~Museum of Natural History + Planetarium

School Group Programs

Programs available September - June
Discovery based hands-on learning
Age and grade appropriate activities
Programs designed to suit your curriculum
The following programs are not offered during school vacations. Please contact the Museum if you are interested in school vacation offerings.
Please contact the Museum to book a program.
RI Grade Space Expectations are provided for all programs. Other standards references are available on request.

Museum Workshops

Earth Science and Geology Workshops:

Geology Detectives (Grades 1-2)
ESS1(K-2)-1, PS1(K-2)-1
Click here for the Pre-visit Guide.
Can you pick granite out of a rock lineup? Become a geology detective! Learn about the three types of rocks and how they form. Then use your detective skills to identify rock, mineral, and fossil specimens, using their unique characteristics.

Mineral Mania (Grades 3-4)
RI GSEs: ESS1 (3-4)-1
Click here for the Pre-visit Guide.
Experience mineral mania at the museum! Students will test the properties of different rocks and minerals. Spectacular rock and mineral specimens from the Museum's collections are sure to delight students and show them why geology rocks!

Rock Factory (Grades 5-6)
RI GSEs: ESS1(5-6)-1, ESS1(5-6)-5
Click here for the Pre-visit Guide.
How does our Earth create so many different types of rocks? Learn about the different processes that form and reform rocks as you identify many types of rocks, minerals and fossils. Students will learn to think like geologists as they move through interactive investigation stations packed with specimens from the Museum's collections.

Rhode Island Rocks! (Grades 7-8)
RI GSEs: ESS1(7-8)-1, ESS1(7-8)-3
The smallest state has a big past! Students will discover how the processes of plate tectonics, glaciers, erosion and more have shaped Rhode Island through its history, and recreate its past through fossil and geological evidence.

Space Science Workshops:

Space Capades (Grades K-2)
RI GSEs: ESS2(K-2)-7
Click here for the Pre-visit Guide.
Students will have a BLAST learning about space and space travel in this exciting workshop. After learning how astronauts live and work in space, students will build their own rockets from craft materials and use their imagination to launch them into space!

Our Magnificent Moon (Grades 3-4)
RI GSEs: ESS2(3-4)-7, ESS2(3-4)-8
Click here for the Pre-visit Guide.
Discover our Moon, our closest neighbor in space. From the historic Apollo missions to a future Moon base, students will learn about the past, present and future of Moon exploration. Students will use what they have learned to design and build their own lunar spacecraft.

Living and Working in Space (Grades 3-5)
RI GSEs: LS1(3-4)-2, PS3(3-4)-7, LS4 (5-6)-10, ESS2(5-6)-8
Click here for the Pre-visit Guide.
The International Space Station is the largest spacecraft ever built, assembled piece by piece in space! Students will experience what it's like to be an astronaut aboard the ISS as they try their hands at 'astronaut training' activities. They will also discover the effects of microgravity on the human body and find out how astronauts eat, sleep and work in space!

Toys in Space (Grades 5-6)
RI GSEs: PS3(5-6)-8
Click here for the Pre-visit Guide.
Discover the laws of physics in a weightless environment - space! In 1993, the Space Shuttle Endeavor carried a locker full of toys into space for the purpose of teaching students the concepts of force and motion. Students will experiment will a range of toys and hypothesize about how they would work in space, then put their guesses to the test by seeing the same toys being used in space!

Mission to Mars (Grades 7-8)
RI GSEs: ESS2 (5-8) MAS-6, ESS1 (7-8)-3, ET2.1 (7-8), ET2.3 (7-8)
Click here for the Pre-visit Guide.
The rocks and soil of Mars hold many clues to the planet's history. Students will explore the astonishing robotic spacecraft that are exploring the answers to our questions about Mars, and will have to think like NASA engineers in a design challenge to build a soil scoop for testing the rusty Martian soil.

New! Special Exhibit Workshops
Exhibit Workshops at the Museum of Natural History incorporate rotating Earth and Space Science exhibits developed in cooperation with the NASA Rhode Island Space Grant Consortium. Workshops feature hands-on activities as well as a guided exploration of the featured Museum exhibit. Exhibit Workshops are available for grades 4-8, and align with current Rhode Island Grade Span Expectations. Guided Exhibit Exploration Programs are also available for grades 9-12.

Exhibit Workshops for 20131-2014
November - March:
Comet Tales: Wondrous Wanderers
Exhibit Workshop: Discovering Comets

March 2013 through February 2014:
Dynamic Galaxies: Our Place in the Universe
Exhibit Workshop: The Milky Way and Beyond

Planetarium Programs

Cosmic Collisions (Grades 5-8)
ESS2(5-6)-8, ESS3(5-6)-9, ESS2(7-8)-9, ESS3(7-8)-9
Click here for the Pre-visit Guide.
Explore our dynamic universe and experience the many types of collisions that shape it.

