The Wilson Museum offers a variety of field trips and in-classroom learning experiences for learners of all ages. We offer object-based, place-based, and hands-on learning experiences that align with Maine state standards and cater to a variety of learning modalities. 

Our field trip season runs from September - Early November, and Late April - early June. In-classroom learning experiences are available during the school year, September - June. 

While we welcome donations, we are pleased to offer all of our field trips and learning experiences free of cost. At this time, schools and organizations visiting the museum must be responsible for their own transportation costs. In-classroom learning visits outside of Hancock County may incur a small travel fee for our education team.

We encourage teachers from Blue Hill, Brooksville, Bucksport, Penobscot, Sedgwick, and Surry  to explore our Robin Bray grant/scholarship program, which awards funds to local educators to work with the Museum to create educational content and use for travel funds. 

We welcome homeschooling families and co-ops to take advantage of all of our field trips and in-classroom learning options. At this time, we do not have the capacity to create custom programs for homeschoolers. 

Our field trip menu is evolving. If you have questions about a particular experience, or don’t quite see what you’re looking for, please reach out to our Manager of Museum Learning at education@wilsonmuseum.org for consultation.

Interested in a specific object, culture, or time period represented in our collection for your class? Contact the Manager of Museum Learning for consultation about tailoring your visit.

This field trip is adaptable for learners of all ages.

In this interactive historic house tour designed for youth visitors, learn about the construction and reconstruction of the Perkins House, what life was like when it was first built, and the people who lived in and around this home in the place we now call Castine. 

This field trip is currently adaptable for learners in 3rd-4th grade and up.

Recommendation:
Can be paired with the tools and trades field trip for a full day experience.

Students will have the opportunity to use tools, handle objects, and to make something of their own to take with them when they leave. 

This field trip is currently adaptable for learners in 3rd-4th grade and up.

Recommendation:

Can be paired with the Perkins House tour field trip for a full day experience.

Recommended: Ground your students’ learning and enhance their field trip experience through a pre-trip in-classroom learning session. This foundational session gives the students an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the Wabanaki history of our area, and enables us to dive more deeply into hands-on and place-based learning when they visit us at the museum.

Many are surprised to learn of the rich history and extended presence of African and African American community members in the place we now call Maine. Join the Wilson Museum’s Manager of Museum Learning and the Castine Historical Society’s Director to learn about the lives of several of Castine’s African and African American historic citizens, confront the legacy of enslavement in Maine, and explore the “invisible” landscape of these histories in Castine. 

Since 2020, researchers and historians in Castine have worked together to reilluminate a rich history of African and African American culture and presence in this small town. But this is not just a Castine story - many Maine communities have similar histories that are often underrepresented in local history narratives. Through place and object-based learning, educators at both our institutions seek to center these histories for a new generation of Maine citizens. 

This field trip is currently available to learners in 5th-6th grade and up.

Recommendation:

Ground your students’ learning and enhance their field trip experience through a pre-trip in classroom learning session. This foundational session gives the students an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the African and African American history of our area, and enables us to dive more deeply into hands-on and place-based learning when they visit us for this experience.

More Youth Learning

The Wilson Museum also periodically offers youth programming during school vacations, after school and weekends. Check out our Calendar, or even better, sign up for our E-Newsletter, to learn when more learning opportunities are coming up!

Also be sure to check out Hands-on-History days in July and August.