Field Trips

Something for Everyone

A field trip to the museum can benefit learners of all ages, subjects, and backgrounds! Consider how specimens in the museum can be used to supplement learning about:

  • Sorting (shapes, colors, textures, sizes)
  • Mining & Resource Extraction
  • Renewable/Nonrenewable Resources
  • Recycling & Pollution
  • Plate Tectonics/Layers of the Earth
  • Geologic Time Scale
  • Evolution/Extinction/Adaptations
  • Igneous/Sedimentary/Metamorphic Rocks
  • Nature of Science/Scientific Process
  • The Periodic Table of Elements
  • Bonding
  • Crystal Shapes/Growth
  • Natural Disasters
  • The Electromagnetic Spectrum
  • Space/Planetary Geology
  • Snell’s Law/Refraction of Light
  • Careers in Earth Sciences
  • History of the National Parks/Geotourism
  • Art
  • Medicine
  • Ancient Civilizations

Know Before You Go

Large Groups

Space in the museum is limited. If you have a large group (over 25 students), you MUST be willing to have your group split up. In the past, large groups have split time between the museum and other campus destinations such as the Ward Beecher Planetarium, Butler Institute of American Art, or the Melnick Medical Museum. 

Please notify the museum in advance if you plan on visiting with a large group. We will do our best to plan a date/time with you that does not overlap with another large group.

Supervision

Please be aware that minors (under age 18) are not to be left unattended in the museum at any time. Also, be sure to arrange an appropriate number of chaperones for your visit as the museum typically has only one staff member present at any given time.

Availability

Field trips are welcome any time that the museum is open to the public. Always call the museum for an up-to-date schedule and note that the museum’s schedule changes each semester as the class schedules and availability of the staff (who are college students) changes. 

Self-Guided Activities

Starting Fall 2023, the museum will no longer be offering the Ohio standards-based field trip programs which were available for the past several years and conducted by a state-licensed teacher. However, all field trip groups will still be able to view the museum’s displays at their leisure, ask questions of the museum staff member (usually a geology undergraduate student) present during their visit, and participate in one or more self-guided activities.

The museum offers four self-guided, self-explanatory activities which are available to everyone who visits the museum during our public open hours. There is no charge for these activities and no advance notice is required (unless you have a large group – so we can make sure we have enough copies of the materials). When you arrive at the museum, just let the museum staff member know that you wish to participate in one of the activities and you will be provided with the necessary materials. Any person can request any of the activities, but here are our recommendations based on age:

  • Preschool & younger: Color Hunt
  • Elementary School: I Spy
  • Middle School: Museum Riddles
  • High School & up: Scavenger Hunt

I'd like to plan a field trip. What do I do next?

  1. Consider the specifications of your visit. Some things to think about ahead of time include:
    • What date and time you would like to visit.
    • How long you want to visit (e.g. 10 minutes vs. 1 hour).
    • Who is coming: how old are the visitors and how many total people will be in your group?
    • Do you want to do a self-guided activity?
  2. Contact the museum to check the current open hours and schedule your visit by calling (330) 941-7454.
  3. Review the parking options near the museum by checking out our Planning a Visit page OR contact the STEM outreach coordinator at (330) 941-2884 for help making bus drop-off/pickup arrangements. The coordinator can also provide information about group lunch options on campus as well as other STEM field trip destinations.
  4. Remind your group that the museum is located on a college campus and that they should be respectful when traveling to the museum (specifically while in the building) so as not to disturb college classes that may be in session.

Keep learning about geology after your visit to the museum!

Below you will find links to external websites containing educational content related to various displays within the museum.

Please note that the Clarence R. Smith Mineral Museum is not affiliated with these online resources.