Examine real fossils, engineer a home, or learn about culture through time! Enhance your field trip with these hands-on experiences, designed around New Jersey's curriculum standards.

We offer workshops for a wide range of grades, from pre-kindergarten through 8th grade. All workshops are 45 minutes long and are designed with New Jersey curriculum standards in mind. All workshops can accommodate groups of 15 – 25. Groups with a larger group size will be divided into multiple sessions. Groups of over 200 students cannot be accommodated on the same day but may be divided into multiple days if needed.

Reservations and Information: Email njsm.reservations@sos.nj.gov

Cost: $5.00 per student

Preschool/Early Elementary Workshops [Pre-K – 1st grade]
The New Jersey State Museum welcomes our youngest visitors with Small Explorers gallery guides specifically designed for them, age-appropriate Planetarium shows and guided programs focusing on exploring science, art and history through creative play, crafts and storytelling.

Paint Me a Story
Art and storytelling go hand in hand as we discover how the art on display tells stories and engages our minds and bodies. Explore color theory and learn to make colors to express yourself.

Dino Motion
Discover how dinosaurs and prehistoric reptiles moved through their environments as we combine science and imaginative play. Learn about trackways and what they can tell us about ancient animals.

Planets on Parade
Meet our favorite star and the planets in our solar system. Learn the order of the planets and how they orbit around the Sun, then design your own special planet!

Elementary & Middle School Workshops [2nd – 8th grade]
Our elementary workshops are for second through fifth graders, and uses scaffolding and inquiry-based learning. These workshops build on topics throughout the museum, allowing a fully comprehensive visit for your group. We offer three elementary workshops focusing on seasons, archaeology, and paleontology.

Our late elementary and middle school workshops are for fourth through eight graders, builds on topics covered in previous workshops and throughout the museum, and introduces more complex concepts to develop critical thinking skills. We offer three middle school workshops that focus on paleontology, engineering, and climate change.

Lenape Culture [2 – 5 grade]
Explore Lenape cultural adaptation through the examination of ceramics from the Woodland Period to modern native artistic expressions. Students will practice archaeology in teams to create a pottery model for study. Each student will analyze data from a sherd to develop an artifact record.

Shifting Seasons [2 – 5 grade]
What’s the weather going to be like tomorrow? What about in six months? Join us to learn about the reason for the seasons and how we predict the weather.

Junior Paleontologist [2 – 8 grade]
Do you have what it takes to be a paleontologist? Explore the history of life on Earth through games and examine real fossils – some hundreds of millions of years old – by using the same skills that paleontologists have.

Hearth & Home [4 – 8 grade]
Looking to the Lenape for inspiration, student teams construct home models designed to combat the climate challenges of North American ecosystems.

Changing Coastlines [6 - 8 grade]
Using scientific data, explore how New Jersey coasts have changed throughout time and how they’re still changing today. Learn about the impacts of sea level rise and consider possible solutions for the future.