School Field Trips
Welcome, teachers and school staff! We are now taking reservations for the 2023-2024 school year. The Science Mill will be open to field trips Tuesday-Friday when school is in session. Mondays may be available upon request.
Spark curiosity with a Science Mill field trip! Museum Exploration for grades K-8; all are supported by a TEKS-aligned guide to help tailor your visit to students’ learning goals and curriculum.
FAQs
Learn everything you need to know about the Science Mill Field Trip!
Educators can also refer to our updated Field Trip Guide for Educators for more details about preparing for a Science Mill field trip.
Still got questions? Contact us and we’ll get back to you soon!
Booking a Field Trip
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We are now taking reservations for the 2023-2024 school year. The Science Mill is open to field trips Wednesday-Friday when school is in session (For field trips in the summer, please book through our Group Visits page).
We can sometimes accommodate groups on Mondays or Tuesdays as well. Arrival times are either 9:30, 10:00, or 10:30am. Please check with your transportation director before booking to see if there are restrictions on travel times for your school.
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The student cost is $6 per child. School staff is free, and chaperones are $7. We ask teachers to collect chaperone money ahead of time and include it in the school’s payment. Any other attending guests including parents, guardians, other adults, or siblings will pay regular admission upon arrival. Scholarships are available to assist with field trips and transportation costs. Description text goes here
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Please complete the reservation request form on the Reservations webpage. We will contact you within 3 business days to confirm your reservation. If you have further questions, please email programs@sciencemill.org.
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Our capacity limit is 150 per group. We will work to accommodate your group size to ensure your students have a quality experience. We request there be at least 1 adult per 5 students for elementary classes and 1 adult per 10 students for middle and high school classes. Staff and chaperones should be with students at all times, and ensure that everyone practices proper museum behavior.
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Yes. However, we do have a few policies regarding these groups. Contact programs@sciencemill.com for more information. As another option, we have dedicated days each month for Homeschool Families and groups. Please visit our Homeschool Day page for more information.
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Full payment by check or credit card is due no later than two weeks before your visit. Please call 844-263-6405 ext.1007 with any questions regarding payment.
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Payment must be made 2 weeks prior to the field trip visit. Any necessary refunds will be issued through our business office and mailed 1-2 weeks after the field trip. Refunds less than $25 will not be issued but will be used as a donation to support field trips for low-income students.
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Yes! Our 2023-2024 Field Trip Guide for Educators contains everything you need to know about preparing for your Science Mill field trip. You can download the file here.
FIELD TRIP AGENDA & ADD-ONS
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Each field trip agenda is designed to maximize your time here at the Science Mill and depends on your requested activities and the number of students. All field trips include avatar customization, museum exploration time, and a 3D movie. If you requested a Learning Lab or Cross-curricular programming during the reservation process, that will also be scheduled for you. You will receive your unique agenda approximately 2 weeks before your field trip.
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Time varies for each group, depending on the size of the group, and what activities are added on to your trip. As a general rule, if you are doing a basic Museum Exploration trip with a lunch break, allow a minimum of 2.5-3 hours. If adding a Learning Lab or the Cross-Curricular option, a minimum of 3.5-4 hours is needed.
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Learning Labs are enrichment activities about a variety of STEM topics and careers facilitated by Science Mill staff. The Labs are offered by grade groups K-2, 3-5, and 6-8. Learning Labs are an additional $5 per student and must be booked on the reservation form. A minimum of 10 students must be registered to run a Learning Lab. See below for Learning Lab offerings.
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Yes, educators have created engaging and inquiry-based programming that closely aligns with TEKS standards.
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The Science Mill has partnered with the LBJ National Historical Park next door to offer schools a science and social studies field trip in one! Part of your time is spent exploring the Science Mill, and part is spent at the park. They offer tours that educate students about frontier life in the Texas Hill Country during the 1800’s. There is no additional charge associated with this option because the national park does not charge an admission fee!
During the Field Trip
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Picnic tables are available in the Science & Art Park for lunch. Lunches must be in labeled coolers or other containers. We cannot store individual lunches and the students will not be able to carry them in the museum.