Our Cosmic Journey in Space (Grades K-1)
RI GSEs: ESS2(K-2)-7
Click here for the Pre-visit Guide.
While solving a crossword puzzle about the sky, endangered animals explore the cause of day and night, the importance of our star the Sun, the beauty of the constellations, and the variety of objects that make up the Universe.

Field Trip to the Moon (Grades 3-5)
RI GSEs: ESS2(3-4)-7, ESS3(3-4)-9,ESS2(5-6)-6, ESS2(5-6)-8
Click here for the Pre-visit Guide.
Take a virtual journey to the Moon, using real NASA plans and simulations.

Great Space Adventure (Grades 1-4)
RI GSEs: ESS2 (K-2)-7, ESS2 (3-4)-7, ESS2(3-4)-8
Click here for the Pre-visit Guide.
If you thought space exploration was just for astronauts, think again! Discover what you can see from right here on 'Spaceship Earth' as we whiz through the solar system at breakneck speed! Students will find out what they can see with just their own two eyes and how they can become space explorers in their own backyard.

Journey to the Stars (Grades 5-8)
RI GSEs: ESS3(5-6)-9, ESS2(7-8)-9, ESS3(7-8)-9
Click here for the Pre-visit Guide.
Discover stars, the powerhouses of our Universe, and discover how they have shaped the cosmos.

Our Place in Space (Grades 3-6)
RI GSEs: ESS2(3-4)-8, ESS2(5-6)-6, ESS2(5-6)-8, ESS3(5-6)-9
Click here for the Pre-visit Guide.
Explore our solar system and discover each planet's place in space.

Sky Views: Patterns in the Night Sky (Grades 4 and up)
RI GSEs: ESS2(3-4)-7, ESS3(3-4)-9, ESS3(5-6)-9, ESS3(7-8)-9
Click here for the Pre-visit Guide.
Discover the patterns of stars visible in the night sky and what you might see tonight from your own backyard, featuring new multi-media enhancements.

Spirits from the Sky: Thunder on the Land (Grades 5-8)
RI GSEs: ESS3(5-6)-9, ESS2(7-8)-7
Click here for the Pre-visit Guide.
Journey into the culture of the Skidi Band of the Pawnee Native American Nation. (Not available in May and June)

Strange and Distant Worlds (Grades 5 and up)
RI GSEs: ESS2(5-6)-9, ESS2(7-8)-8 ESS3(7-8)-9, ESS3(9-11)-5
Click here for the Pre-visit Guide.
Are we alone in the Universe? In their search for the answer, astronomers have made astonishing discoveries of strange and distant exoplanets.

Eyes on the Skies (Grades 7 and up)
RI GSEs: ESS2(7-8)-7, ESS2(7-8)-8, ESS3(9-11)-5
Click here for the Pre-visit Guide.
People across the world use the night sky as a clock, compass, and calendar. Discover the incredible astronomy traditions of four amazing cultures around the globe.

Ask about our limited Full Dome Planetarium Show options available on Fridays.

Field Trip Options

Museum Visit
Tour the self-guided galleries as a group.
Enhance your visit by completing a scavenger hunt throughout the Museum. Program duration: approx. 35 minutes
$2.00 per student
Teachers and chaperones are free.

Planetarium Program
All shows are available for reservation at 9:30am, 10:30am and 11:30am. Introductory discussion included.
Program duration: 1 hour, 45 minutes for grade K
$100 up to 25 students, each additional $4.00 per student
$4.00 per chaperone. Teachers are free.
Fee includes Museum admission.

Workshop
Program duration: 1 hour
$100 up to 25 students, each additional $4.00 per student
$2.00 per chaperone. Teachers are free.
Teachers and chaperones are free.
Fee includes Museum admission.

Planetarium + Workshop
Combine both programs to maximize your visit.
Program duration: 2 hours, 90 minutes for grade K
$175 up to 25 students, each additional $7.00 per student
$4.00 per chaperone. Teachers are free.
Fee includes Museum admission.

Chaperone Requirements for Planetarium or Workshop:
Minimum 1 adult (teacher or parent chaperone) for every 10 students, maximum 1 adult for every 5 students.

Programs have a minimum/maximum attendance requirement.
Ask about special rates for Providence Public Schools.
The Museum and Planetarium are wheelchair accessible.

For More Information