PreK-12 Trips

The Panorama of the City of New York

(1st - 12th grades)
The crown jewel of the museum’s collection, this 9,335 square foot architectural model includes 895,000 buildings constructed before 1992 in all five boroughs. Tours and studio workshops explore New York’s geography, famous sites, bridges, parks, history and city planning.Please choose one of the three options below.

Option A

Guided Exhibition Tour and Studio Workshop
1st - 12th grades
Mondays – Fridays
2 hours
10:00 am - 12:00 pm or 10:30 am - 12:30 pm
$165 per class

Studios (please choose one):
The City that Never Sleeps (1st - 4th grades)
Students explore the life and energy of New York City after dark by creating nighttime cityscapes with a variety of patterned and textured papers.

City Blocks (2nd - 8th grades)
Students create three-dimensional city blocks using a variety of materials.

Bridges (4th - 12th grades)
Working in teams, students construct a three-dimensional suspension bridge as they learn about the structural components used in the building and key terms.

Map It (6th - 12th grades)
Students focus on city planning as they design a 2-d planned community that incorporates modes of transportation, housing and shared public space.

Option B

Guided Exhibition Tour and Gallery Activity (Pre K - 1st Grade)

Mondays – Fridays, 10:30 - noon
1.5 hours, $100 per class
In the museum’s galleries students design and construct temporary three-dimensional communities using wooden blocks on fabric outlines of the five boroughs. Please note that students do not take this project back to school.

Option C

Self-Guided Tours (1st - 12th grades)
Wednesdays – Fridays, 12:30 pm and after
Suggested Donation of $50 per class

Option D

Guided Exhibition Tours without Studio Workshops or Gallery Activities are available upon request.

“Our guide was magnificent; he was very knowledgeable and professional.” - Museum visitor

A Watershed Moment: Celebrating the Homecoming of The Relief Map of the New York City Water Supply System

(4th - 12th grades)
In 1937 the Works Progress Administration created a magnificent scale model of the New York City Watershed – a relief map measuring almost 700 square feet and weighing 10,000 pounds, now on display at the Queens Museum. Tours and art activities look at this unique model as they learn about the journey of the City’s water supply system. Students also learn the history and construction of the watershed. To further strengthen their understanding of the connection between the upstate and downstate locations, students also visit the large scale model of the five boroughs of NYC, the Panorama of the City of New York.

Please choose one of the two options below.

Option A

Guided Exhibition Tour and Gallery Activity (4th - 12th grades)
Mondays – Fridays, 10 am - noon, or 10:30 am - 12:30 pm
2 hours, $165 per class

Option B

Self-Guided Tours (1st - 12th grades)
Wednesdays – Fridays, 12:30 pm and after
Suggested Donation of $50 per class

Option C

Guided Exhibition Tours without Studio Workshops or Gallery Activities are often available upon request.

Neustadt Collection of Tiffany Glass

(PreK - 12th grades)
Since 1995 the Neustadt Collection of Tiffany Glass has partnered with the Queens Museum of Art. In a permanent gallery featuring changing exhibitions, students explore how Louis Comfort Tiffany captured nature and transformed it into beautiful lamps and windows of exquisite color and fine detail. Tours and studio workshops explore Tiffany in an historical and cultural perspective.

Please choose one of the two options below.

Option A

Guided Exhibition Tour and Studio Workshops
(Pre-k - K, children must be at least 4 yrs. of age)
1.5 hours
10:00 - 11:30 am
$110 per class
Students discover Louis Comfort Tiffany’s glass through a variety of hands-on experiences designed to address the developmental and learning needs of young children. Children participate in activities such as storytelling, movement exercises and hands-on art making that focus on pre-literacy skills such as shapes, colors and pattern recognition as well as creativity and self-expression. Students will have the occasion to briefly visit other exhibitions.

Option B

Guided Exhibition Tour and Studio Workshops (1st - 6th grades)
Mondays – Fridays
2 hours
10:00am - 12:00pm or 10:30 am - 12:30 pm
$165 per class
In conjunction with a guided discussion in the Tiffany gallery, students construct faux stained glass window panes using construction paper, transparency paper and collage materials in the studio.

Option C

Self-Guided Tours (1st - 12th grades)
Wednesdays – Fridays, 12:30 pm and after
Suggested Donation of $50 per class

Option D

Guided Exhibition Tours without Studio Workshops or Gallery Activities are available upon request.

Changing Exhibition Tours

(1st - 12th grades)
Visit click here for current exhibition descriptions and schedules.

Option A

Guided Exhibition Tour and Gallery Activity (1st - 12th grades)
2 hours
Mondays – Fridays, 10:00 am - 12:00pm, or 10:30 am - 12:30 pm
$165 per class
In conjunction with a guided discussion in the galleries, students engage in art processes similar to those used by the artists on display to allow for a deeper understanding of the issues addressed by the art work.

Option B

Self-Guided Tours (1st - 12th grades)
Wednesdays – Fridays, 12:30 pm and after
Suggested Donation of $50 per class

Option C

Guided Exhibition Tours without Studio Workshops or Gallery Activities are available upon request.

Planning a Trip

We request the supervision of ONE ADULT FOR EVERY TEN CHILDREN. Teachers and other chaperones are required to stay with their groups at all times and are responsible for the group’s conduct and behavior.

A teacher or group leader should check in with the Museum staff before children enter the Museum. We may not be able to accommodate an early arrival. It is recommended that students remain on the bus until our staff allows admittance.There are NO LUNCH facilities at the Museum. Picnicking is permitted in the park but please bring a large bag to collect trash. Lunches must be checked during the Museum visit and each bag should be clearly marked with the student’s name.

The Museum Shop offers a wide variety of reasonably priced items for children and adults. If you are interested in visiting the gift shop please let your educator know when you arrive so they can build the time into your visit.

Groups arriving more than 20 minutes late may forfeit part of their program, and you may only be offered a Guided Tour without any Studio Workshops or Gallery Activities.

Scheduling Trips

Reservations should be made at least six weeks in advance, as our Panorama of the City of New York and Tiffany Tours and Studio Workshops reach full capacity early.

Please call (718) 592-9700 x132 Monday – Friday, 8 am - 4 pm or email schooltrips@queensmuseum.org.

Reservations are not considered finalized or canceled until you receive a return phone call or email message confirming your requested date or cancellation.

Please provide ALL of the following information when you contact us:

• Preferred date of visit
• Which collection or exhibition you would like your students to see
• What type of program you prefer
• Grade of each class attending

(Please choose from the programs outlined above)

The number of classes (only two per day per program)

• The number of students in each class
• Name of the teacher for each class
• The name of your school
• Address of school, phone number of school, home/cell phone number, email address, and school fax number
• Any additional information regarding your students’ development and academics
• Indicate whether your students are taught in a General Education, ESL or Inclusion classroom

Once your trip is confirmed by the School and Family Education Assistant, you will receive a confirmation letter, invoice, and other pre-visit materials that should be distributed to all the teachers attending the Museum trip. Please keep a copy of the invoice for your records and return the signed Confirmation Form to the museum’s address at the top of the form.

Payment in full is due four weeks before your group is scheduled to visit. If payment does not reach us four weeks before your trip, the Museum has the right to cancel your trip.

Cancellations must be made in writing either in the form of a letter, fax or email to schooltrips@queensmuseum.org FOUR weeks prior to your scheduled visit. If your school does not attend the day that they are scheduled and there is no cancellation notice by four weeks of the visit, your school is responsible for the full amount of the programs scheduled for that day.