Visting MPM? Enhance your experience by working directly with a Museum Educator!
For a two-hour period of your choice, an Educator will be available to join you in an exhibit relating to one of the topics below with a variety of hands-on materials and resources. They’ll help you explore the exhibit, talk about specific displays, and answer questions!
This informal, drop-in engagement is a chance for your students to work in small groups directly with a Museum professional; students can spend as much time working with the Educator as suits your visit’s goals. We will work with you before your visit to best enhance your time here and support your classroom plans. Please see our FAQ for more information.
Educators are available on a first-come, first-served basis at no additional cost to your visit.
PERMANENT OPTIONS (GRADES 1-12)
Time Travel: What did life look like long ago? Take a hands-on look at what roamed the Earth throughout some of its many eras while engaging with our The Third Planet exhibit.
Emphases include:
- Reefs of Old Milwaukee: Travel back 425 million years! Examine fossils to see what Milwaukee would have looked like during the Silurian period.
- What is a Dinosaur: What makes a dinosaur, well, a dinosaur? Who studies them? Explore what we already know and have yet to learn!
- Mammoth vs. Mastodon: Learn about these Ice Age giants and what the world was like when they still called Wisconsin home.
- Fossil ID: How do you know when something’s a fossil? Use objects from MPM’s Education collections to determine what fossils are, how they’re made, and how they’re found.
A Bug’s World: It’s a bug’s world, and we’re just living in it! Take an up-close look at this often-tiny world of arthropods and how it interacts with ours.
Emphases include:
- Meet Some Bugs: See some of MPM’s smallest live residents up close! Bug interactions must be requested one month before visit and availability is subject to change.
- Hometown Heroes: Discover the arthropod friends that live among us! Gain appreciation for how important they are to our own lives.
- Butterfly Stop-by: Learn what makes these magnificent insects soar above the rest!
- Pollination: Some of our littlest neighbors can make the biggest impact on our environment. Learns how plants rely on insects and vice versa.
Wisconsin Tribes: Since time immemorial, the area we call Wisconsin has been home to Indigenous communities that still reside here today. Learn about the Tribes of Wisconsin and touch on their stories.
Emphases include:
- Oneida White Corn: Which properties make Oneida white corn unique and special? We’ll discuss how it differs from other corn varieties and why it’s important to the Oneida Nation.
- Manoomin (Wild Rice): Learn the process of harvesting manoomin, its cultural importance, and the challenges and opportunities the plant faces today.
- Maple-Sugaring: Look at the science behind maple-sugaring and explore its long Indigenous history!
- Birchbark and Menominee Forestry: Explore the versatility and longstanding use of birch while also learning about modern Menominee forestry practices that help keep ecosystems healthy.
ROTATING TOPIC: FEBRUARY AND MARCH (GRADES 4-12)
Celebrating Black History: Use primary sources and explore local Black history from one of Milwaukee’s earliest Black families to contemporary and ongoing events.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Will we have the Educator to ourselves?
Not entirely! We will work with you ahead of time and prioritize your group but will teach other visitors, too, if they stop by.
What do we do when we get there?
When you arrive at MPM, a member of our Visitor Services team will check you in and give you a brief orientation. They’ll also remind you of the time you chose to meet your Educator and in which exhibit.
Where do we meet?
Your meeting location depends on the topic you selected! We can work out a specific part of an exhibit to meet you in if you have something in particular you’d like to focus on.
Is there a group size limit?
No! We can work with groups of all sizes. With larger groups, we’ll be sure to check in ahead of time to see how we can adapt to best suit your group.
Can I bring multiple grade levels at once?
Certainly! As Museum Educators, we’re used to teaching learners of all ages and multi-generational audiences.
An Educator wasn’t available on the date I wanted. What can I do?
Send us an email and we will look into it for you! We might already be booked for that day but maybe teaching in an exhibit that also meets your visit goals. If that is the case, please stop by!
Wait—this is free?
Reserve an Educator does not add on to your group’s admission cost!