Note - Since MAPS visits are highly structured, not all portions of this section are applicable to MAPS field trips. Some portions are more appropriate for non-MAPS teachers, parents or MAPS teachers making additional visits on their own.

How to prepare/practical tips-General:

	Relate the collecting function of museums to children’s own collections. Have them look at their collections and talk about how they add to, sort, and take care of and display their collections.
	Introduce your children to the function of museums. Ask them questions like: What are museums for? What do they do? What kind of museum would you build if you had the chance? What would you put in it? Why?
	Plan a particular section to visit or route to take in museum. Remember that quality is more important than quantity. Decide to limit the number of exhibits to see if necessary.
	Visit the museum’s teacher resource center (if available).
	Visit the museum’s Web site for planning tips and suggested activities.
	Go over museum rules (no touching, no running, no food or beverages, no gum, etc.).
	Find out in advance or upon arrival about practical things: location of dining facilities, rest rooms, etc.

How to prepare/practical tips-For teachers:

	Plan! Plan! Plan! Just as you would never walk into the classroom without a lesson plan, never walk into a museum without a plan. The museum should be an enjoyable extension of the classroom.
	Talk to other educators that have visited the museum. Ask for tips on arrival times, eating lunch, exhibits to see and suggested activities for before, during, and after the visit.
	Visit the museum ahead of time, without your students. Take your time, enjoy yourself and get to feel comfortable in the museum environment. Imagine you are one of your students. How are they experiencing the museum?
	Select a theme for your field trip. On your pre-trip visit look for exhibits that will enhance a subject you are already discussing in the classroom.
	Devise a ‘Plan B’. Sometimes museums may need to close exhibits for maintenance or special events.
	Bring enough chaperones & go over chaperones' rules & responsibilities.
	Attend a teacher workshop.

Suggested Activities to Do in the Museum:

	Allow children to enjoy the museum at their own pace. Tune in to what excites them and help them to make discoveries according to their interests. This flexibility allows you to determine what your children's interests are and how well they understand.
	Talk about it. People think they have to whisper in a museum but this isn't true. Discuss the objects and living things you see.
	Use labels to help guide your looking. The title of an object, the artist, the year it was made, and what it is made of can all contribute to your conversation about what you see.
	Relate what you see to what your child already knows. For example, a knight's suit of armor serves the same purpose as a catcher's mask, a bicycle helmet, or shin –guards to protect the body.
	Sketch from the original! Take a seat in front of your children's favorite object or living thing and let them practice their drawing skills.
	Create worksheets with partial drawings of objects or living things found in the exhibitions. Let students complete the drawings based on their observations.
	Cut different sized round holes in construction paper and have students view a part of the exhibition through the peepholes. Ask them to describe what they see, what they notice now that they missed before, and how their perspective changes with each new view.

After the Visit (Wrap-Up, Post-Visit):

	Look for opportunities to continue learning after the visit. To reinforce the learning experience you might:
	Ask your children to talk to friends and relatives about the things they saw. What was their favorite object or living thing they saw? If they could take one object or animal home with them, what would it be? What didn't they like? Why?
	Suggest that your children start a collection of their favorite objects and build their own museum at home.
	Use museum publications for young people, students or families for ideas for activities at home.
	Relate what they saw to daily life. Discuss how works of art and objects in your home are similar to the things you saw at the museum.