Field Trips

Photo © Tom Kates

A field trip to the Museum of Science can complement and reinforce your school curriculum while also providing an ideal way to encourage students to have fun while learning.

Plan A Field Trip

Explore the many ways the Museum of Science can motivate your students and support your curriculum goals and objectives. The following steps will guide you as you plan your trip, discover the Museum's programs and opportunities, and make reservations.

Begin planning a field trip

  1. Set goals

    Do you want to reinforce classroom learning? Do you want to use the trip to learn about something you can't learn at school? Is this a reward where fun is the top priority? Set goals for your trip to narrow down your activity choices.

  2. Plan your visit

    • The comprehensive Field Trip Planning Guide 2012 – 2013 (PDF) can be downloaded here for offline viewing and is also available in hard copy.
    • View the Museum floor plan (PDF)
    • Large groups of 150 students or more
      • Museum and venue capacities are limited. It can be difficult for large groups to maneuver throughout the Exhibit Halls and to fit comfortably into our theaters and presentations spaces. Therefore, we recommend school groups break up into smaller groups and stagger their schedules.
      • For further consultation on managing a large group, please email fieldtrips@mos.org.

  3. Record your planned activities

    Make a list of all of the activities that you'd like to include and record start and run times for live presentations, films, or other timed events.

  4. Create a timeline

    Consider your approximate arrival and departure times. Based on the programs and exhibits you are planning to attend, select a lunch time to propose when making your reservation. Learn more about field trip lunch options

  5. Print relevant field trip activity sheets

    To enhance your visit, consider using student field trip activity sheets to help direct a topic-specific field trip. View our field trip activity sheets and guides

  6. Contact us

    To have a Museum educator review your field trip plan or to set up an appointment for a phone or in-person consultation, contact us at 617-589-0172.

  7. Make reservations

    Get scheduling information by contacting Science Central at 617-723-2500.

  8. Be prepared

    Prepare for your visit by using the confirmation information to inform your students and chaperones about the game plan. Be sure to check the number of students, and calculate the number of chaperones you will need.

Field Trip Activities

A full roster of thought-provoking demonstrations, films, shows, and special hands-on exhibit areas provide great options for building an inspiring field trip that meets your educational goals.

Learn more about field trip activities

Field Trip Activity Sheets

Enhance your visit to the Museum with customizable field trip guides that can outline your itinerary, learning goals, student questions and more.

Get field trip activity sheets

Reservations

Book your field trip early! Programs fill to capacity, and there is a limit to daily school group admissions.

Learn more about field trip reservations

More Field Trip Facts

Home School Opportunities

The Museum of Science offers field trip options for home school visitors.

Learn more about home school opportunities

Savings and Scholarships

The Museum offers a variety of savings opportunities, from $2 field trips during select months to multiple-visit rates, reduced Exhibit Halls admission for qualifying schools, and more.

Learn more about ways to save

Lunch Options

Several options are available, whether you bring bag lunches or preorder Riverview Café meals from Wolfgang Puck Catering.

Learn more about lunch options

Parking

While chaperones and teachers may park cars in the Museum with a discount voucher, there is no bus parking on Museum grounds except for drop-off and pickup.

Get parking information