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Bring your youth group to the museum this summer to inspire wonder about the world all around us. 

All guided education programs are taught by trained museum educators. Pre-registration is required. Each guided education program includes a hands-on activity in the classroom and an exhibit tour.

Registration for summer 2025 programs is now open. Review the program information below and submit an online request form (available at the bottom of the page). 

 

JULY THROUGH AUGUST 2025 PROGRAM OPTIONS

 

Mammoth silhouette

SELF-GUIDED VISITS
Monday through Sunday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and until 8:00 p.m. on Thursday
45-60 minutes
Create your own adventure! Explore the museum at your own pace. We just ask that groups have a 1:8 ratio of adult chaperones to youths. 

Children clustered around sloth skeleton

GUIDED EDUCATION PROGRAMS
Monday through Thursdays 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
60-90 minutes
Explore the past and delve into the future with a guided education program! All programs are taught by trained museum educators. Your visit will include 30 minutes in the classroom, 20-30 minutes for a guided exhibit tour, and 30 minutes of self-explore time. Guided programs must be requested at least 2 weeks in advance.

Available programs

  • Fun with Fossils (Ages 5-13)
    Discover the natural history and geology of Oregon! Be a scientist for a day, handling and classifying items like fossils and volcanic rocks, and see the fossils on display in the Explore Oregon exhibit.
  • Oregon Archaeology Detectives (Ages 8-18)
    Put on your detective hat and uncover clues about Oregon's past. Learn about the Tribes that have lived here since time immemorial. Develop and test your own hypothesis as you tour cultural history exhibit, Oregon—Where Past is Present.
  • Animal Tracks (Ages 5-8)
    Who’s been wandering through the museum? Follow the tracks to find out! Learn about different animals and the clues their tracks leave behind. Take a tour through the Explore Oregon exhibit.
  • Adapt, Move, or Go Extinct (Ages 8-18)
    Investigate Oregon’s ecosystems and learn how plants and animals adapt to their changing environments. Take a tour through the Explore Oregon exhibit.
six children running around the museum courtyard

FUN IN THE SUN
Fridays and Saturdays in July and August 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pre-registration for group visits to Family Fun in the Sun is required. 
Bring your youth group to the native plant courtyard for hands-on, bilingual English-Spanish activities that will spark curiosity about our past, present, and future. Participate in activities for 30 minutes and then explore the rest of the museum exhibits at your own pace.

  • Jul 11, 12 & Jul 18, 19: Native Innovation

Explore how Native American people have used knowledge, creativity, and ingenuity to solve problems for thousands of years, and continue to do so today. Try your hand at engineering, while learning from examples of traditional Indigenous technologies related to housing, travel, tools, recreation, resource management, and more.

  • Jul 25, 26 & Aug 1, 2: Big World of Bugs

Insects are some of our smallest neighbors, but they play a big role in the wide world around us. Take a look into the life of bugs and discover where they live, how they move, what they eat, and how they help make our world go round.

  •  Aug 8, 9 & Aug 15, 16: Adventures in Archaeology

Can you learn about a person from their belongings? Archaeologists do this all the time! Take a trip into the past, dig into archaeology, uncover artifacts, and discover what we can learn from people who lived before us.

  • Aug 22, 23 & Aug 29, 30: Power Play for the Planet

Saving planet Earth together can be loads of fun! Join us to play games, solve puzzles, and tackle wacky challenges. The whole family will enjoy exploring the environment, designing solutions, and imagining a brighter future. Let’s do this!

 

COST 

 Group Visit Discount: 

To qualify for this discount, a group must make an advance reservation and be paying all together upon arrival (not individually paying admissions fees). Remember guided programs must be requested at least 2 weeks in advance.

 

PLANNING AND SCHEDULING
  • Minimum group size is 8 youths.
  • Maximum group size is 35 youths.
  • Only one group can visit at a time, although we can schedule groups back-to-back on the same day.
  • Summer field trip visits are available according to the schedule above.
  • Check calendar below for available times and dates.
  • Please submit your visit request at least two weeks prior to your requested date.
  • Information on directions and parking can be found on the Visit page.

AVAILABLE DATES AND TIMES

This calendar represents possible available times for you to request programs at the museum.  If a time is marked as busy, that time is unavailable for booking. 

PLEASE NOTE: Availability on this calendar is not guaranteed, but rather a guide to help you find the most likely openings for your group. You must request your chosen date and time through our request form, and wait for confirmation from our team.   
 

 

Ready to sign up? 

Request your program.

Questions? Contact us at mncheducation@uoregon.edu or 541-346-0877.

 

More Youth and Family Programs