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We understand that unforeseen circumstances happen, and the Science Mill staff will make every effort to accommodate your group. However, if the school arrives past the scheduled start time for a Learning Lab, movie, or National Park tour, the school may have to forfeit that activity.
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In the case of inclement weather, the Science Mill will follow Johnson City ISD closure and delays.
Field Trip Add-Ons: Learning Labs
All Learning Labs for 2023-2024 are 45 minutes long, with the exception of Caring for Our Creek (90 min).
Learning Labs require a minimum of 10 students and will be able to accommodate 50 students MAX but we encourage rotations no larger than 30 students per session. Students in all labs will work in teams of 3-4 depending on group size.
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K-2 Coasting Comparisons - Students will work as teams of engineers and test how marbles move or “coast” along various types of tracks. They will learn about gravity & friction, and explore how hills and starting heights will affect the amount of potential and kinetic energy.
3-5 Marble Roller Coaster - Students will work as teams of engineers to design and test their own marble roller coasters to understand the Engineering Design Process and investigate forces such as gravity and friction, and potential and kinetic energy.
6-8 Roller Coaster Tycoon - Students will work as teams of engineers to design and test their own marble roller coasters to understand the Engineering Design Process and investigate how gravity, friction, potential and kinetic energy, and Newton’s Laws affect their designs.
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K-2 Zippity Doo Dah - Students will work as teams of engineers, using the Engineering Design Process to design, test, and improve their own Lego Zipline Cars. Students will be able to use engineering practices to design solutions to problems, and identify strengths and weaknesses of their models.
3-5 Zip Away - Students will work as teams of engineers, using the Engineering Design Process to design, test, and improve their own zipline cars. Students will also investigate how gravity, friction, potential energy, and kinetic energy affect their designs. Students will be able to use engineering practices to design solutions to problems, and identify strengths and weaknesses of their models.
6-8 Zip It - Students will work as teams of engineers, using the Engineering Design Process to design, test, and improve their own zipline cars. Students will also investigate how gravity, friction, potential energy, kinetic energy, and Newton’s Laws affect their designs. Students will be able to use engineering practices to design solutions to problems, and identify strengths and weaknesses of their models.
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K-2 It’s a Hard Rock Life - Students will work as teams of geologists to investigate and categorize rocks, and understand how phenomena such as weathering and erosion break down and move rocks to create new landforms.
3-5 Radical Rocks - Students will work as teams of geologists to conduct experiments to classify rocks, learn the 3 main types of rocks, and understand the different stages of the rock cycle.
6-8 It’s Groundbreaking - Students will learn how structural and civil engineers have to prepare structures to survive earthquakes, and practice being disaster relief managers to help communities prepare for earthquakes.
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K-2 Gettin’ Buggy - Students will observe various insects and arachnids and categorize them based on their structures and functions.
3-5 Under the Lens - Students will observe the structures and functions of various insects and apply that knowledge to ideate a new insect to help a community problem.
6-8 Bug-Inspired Biomimicry - students will observe the structures and functions of various insects and apply that knowledge to design a blueprint for a bug-inspired robot.
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K-2 Botley - students will learn about inputs and outputs and learn how to operate the Botley robot to complete various challenges.
3-5 mBot Course - students will use block coding to code and program an mBot to complete a challenge course
6-8 CPX Designers - students will design a wearable device using a Circuit Playground Express microcontroller
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6-8 Caring for Our Creek (90 min) - students will investigate via hands-on lab tests the physical, chemical, and biological properties of a locally-sourced water sample and apply that knowledge to problem solve hypothetical water quality issues.
Cross-Curricular Trip
Explore history and science on your field trip this school year!
In partnership with the LBJ National Historic Park, we also offer Cross-Curricular Field Trips where you can explore the Science Mill and take the Frontier Life Tour next door! Register for the cross-curricular field trips using our field trip reservation link below.
About the Frontier Life in the Texas Hill Country Tour
(September-May) Tuesday-Friday
Step back in time and learn about the frontier experience in the Texas Hill Country during the 1800’s. Using the historic Johnson Settlement as an outdoor classroom, students will have the opportunity to reflect on how frontier settlement impacted the land and how it affected the many communities that called this area home.