It’s back-to-school season, so you know what that means. It’s time to plan your homeschool field trips!
Any kid will tell you field trips are the highlight of the school year. They’re a chance to escape the rigors of the schoolroom and go to a cool museum where they can see exhibits and artifacts on all sorts of exciting topics.
With its wide variety of free museums, Washington DC is a great place to go on field trips. On the National Mall alone, you can cover everything from science to American History to art.
But all those museums mean there are many options for exhibits to take your kids to. That’s why we compiled this list of nine great exhibits from three museums to jumpstart your field trip list for the school year.
Air and Space Museum
Even with half the museum closed for renovations, the Air and Space Museum is DC’s most popular Smithsonian museum. It covers all things aeronautics, with lots of hands-on exhibits and fantastic aircraft on display.
Wright Brothers & the Invention of the Aerial Age
Learn where flight began in this exhibit. Without the Wright brothers, there would be no Air and Space Museum. Kids can follow the brother’s path to fame while viewing the original 1903 flyer.
Early Flight
Aerial daredevils filled the early days of aviation. Discover all kinds of notable aviators and the tricks they performed in the air, whether plane tricks or flight records.
Destination Moon
Fifty-one years later, we still haven’t returned to the moon. But your kids can go back to 1969 and see the original Apollo 11 space capsule and Neil Armstrong’s space suit. The exhibit feels like a sci-fi movie set, with plenty of interactive elements for little hands.
Natural History Museum
Even though many of the exhibits in this museum prescribe to the evolutionary worldview, it’s impossible to deny the hand of the Creator in every artifact here. From the giant African elephant in the atrium to the smallest pieces of mineral in the Hall of Gems, they all showcase God’s amazing handiwork.
Butterfly Pavilion
Walk through a beautiful garden filled with live butterflies and see if you can get one to land on you. While it’s hot, it’s great fun for kids, young and old. Even better, you can get in free on Tuesdays (although timed tickets are required).
Ocean Hall
Explore the ocean’s depths in this exhibit, from beautiful tropical fish to deep sea creatures we still don’t understand. You’ll learn how the ocean is an integral part of our ecosystem between viewing specimens like the right whale or the megalodon jaw fossil.
Fossil Hall
Do you have any dino lovers? This is the exhibit for them. Check out amazing dinosaur fossils while you imagine what these creatures might have looked like. It’s also a great exhibit to discuss evolution and why it doesn’t work.
American History Museum
It’s important to learn the history of our country. The American History Museum does a great job of that through exhibits and artifacts that bring history to life.
America on the Move
Explore the history of American travel through a vast selection of real stagecoaches, trains, school buses, semi-trucks, RVs, cool cars, and more. It fuels young imaginations, especially since many vehicles can be touched or climbed in.
Star Spangled Banner
Here, you can see the very flag that inspired our national anthem from the Battle at Fort McHenry. Photography isn’t permitted, but seeing such an important artifact is enough.
FOOD: Transforming the American Table
We don’t cook the same today as our grandparents did. But you don’t realize that until you’ve explored this exhibit, which traces American food history. Learn how the food industry developed while seeing food-related artifacts, including Julia Child’s kitchen.
We hope these ideas inspired you to take your kids to DC and learn more from one museum visit than a whole week of schooling. Make sure to check each museum’s website for hours and other information.
Do you like getting DC museum and exhibit recommendations? Then sign up for our newsletter, where we send weekly updates and events for you to check out.
