Please note: This is only a request. A member of our operations team will reach out to confirm the details of your field trip and confirm your reservation within five business days. Please avoid submitting multiple requests. For more information about field trips, please visit our [a href="https://pittsburghkids.org/group-visit-faqs" target="_blank"]Children's Museum Field Trip FAQs[/a] and [a href="https://museumlab.org/learn/schools-educators/field-trips" target="_blank"]MuseumLab Field Trip Info[/a]. Thank you!
[CMP] Designed for students of all ages.
[MuseumLab] Designed for students in grades 4 and up. Includes a 60-minute STEAM workshop, a guided art tour of MuseumLab, including Gymlacium, our three-story immersive sculpture, as well as time to explore rotating exhibits and activities.
[Classic] In this iconic Children's Museum of Pittsburgh field trip, children of all ages are invited to explore our hallmark educational exhibits like Studio, MAKESHOP, Kindness Gallery, and Garage. Participate in hands-on art and making techniques, lean into curiosity and wonder, and experience learning in new and joyful ways through our development-focused environment. Groups of 15-40 participants will be self-guided.
[Engineering Focus] In this experience, students explore museum exhibits and participate in an exciting, 1-hour STEM-focused workshop inspired by real-world engineering techniques and concepts. Programs are adapted for grades K-1 and 2-4. No additional fee for Engineering Focus Field Trips; made possible through the generous contributions of Hatch.
[Sensory-Friendly] Available on select Wednesdays when the museum is closed to the public, we invite groups with sensory sensitivities for a memorable field trip experience, without the crowd. Students will participate in a 45-minute sensory-focused activity and explore a selection of museum exhibits. Programs and environments can be adapted to participants’ needs and abilities.
[CMP Engineering: Project Pittsburgh] How do big projects like bridges and tunnels happen? Working in groups, students will build a better understanding of the challenges and problem-solving construction crews face when working on a large project. Using Pittsburgh’s environmental challenges like tight curves, dramatic slopes, and waterways, they’ll use physics and coding concepts to create a functioning rail system using Intelino Smart Trains, and successfully move heavy construction materials from a depot to a project site.
[CMP Engineering: Super-Strong Shapes] Why do bridges look the way they do, and how do they stay up under heavy traffic? In this program, students will learn about and test the strength of shapes used by engineers in real-world infrastructure, using their new know-how to create a functional bridge of their own. Working in teams, students will plan and construct their bridges using dowels and ties. Will your bridge support a vehicle across a gap?
[CMP Engineering: A Place of Our Own] What if we built a community from scratch? In this program, students become city planners, working in teams to design and build a mini, thriving settlement out of recycled materials. With assigned roles and responsibilities, they'll ask questions like "How will our citizens get around?" and "Where will our citizens live?" to aid them in their process. Final presentations serve as a platform of exchange and advocacy for the new ideas about infrastructure and public services that they've discovered.
[CMP Sensory-Friendly: Suminagashi] Introducing Suminagashi, the ancient Japanese art of "floating ink". Designed with sensory sensitivities in mind, this is a low-pressure activity where quiet, swirling water and delicate drops of ink magically swirl together to create unique marbled designs that students will lift directly on to paper.
[MLAB: Electro Etching] Create designs on copper using the process of electro-etching. Students will observe firsthand how electrical current catalyzes an oxidation reaction that etches copper, and how to control that reaction to create an image. Each student designs their own etched tag to take home.
[MLAB: Linocut Printmaking] Students will create their own prints using a relief printing process. Learn elements of design, carve your own printing block while practicing tool safety, then print your image. Students will take home their printing block and their finished artwork.
[MLAB: LEGO Build the Change Design Challenge] Learn about the role that art and architecture play in our communities through observation and exploration of MuseumLab’s historic building. Work in teams to design a building or structure that would make your community a better place, then build a prototype using LEGO® bricks. Students will practice presenting ideas and giving peer feedback.
[MLAB: Pewter Casting] Students explore the basics of small-scale casting in pewter. This project allows for the exploration of sculptural practices, as well as an introduction to the heating and cooling properties of metal. Students can bring in small objects to cast, or choose from a selection that we provide.
