Label each box or grocery bag with the school, teacher name, chaperone and/or group name and ask chaperones to distribute at lunchtime. Lunch periods are 25 minutes.
• Distribute student nametags, with school name and student's first name.

On arrival

To speed up your admission to the museum, please follow these instructions carefully.

• Arrive at least 30 minutes before your first scheduled activity.
• Direct your bus driver to the Education Entrance. Remind the driver to pick up at the same site at the scheduled time of departure. (Buses may not park in the bus turnaround.)
• The adult with the payment check should go directly to school box office in the Education Entrance. If the actual student count is less than your reservation, vouchers will be issued for a future visit. No refunds will be processed.
• Everyone else should follow the museum greeter's directions. The museum greeter will meet you and direct you to lunch and coat storage and help you find your first activity. Coat space is limited—leave coats on the bus if possible. There is no space to store backpacks at the museum and they are not allowed in the exhibit galleries, so make arrangements to leave them at school.
• Place your school's clearly marked lunches as directed by the museum greeter. Follow directions from the greeter about picking up lunches at your scheduled lunch time. Lunch space must be reserved in advance.

Enjoy your day! We are here to assist you.

Questions?
Call (651) 221-9444 or (800) 221-9444