The Staten Island Museum is happy to welcome you back to in-person field trips for the 2024/2025 school year providing a wide range of STEAM-based lessons to engage students of all ages in natural science, art and history.
Available Education Programs
Each program includes a tour of the gallery connected to the theme of your lesson.
New program!
Taking Care: The Black Angels of Sea View Hospital 4th – 12th
Discover the groundbreaking work of the ‘Black Angels’, the nursing staff at Sea View Hospital in Staten Island who risked their lives to break racial barriers and care for tuberculosis patients. Step into the shoes of the nurses and imagine their experiences through a post-card writing activity.
Science
Animal Homes: Who Lives There? Pre-K – 4th
Learn about the specific adaptations plants and animals make to survive and thrive. Explore the habitats of birds, insects, reptiles, and other native species.
Biodiversity in a Stable Ecosystem 3rd – 5th
Explore the interdependent relationship between plants and animals. Design a food web to model how energy from the sun transfers through the environment to help create a stable ecosystem.
Come Fly with Me: Butterflies and Moths Pre-K – 2nd
Time to emerge and let your imaginations fly! Compare and contrast specimens and explore metamorphosis through puppets and art.
Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Pals Pre-K – 2nd
What makes a dinosaur a dinosaur? Become a paleontologist and uncover fossils to determine what they ate, how they moved, and why they are extinct. Recreate prehistoric creatures using artifacts, rubbings, and art.
A Day at the Beach Pre-K – 2nd
Feel the sand and transport your class to the beach! From native clams and oysters to the tiny seahorse and prehistoric horseshoe crab, examine specimens that thrive at the Staten Island shore.
Watch Me Grow: Plants Pre-K – 3rd
Investigate the magic of seeds! Discover how plants grow and why they are important to us. Plant your own seeds to take home and nurture.
Extinction: Then and Now 3rd – 8th
From dinosaurs, trilobites, and mastodons, to passenger pigeons, osprey, and horseshoe crabs, learn what causes extinction and what humans can do to help endangered animals.
Geo Wonders 2nd – 7th
Observe and classify rock and mineral specimens based on physical properties. Utilize the Mohs Hardness Scale while discovering local geology with hands-on access to the Museum’s collection of sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rock.
What is a “Green” Building? 6th – 8th
How does the Staten Island Museum’s building save energy and resources? Go on a guided scavenger hunt to identify some of the features that make our historic building LEED Gold certified.
Art
Art Now: Watercolor Fun Pre-K – 2nd
Experiment with paints, brushes, and basic painting techniques. Examine works of art, create watercolor paintings, and discover your hidden talents.
Romare Bearden Collage Pre-K-2nd, 3rd – 8th
Jazz-up your days with the colorful and rhythmic art of African American artist, Romare Bearden, whose brilliant work reveals memories of his 20th century childhood. Create a collage to the smooth sound of jazz.
Clementine Hunter: Memory Paintings K-8th
Explore how Clementine Hunter’s experience as a self-taught African American artist informed her subject matter and technique. Experience the artist’s work in the Opening the Treasure Box exhibition and create your own memory painting.
Portrait Art K-5th
Learn how portrait artists convey information about their subject through details like pose, props and expression. Analyze several portraits in Opening the Treasure Box exhibition and create your own portrait or self-portrait.
Staten Island SEEN: Landscape Art 2nd-5th, 6th – 8th
Discover the compositional elements of landscape painting. Discuss how the concept of landscape painting has changed by analyzing art from the Museum’s permanent collection. Create a collage masterpiece to take home.
African Masks and Masquerades 3rd – 6th
Compare and contrast masks and objects from Africa. Learn about their use in traditional culture, as well as the significance of the materials used in creating these artifacts. Visit the Opening the Treasure Box exhibition and make a mask sculpture to take home.
Ancient Greek Pottery and Archeology 3rd – 6th
Greek pottery is found in many different shapes and sizes and was designed to hold everything from olive oil to wine. Explore shapes, decoration, and stories of ancient pottery while making your own Greek vessel silhouette.
History
Land of the Lenape Pre-K-2nd, 3rd – 6th
Our unique collection of local native artifacts and authentic materials will introduce the Lenape culture and local Algonquin lifestyle through sound, sight, and touch. Learn about the challenges of survival in early Staten Island and make a traditional pinch pot to take home.
Community Workers: Whose Hat is That? Pre-K – 2nd
Identify workers and the jobs they perform in the local community through map skills, creative drama, and art.
Booking Your Field Trip to the Museum
To book a field trip for your class, please complete the Program Reservation Form. For more information, please contact [email protected] or 718-483-7135.
Available Times
Programs are 60 minutes long and offered at the museum:
10:00am & 11:30am
Fees
$150 per class in the museum building (class size is limited)
Please contact the Education Department for information on Title 1 and Special Education accommodations.
Chaperones
Museum programs require one adult chaperone for every ten students. Adult chaperones are admitted for free during programs.
Arrival Time
Plan to arrive 10 minutes before the scheduled program; the museum is not open for touring before your scheduled class. Please note that if a group is late the program may be shortened. Groups that arrive late by 30 minutes risk cancellation.
Payments
Group leaders must mail or charge a non-refundable deposit of $50 at least four weeks in advance. All balances are due on the day of the program. You may pay by credit card, check, or money order, payable to “Staten Island Museum.”
Cancellations/ Postponements
All group cancellations/postponements must be made at least 48 hours prior to the scheduled trip by contacting [email protected] at 718.483.7135. Groups that cancel with less than 48 hours notice will forfeit their deposit.
Lunch
There are no indoor lunch facilities at our site. Outdoor park areas are available, weather permitting.
To book a field trip for your class, please complete the Program Reservation Form. For more information, please contact [email protected] or 718-483-7135.