The museum education office plans and coordinates visits, programs and instructional material for visiting students. Information on visit scheduling, financial assistance, and educational resources for the main exhibits, including examples of exhibit worksheets, are provided below.
Museum Hours:
Tuesday through Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Sunday, Noon - 4:30 p.m.
Closed Monday and official state holidays.
Library closed Sundays and Mondays.
To schedule a group visit please complete and return the following form, or contact Sarah Macht:
Museum Visit Confirmation Form - Fill out and return as an attachment to an email to Sarah.
Museum Visit Confirmation Form - PDF forms must be printed out, filled out, and returned via fax or regular mail to Sarah.
Contact:
Sarah Macht
Museum Education Coordinator
State Historical Museum
600 E. Locust Street
Des Moines, IA 50319.
Sarah.Macht@iowa.gov
(515) 242-5193 (phone)
(515) 242-6498 (fax - Attn: Sarah Macht)
Unless there is a problem with date or time, replies are not sent to confirmation forms. Please let Sarah know if you need an automatic reply or follow-up. Otherwise, keep a copy of the completed form for your records as confirmation.
Due to History Through the Arts theater programming and space restrictions, school and youth groups cannot schedule visits to the State Historical Building on the following dates:
Sept. 29, 30 and Oct. 1 2009 during “Let’s Celebrate Archaeology.”
Oct. 27-30 during “Tell Me the Story of Iowa.”
Nov. 18 & 19 during “Ice Age Follies.”
Dec. 1-3 during “Patterns of Living: American Indian Culture.”
Jan 26-29, 2010 during “A Dream Fulfilled: The Saga of George Washington Carver.”
Feb. 9-11 during “Young Abe Lincoln.”
Feb. 23-25 during “The Lunar New Year.”
March 11 during theater programming
March 24-25 during District History Day
April 6-9 during “A Dream Fulfilled: The Saga of George Washington Carver.”
For information on these theater programs or to make a reservation, contact:
Maureen Korte
515-281-4132
Maureen.Korte@iowa.gov
Schools may be eligible for a grant to assist with field trip expenses.
For information on the Big Yellow School Bus grant for an arts-related educational trip, please visit the funding section on the Iowa Arts Council's Web site, http://www.iowaartscouncil.org/funding/big-yellow-school-bus/index.shtml.
For Polk County and Dallas County educational visits to a cultural institution, funding may be available at Connecting Kids and Culture
Silos & Smokestacks offers bus grants to area schools. Applications for the 2009-2010 Bus Grant Program will be accepted starting August 1, 2009. This program is open to schools within the Heritage Area to help cover the transportation costs associated with field study trips to designated SSNHA partner sites.
Grants are awarded on first-received, first-funded basis, and will be awarded until Dec. 1, 2010 or until funds are depleted. Accredited Pre K-12 public, private or charter schools can apply for one grant per year with a maximum of $350 awarded per school.
The Bus Grant Application is available under the Grant section at www.silosandsmokestacks.org. Or click here for a Bus Grant Application as a PDF or Word Document. To discuss your proposal contact Angi Reid, Education and Interpretation Manager, at 319-234-4567 or areid@silosandsmokestacks.org.
For more information or questions regarding special programs or events, contact Sarah Macht at (515) 242-5193 or Sarah.Macht@iowa.gov.
Discovery Program Questions: A focused activity for the numerous, large groups visiting the exhibits with a limited time schedule. Information is provided on the following exhibits:
You Gotta Know the Territory
The Delicate Balance: Human Values and Iowa's Natural Resources
Mammoth: Witness to Change
Participants divide into groups of ten or less, depending on the number of chaperones. The groups are directed by five different colored activity booklets (indicated by group in the documents below), each with different questions based on state curriculum and exhibit objectives, and each rotating around all the exhibits. Chaperones have the teacher’s version with the answers. Recommended for 5th grade through high school. Process skills: creative thinking, decision-making, problem solving, reflection, reasoning, information management.
Download materials to prepare for your group visit:
(Note: PDF documentsrequire Adobe Acrobat Reader, a free plug-in.)
Group 1 (white paper): student version, teacher version Group 2 (yellow paper): student version, teacher version Group 3 (pink paper): student version, teacher version Group 4 (blue paper): student version, teacher version Group 5 (green paper): student version, teacher versionInstead of numbers, this activity uses names of items in the
exhibits and in the atrium area. Students can make a Bingo or try to fill up their entire sheet. Recommended for children working on vocabulary and reading. It could be an activity for older students if the group doesn't’t have a lot of time for their visit. Process skills: decision-making, problem solving, visualization, reflection. (Downloads not available at this time.)
No reading ability required. “Past-ports” are booklets with line drawings of items in the exhibits. These are very popular with younger children. Process skills: visualization, reflection.(Donations are requested to cover the printing costs of these materials distributed at the Museum.)
Download materials to prepare for your group visit:
(Print on 8.5" x 11" paper, then fold in half.)
You Gotta Know the Territory Treasure Hunt The Delicate Balance Treasure Hunt The Mammoth Treasure Hunt State Historical Museum Permanent Exhibits Curriculum Standards - Recommended academic standards for educational visits to the museum. Patten's Neighborhood: Memories of the Center Street Community exhibit information List of suggested questions and activity for A Few of Our Favorite Things Iowa Secretary of State's 2008 Iowa Student Caucus teacher curriculumOne chaperone (adult) is recommended per ten students. Chaperones are expected to stay with their groups and maintain appropriate behavior, including walking slowly up and down the stairs and not running in the exhibits. Food, drink, gum, and candy are not allowed in the exhibits. Photographs may be taken. Lunches can be eaten inside the atrium depending on the weather or outside on the Grand Terrace if prior arrangements have been made.
The museum store welcomes school tours and carries quality educational items at all price ranges.
A chaperone must accompany students visiting the store. The store carries film and disposable cameras.
For store information, call (515) 283-1757.
The café is located on the 3rd floor.
Call (515) 281-3294 for group lunch reservations or catering.
Café hours are:
8 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday-Friday
11 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday and Monday
Closed Sunday and official state holidays