Field Trips

 

Field Trip Registration Request

Please select one of the following options:

                     

The Bakken Museum's tips for a successful field trip

Scholarships

The Bakken Museum offers partial scholarships for admission.  Scholarships are limited and will only be available to schools with 60% or more students who qualify for free and reduced lunch. Some community organizations offer grants that can help cover the cost of the field trip or transportation.

For more information about scholarships, contact Patrick Tomko, Program Logistics Coordinator at 612-926-3878 ext. 200 or via e-mail at tomko@thebakken.org.

Can't make it out for a field trip at The Bakken? You can arrange for our Outreach Program to come to you.  Many options are available during the entire school year.

 

Guided Tours 

Students explore the connections between history, science and engineering through The Bakken Museum’s interactive galleries. They hear fascinating stories about the relationships between electricity, magnetism, medicine and invention. Students learn that they are part of science by finding a connection with the artifacts, experiments, scientists and inventors highlighted in the museum.  

 

Workshops

The Bakken Museum offers a variety of activities during your field trip. Each workshop is specially designed to meet your grade levels need.  All of The Bakken workshops support academic science standards.

 

 

Batteries: Investigating the Nature of Science & Engineering (Grades 4-6)

Students learn what happens when two great scientists disagree. Students explore the history of batteries by engaging in the famous 200-year-old debate between scientists Alessandro Volta and Luigi Galvani. They make replicas of the first documented battery, the Voltaic Pile, and use it to produce sound and light. Participants take home a kit containing all the materials needed to construct and experiment with their own environmentally friendly battery.

Intro to Magnets Workshop (Grades 1-2)

Students use scientific inquiry to investigate magnets and magnetism. They sort magnetic and non-magnetic materials and observe and compare magnetic force as they learn about the history of magnets. Students make a magnetic motor that demonstrates one way magnets are used in modern engineering to improve everyday life.

Magnets and Electromagnets Workshop (Grades 3-6)

Students recreate the historic experiments that helped people to investigate the properties of magnets. They learn about the invention of the compass, its uses and limitations. They do experiments to better understand magnetism and magnetic fields and explore the interaction between magnetism and electricity. Every student takes home a kit containing all the materials needed to construct and experiment with their own electromagnet.

Pavek Museum of Broadcasting Workshop (Grades 4-6)

Your class visits the nearby Pavek Museum of Broadcasting where they go “live and on the air” in an educational broadcast workshop that highlights the history of radio and TV. Students engage in hands-on activities and demonstrations including hosting a 1960s-style radio broadcast and being a contestant on a TV quiz show.

Static Electricity Workshop (Grades 4-6)

Students investigate the science of static electricity. Students learn about historical figures and the tools they used to conduct their research. Through engaging experiments, the students compare insulators and conductors to discover how they are used in static electricity experiments. All students build a static electricity generator and Leyden jar to take home. 

 

Dates: Available Tuesday-Friday, October-June, 9:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m., 10 a.m.-1:15 p.m. or 10:30 a.m.-1:45 p.m.
Fee: $10 per student (regular fee)
$3 per student (with $7 scholarship for schools with 60%-79% FRL)
$1.50 per student (with $8.50 scholarship for schools with 80%-100% FRL)
Admission is free for teachers and up to one chaperone for every four students
$7 per person for each additional chaperone
   
Registration: Now Open.

Finding Frankenstein (Grades 7-12)

Who would Mary Shelley be if she were alive today? What led the mother of science fiction to write the novel Frankenstein at the age of 18? Find answers to these questions and learn about the science and culture of the early 1800’s.  Through this museum experience you will get to see our thrilling 45 minute interactive theatrical presentation Finding Frankenstein and explore the hands-on exhibits of the museum, including expert led experiences with static electricity and the museum’s exciting 12-minute light and sound show about the novel.  This experience is perfect for classes who will be or have read the novel Frankenstein as well as science classes exploring the history and nature of science, electricity, or electricity in the human body.

Available Mondays only 10am-12pm
Fee: $400 for 20 to 60 students, $600 for 61-100 students
100 student maximum