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Self-Guided K–12 Visits

K–12 and Youth Group Visits

Groups may reserve admission at a discounted rate. See Fees for rates and Schedule a K–12 Group for reservation information.

Reserve a Museum Mysteries Kit (ages 5–12)

The Museum Mysteries Kit is a briefcase-sized box with artifacts to touch and talk about linked to the North American Indian exhibits. It is for use during a self-guiding trip to the museum. It was made with scouts, summer camps, and home school groups in mind.

 

The kit comes with set of activity cards that an adult reads aloud to the group. The playful prompts on the cards help kids observe details, think creatively, or get up and moving to search for treasures on display. The kit can be reserved for your group and is picked up and returned to the Peabody Admission Desk. It is free with a group reservation. Remember to ask for the kit at the time of reservation so it will be ready for you.

How to Use the Museum Mysteries Kit

Large groups up to 60 should break into smaller groups of no more than 10 and divide the cards and objects up equally. Leaders can swap cards and artifacts so that groups get a chance with a few different activities.

 

While the cards are meant for non-teachers to use and require no expertise, all adult chaperones need to be comfortable telling kids to share artifacts, to be gentle with them, to walk in the gallery and to keep their voices down. If this is unlikely given the makeup of your group, please consider downloading and printing resources to support your visit instead.

What's in the Kit

museum mysteries kit contents.
Museum Mysteries Kit

The artifacts are from the Northeast, Subarctic and Southeast regions of North America.

 

Artifacts

  1. Quills from an eastern porcupine
  2. A necklace made with porcupine quills
  3. A hand tool for working hide made from a clam shell with a bone handle
  4. Wooden design paddle for use with clay
  5. Stone arrowheads
  6. Birchbark
  7. A working pump drill

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