Educators & Groups

The Discovery Museum is the best place for field trips and outreach programs!

Field Trips to the Discovery Museum are fun and easy.

The Discovery Museum represents hours of learning and hands-on fun for your entire classroom or group. We can facilitate stand-alone field trips, field trips with educational programs, or even outreach programs that travel to your location.

Pricing:

$9.00/person for groups of 20 or more students
1 free chaperone for every 5 students

Our Policies & Procedures

Trips must be booked at least 2 weeks in advance. We recommend sooner for spring trips!
$50 deposit is required to secure your spot.
Groups must have 1 chaperone for every 5 kids.
Groups larger than 20 should be prepared to split into smaller classes to explore the museum.
Food is not permitted at the Discovery Museum. Field trips often do lunch at Jim Barnett Park.

What to Expect

A brief orientation at arrival.
2 hours of free play at the museum.
Overhead announcements to facilitate rotations between the four floors.
Resources to help your chaperones actively engage in your students’ learning.

How to Book

If you have questions or would like to book your group with the Discovery Museum, please fill out the form above, email groupreservations@discoverymuseum.net, or call 540-722-2020 x106.

To hold your reservation for a field trip or outreach, a non-refundable deposit of $50.00 is required per group. All changes or cancellations must be made at least two weeks in advance of the program start date to receive a refund. Cancellations made less than two weeks in advance will not receive a refund. The Museum will make every effort to reschedule field trips canceled due to weather.

Add Hands-On Educational Programs to your Trip!

20-30 minute exciting and engaging hands-on educational programming with a Museum Educator during your scheduled on-site field trip. $6/student for groups of 20 or more. Subject to educator availability.

Fabulous 5 Senses – Recommended for Pre K & K

Discover the five senses through a series of engaging demonstrations and hands-on activities that will have your students become official Five Senses Investigators.

VA Science SOL K.3 a-d; K.5 a-b

Investigating Insects – Recommended for Pre K – 1st

Students become familiar with how to identify the different parts of an insect, and get a bug-eyed look at how they navigate the world. VA Science SOL K.3 a-d; K.7 a-c; 1.5 a-c; 2.4 a; 2.5 a-b; 3.4 a-c

Power Up! – Recommended for PreK-2nd

Discover the energy and force inside all of us in this exciting program covering gravity, mechanical, electrical, and magnetic force through hands-on explorations and literature connections.

VA Science SOL K.2, 1.2, 2.2

Powerful Plants – Recommended for K – 2nd

Students become familiar with the different parts of plants, explore plant life cycles, and get to investigate using microscopes! VA Science SOL K.7, 1.4.2.4, 3.6, 4.2

Sheep in a Jeep – Recommended for K – 2nd

Students explore the basics of force and motion as they try to get their sheep rolling far and fast in this program which also incorporates measurement and listening comprehension. VA Science SOL 1.2, 2.2, 3.2

Animal Adaptations – Reccomended for 1st – 3rd

Fast-paced demonstrations and interactive activities allow the students to explore animal adaptations with an emphasis on physical and behavioral adaptations, mimicry, camouflage, and environmental adaptations. VA Science SOL: 2.4,2.5, 2.7, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.10, 4.5, 5.1, 5.5; Common Core: SC.0.K.3.02, SC.0.1.2.18; NGSS: 1-LS1-1, 1-LS3-1, 2-LS4-1

Moccosain Trail – Reccomended for 1st-3rd

Explore the life and culture of Eastern Woodland Native Americans through hands on activity, expert interviews, discussion, and a close interactive look at shelter, clothing, tools, toys, music, and food. VA Social Studies SOL 2.3 a-c; 2.7 a; VS.2 d-

Simple Machines – Recommended for 2nd-4th

These fast-paced interactive demonstrations include use of the six simple machines: lever, pulley, wedge, incline plane, and screw. Students investigate and experiment with common objects that function as simple machines, then engineer a design to solve a problem incorporating simple machines.VA Science SOL 2.1, 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 4.2; Common Core: SC.0.1.01, SC.0.3.2.11, SC.0.3.2.13; NextGen: 3-LS1-1, 3-LS3-1, 3-LS3-2, 3-LS3-4

Roller Coaster Physics – Recommended for 2nd – 5th

Bring Newton’s three laws of motion to life in this interactive, hands-on session. Join us to hypothesize and experiment with roller coaster design as students connect how roller coasters move and work. VA Science SOL: 3.1, 3.2, 3.11, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 6.1, 6.2

Discover Electricity – Recommended for 3rd-5th

Explore the basics of electricity with exciting demos and experiments that are sure to leave your students curiosity sparked! Experience the wonder of a tesla coil, and craft creative circuits using conductive dough! VA Science SOL: 5.2, 5.4, 5.7