Field Trips: K - 2
Field trips for K - 2nd grade students at the Museum of the City of New York offer a fun, interactive way to explore the city's history through hands-on activities and engaging exhibits. Kids can enjoy storytelling, art projects, and guided tours that make learning about New York's past exciting and memorable.The field trips listed below are offered in either Spanish or English, or as a bilingual experience. / Este programa se ofrece tanto en español como en inglés, o como una experiencia bilingüe.
Please scroll for field trip descriptions, FAQs, rates, and more information.
Field Trip Experiences at MCNY
Manny Vega: Art in El Barrio / Arte en El Barrio
In this guided program, students will explore the exhibition Byzantine Bembé: New York by Manny Vega and see the range of artistic media Vega uses to celebrate Puerto Rican, African, and Brazilian music, art, spiritual traditions, and culture, particularly in East Harlem. Students will learn about Vega’s childhood growing up in NYC, practice some Spanish, and discuss how cultural traditions may help shape meaning in their own lives.
Hands-on Learning: Students will conclude the program by making their own paper mosaics to take home, drawing from selections of the artist’s work.
Themes: Art, Cultural Identity, Our Communities
75 minutes. Grades K - 2. Offered through Jan 3
Art Deco: NYC Landmarks Now and Then
In 1931, the Empire State Building surpassed the Eiffel Tower as the world’s tallest structure, signaling New York’s rising influence as a global city. In this guided field trip, students will explore New York City’s involvement in the competition to create the tallest building in the world. They will engage and analyze oral histories from the 1930s to understand how everyday New Yorkers felt about the rising skyline and the changing aesthetic of the modern city, then test their observation skills in a spot-the-difference activity across time.
Hands-on Learning: Students will create art deco-inspired buildings using what they have learned about art deco style
Themes: Arts, Our Communities, Technology & Innovation
75 Minutes. Grades K - 2. Offered through Feb 14
Gingerbread NYC 2024
The smell of sugar fills the air as learners play “I Spy!” to find details on more than 20 gingerbread recreations of the bridges, bakeries, museums, libraries, and other iconic buildings of New York City while they learn fun facts about the city’s five boroughs.
Hands-on Learning: Guided by a Museum Educator, field trip participants will complete a scavenger hunt, listen to a holiday-themed story, and create their own gingerbread-inspired craft to take home. This program – sadly! – does not involve eating gingerbread.
Themes: Arts, Our Communities
75 minutes. Grades PreK - 2. Offered through Jan 10
New York Then and Now: Creative Expressions
Art is a powerful tool for visualizing and understanding history. Guided by a Museum Educator, young learners will explore how artists from the 1920s to today have use dance, music, visual arts, and poetry to create and respond to the city’s changing cultural landscape.
Hands-on Learning: Students will get to touch, smell, and hear objects that engage their senses as they see artifacts from Bill “Bojangles” Robinson’s bronze-cast tap dance shoes to a sculpture of a graffiti-covered subway car to the Dominican instrument guïra and pullero.
Themes: Cultural Identity, Our Communities, Change Over Time
75 Minutes. Grades K - 2.
The Greatest Grid: Urban Planning in New York City
Build a model city and become an urban planner! Learners will see historical photographs showing how Manhattan’s street grid system was built and how it changed over time before discussing the places and resources communities need. This program takes place within the Museum's classroom and does not involve a visit to the galleries.
Hands-on Learning: The group will construct a model city that conforms to this more-than-200-year-old plan. Students can take home the model buildings, parks, and structures they create
Themes: Our Communities, Technology, and Innovation
75 Minutes. Grades K – 2.
The Making of New York: From Mannahatta to the Five-Borough City
Students will discover what has changed and what has stayed the same over time in New York City as they explore the gallery Port City: 1609-1898. Guided by a Museum Educator, participants will learn to look closely at original historical artifacts, including a Lenape ceremonial club, a slice of a wooden pipe that formed the original water system of the city, Jacob Riis photographs, and original models of the Statue of Liberty.
Hands-on Learning: Participants will get to touch historical objects and reproductions to enhance their learning and will complete a drawing activity.
Themes: Change Over Time, Technology & Innovation, Our Communities, Cultural Identity
75 minutes. Grades K - 2.
FAQ
Times: Programs are available Tuesday—Friday beginning at 10am.
Cost: The pricing of in-person field trips is different based upon school type. Please see the relevant section below for group pricing.
Programs: Field trips are 75 minutes. Programs can be modified for groups of all needs and abilities, and program time can be adjusted under special request.
Scheduling: Advance reservations are required and must be made by using the field trip request form. Please note that due to the volume of requests, it may take up to three weeks to receive a response from our School Programs Scheduling Team. Field trips are booked on a first-come, first-served basis. More details are listed below.
In Person Field Trip Pricing
| School Type | Price Per Group |
| Public and charter schools (up to 35 students per group) | $175 |
| Private and parochial schools (up to 35 students per group) | $250 |
| "I'm a Neighbor": Public & charter schools in zip codes 10029, 10035, & 10037 | Free |
Note: We reserve the right to limit reservations to two groups per school per day. Teachers and chaperones are included for free in the group fee pricing.
Late Arrivals: Please plan to arrive at the Museum 10-15 minutes prior to your scheduled program. If an emergency situation comes up and you’ll be arriving late, please call our School Programs team at 917.492.3334 or email schoolprograms@mcny.org. The Museum reserves the right to shorten or cancel a program for groups that arrive more than 15 minutes after their start time. There will be no price adjustment or refund for late arrivals.
Please fill out the Field Trip Request Form to request a trip.
Explore More Field Trip Experiences:
