Education

Welcome to the resource page for field trips and teachers!

Learning Journeys Newsletter

Elementary teachers in Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas can visit us FREE: Teacher Pass

Group Information Line - 901-458-2678, ext. 232

Read the program manager's weekly postings: CMOM Blog

View the museum's award winning video: Group Orientation

Educator Resources

Justify a Field Trip
Curriculum Guides
"The CMOM Express" School Outreach Programs
School Programs Taught at the Museum
Traveling Learning Labs for Your Classroom
Resources for Current Traveling Exhibit

It's Teacher's Night Out!

Friday, September 24, 5-7pm
Because you’re important to us… We’re doing it again - a night filled with free fun, light snacks and information just for you! Don’t miss the sneak preview of our Tales from the Land of Gullah exhibit and a visit from a surprise storyteller. Enjoy networking with colleagues in the teaching profession and learn about other cultural resources in the community. A classroom goodie bag filled with school supplies will be available to the first 100 teachers to RSVP. Limited space available: RSVP by September 10 to Felicia Peat at Email Director of Education & Programs or 901-458-2678, ext. 230. Please be advised this is an ADULT ONLY event!

Free Souvenir Bee Craft for Your Class in September

September is National Honey Month in honor of the 212,000 beekeepers and the 2.41 million pounds of honey harvested each year in the U.S. Visit our Honeybee exhibit when you book a reservation in the month of September. Plus each of your students will create a special bee-watcher craft as a souvenir to take home!

The Power of Play-Based Education

The Children’s Museum of Memphis helps children develop essential foundational skills.
In the past 10 years, neuroscience has confirmed what the social sciences have long contended, that the first years of life are essential to future learning. Grounded in well-established pedagogy, CMOM is leading a movement that combines specific learning objectives with play in informal learning environments that are developmentally appropriate for infants, toddlers and children.

The Children’s Museum of Memphis respects childhood.
Helping to balance widespread cultural influences that compress childhood, we produce programs and exhibits that transcend age, IQ and experience, and empower children to set their own pace.

The Children’s Museum of Memphis lights a creative spark for discovery and lifelong learning.
Research from the University of Illinois finds that children feel bored as much as 50% of the time while at school or doing their homework. At CMOM, kids become excited about what they are learning while they are playing. As a multidisciplinary institution, CMOM educates children in a dynamic, exciting, hands-on way.

The Children’s Museum of Memphis is an environment where families play and connect in meaningful ways.
With today’s workplace demands, adults have less time to spend with children. CMOM is a place away from work and household distractions, where parents and caregivers can spend quality time with children, learn something new themselves and experience the luxury of becoming lost in the present moment as they play.

The Children’s Museum of Memphis is uniquely positioned to help reverse stigma and discrimination.
CMOM is a popular, yet neutral, source of information, attracts a diverse cross-section of people and provides shared experiences through interpretive and interactive exhibits. By exposing adults and children to unfamiliar concepts in a non-threatening, hands-on approach, and ensuring that the museum experience is accessible to those of differing abilities and backgrounds, CMOM creates bridges of understanding.

(Adapted from The Case for Children’s Museums, Association of Children’s Museums, 2008)

Group Visit Basics

1. To make a reservation, call 901-458-2678 Monday-Friday 8:30am-5pm.
2. Group rate: $5.50 per child for organized groups of 10 or more school children. School groups include public and private schools only. Other organized groups pay $6 per child for 10 or more children. Other organized groups include churches, daycares, summer camps, etc. Advance reservations are required in order to receive the group rate! School Programs require additional fees.
3. Adult chaperons are required in a ratio of 1:5 and are admitted free of charge with an advance group reservation. Adults over the 1:5 ratio are $5.50 or $6 each depending on group type. Teachers are counted as chaperons.
4. Museum visits for groups are two hours and are scheduled during the following time slots: 9:30-11:30am, 10:30am-12:30pm, 11:30am-1:30pm, 12:30-2:30pm, 1:30-3:30pm and 2:30-4:30pm. Please arrive 15 minutes early for a brief orientation.
5. If you make a reservation seven days in advance, you will receive a written confirmation including a packet of important information for your group.
6. You are invited to use our grassy front lawn for brown bag lunches (picnic tables are available on a first-come basis). Food and drink may only be consumed in designated areas and outside the museum buildings. The museum has a Kid's Cafe where you can purchase lunch for your groups with advance notice. Mention your interest in this when you book your reservations!
7. We are proud to offer a smoke-free environment both inside our buildings and on our grounds. Please inform all adults in your group. Thank you for your cooperation!
8. The museum is accessible to all. So that we may better serve you, let us know if anyone in your group requires extra assistance or accommodations.
9. Special Note: A museum membership cannot be used for group admission! Museum members are part of your group and will be included in your group's attendance count.

In order to make a reservation, please provide the following information:
1. Date, time slot and any school program for which you are making your reservation.
2. Name and title of group leader.
3. Name, complete address and phone number of the school or group.
4. Number of children and adults in your group.
5. Age(s) and/or grade(s) of children in your group.
6. Any special needs.

To make a group reservation online, you can click on the "Book a Group" link above.

To make your reservation now, for information on groups or to ask specific questions about reservations: Email Reservations or call 901-458-2678

For information on educational programs or curriculum guides, or to ask education related questions: Email Director of Education & Programs or call 901-458-2678, ext. 230