Education
Programs
The museum education
office plans, creates, and implements visits, programs and instructional material.
Education information for the main
exhibits and samples of exhibit worksheets are provided below. Facts
about Iowa are available at www.iowa.gov.
 Teachers'
Guide to Events - Download
the current schedule!
State Historical Museum
Permanent Exhibits Curriculum Standards - Download
descriptions of the academic standards accomplished by your visit to the museum.
Schools may be eligible
for a grant to assist with field trip expenses. The visit, however, must be arts-related
component. For information on the Big Yellow School Bus grant, please visit the
funding section on the Iowa Arts Council's Web site, www.iowaartscouncil.org.
For more information or
questions regarding special programs or events, contact
Sarah Macht at (515) 242-5193 or Sarah.Macht@iowa.gov.
History
Through the Arts Theatre
History
Through the Arts Theatre programs are open to both school groups and the public!
Though most events scheduled during the day are reserved for school groups, the
general public is invited to attend events and activities held in the evening.
For a complete listing of scheduled performances, workshops and events, visit
the History Through
the Arts Theatre page or download the brochure!
How to Schedule
Your Visit
To schedule a group visit please complete and return the following
form, or contact Sarah Macht,
Museum Education Coordinator, at (515) 242-5193 or Sarah.Macht@iowa.gov
Word forms may be filled out and returned as an attachment to an email:
For Windows
95 and above (PC platform): Museum
Visit Confirmation Form
For Windows 4.0 and above (Mac platform): Museum
Visit Confirmation Form
This pdf form must be printed out, filled out, and returned via fax or regular mail:
For all other platforms: Museum
Visit Confirmation Form
Return completed form
to:
E-mail: Sarah.Macht@iowa.gov - attach the completed Word documnent.
Fax: (515) 242-6498 (send to Attn: Sarah Macht)
Mailing Address: Sarah Macht, Museum Education Coordinator, State Historical Museum,
600 E. Locust Street, Des Moines, IA 50319.
Museum
Hours: Monday through Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to
4:30 p.m.: Sunday, Noon - 4:30 p.m. Library closed Sundays
and Mondays.
Exhibit Worksheets
(Note: Download materials are PDF documents and require Adobe
Acrobat Reader, a free plug-in.)
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; A Few of Our Favorite Things:
100 Creations of the 20th Century; The Delicate
Balance: Human Values and Iowa's Natural Resources;
and 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:
Bingo sheets:
Instead 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.)
Treasure Hunts:
no reading ability is needed. “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.)
Miscellaneous Materials:
Chaperones
One
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.
Arrival
- Interstate
235 and many city streets are still under construction.
On I-235, you can exit off East 6th or SE 14th. Buses
unload and load under the portico at the Locust Street
entrance. (Locust is now a two-way street.) After
unloading, buses must move immediately out of the
portico area. The best location for bus parking is
on Finkbine Drive, west of the Capitol steps. Free
parking for cars is available in the parking garage
north of the building on Grand Avenue. There is metered
parking on Locust Ave. and Grand Ave.
- Check
in at the Information Desk by the gift shop so we
know your group has arrived and to get an accurate
count of your visitors.
- Restrooms
and water fountains are located east of the front
entrance and behind the stairs on every floor. Please
accompany your group to check appropriate behavior.
- The
coatroom is located on the northeast corner of the
first floor behind the gift shop. Wheelchairs and
strollers are available for use. There are offices,
meeting rooms and the restaurant on the 3rd floor
and groups generally do not go up there.
- Groups
sit on the main stairs for an orientation before they
go into the exhibits. If arrangements had been made,
they will receive Discovery questions, Bingo sheets
or Treasure Hunts to use in the exhibits or just go
around them accompanied by their chaperones.
The Museum Store
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.
Café
Baratta's
The
café is located on the 3rd floor. Call (515)
281-3294 for group lunch reservations or catering. Café
hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m
and Saturday, 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
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