- University and College
- K-12 Educators and Schools
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- K-12 Tours
- Self-Guided Visits
- Tours for Homeschoolers
- Civilizations in a Crate
- Public Programs
The Kelsey Museum of Archaeology offers tours and activities for grades K-12. Pre-K groups are welcome to schedule a docent to lead the Read and Look activity.
Field trips can be scheduled from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm Tuesday–Friday (last scheduled at 3:00 pm). Please schedule your field trips as early as possible- our schedule fills up fast!
The museum can accommodate a maximum of 30 homeschooling students at one time, and requires a minimum of 10 students to schedule a group tour. Please include non-participant children in your final count. The smaller group size for homeschoolers allows for a larger number of parent teachers to attend with their children. Gallery space is limited, so we want to make sure you have the best possible experience! We require at least one adult chaperone per 10 students.
Tours are $2 per student. Parent teachers and adult chaperones are free!
The Kelsey Museum is fully accessible and we are happy to work with you if any of your chaperones or students need any kind of accommodations.
Plan Your Visit
2019–2020
Step 1: Choose a topic to explore more on your gallery tour: Archaeology, Egypt, Near East, Greece, Rome, Ancient Writing, Special Exhibition, Latin, or a customized topic.
- Tours can take 30 minutes to 1 hour depending on the size of your group and your preferences.
- The 2018–2019 special exhibitions at the Kelsey Museum explore themes and artifacts that resonate with all ages:
- Graffiti as Devotion along the Nile: El-Kurru, Sudan (August 23, 2019–March 29, 2020)
Step 2: Choose a hands-on activity to accompany your tour in the museum. Each activity integrates what your students are learning in the museum and in your classroom with an interactive approach.
- Not sure what to pick? Archaeology activities work well with most tour topics!
Step 3: Email kelsey.ed@umich.edu to plan and reserve your field trip. We look forward to your visit!
Activities
- Read and Look (Pre-K-1st)
- Sketching in the Galleries (K-12th)
- Burial Boxes (3rd-12th)
- Pottery Reconstruction (1st-8th)
- Museum Ethics and Artifacts (11th-12th)
- Ancient Board Games (2nd-8th)
- Making Mosaics (K-5th)
- Reading Latin Inscriptions (8th-12th)
- Fred the Mummy Presentation (2nd-5th)
- Hieroglyphic Writing (1st-5th)
- Myths and Monsters (K-5th)
- Ancient Democracy! (5th-12th)
- Greek Mythology through Artifacts (6th-12th)
- Ancient Board Games — The Royal Game of Ur (2nd-8th)
Here is a sample schedule for a field trip for 30 homeschoolers:
- Arrive at the museum a between 9:45 and 10:00 am. We will review museum rules, divide into groups of 10 students per group, and get ready for the tour. For the next hour and a half, the groups will rotate through the museum galleries and an activity.
- 10:00–10:30: Group A on Rome Tour, Group B on Egypt Tour, Group C in Hieroglyphs Activity
- 10:30–11:00: Group A on Egypt Tour, Group B in Hieroglyphs Activity, Group C on Rome Tour
- 11:00–11:30: Group A in Hieroglyphs Activity, Group B on Rome Tour, Group C on Egypt Tour
- Let us know if you’d like to visit the gift shop at the end of the tour. If not, we will help you get back to the gallery entrance to continue on your day!
