K–12

We love to see K–12 groups in our galleries! The Kelsey Education Department offers tours to suit every need: docent-led gallery tours, self-guided tours and scavenger hunts, and virtual tours. No matter what kind of tour you’re interested in, all groups must make advance reservations. Please fill out this K–12 Group Request Form to schedule your visit, and a member of our education staff will contact you to finalize the details.

A field trip to the Kelsey includes a docent-led tour of our galleries and the option of a hands-on activity. Guided tours are offered Tuesday through Friday, 10 AM through 2 PM. Tours last from 30 minutes to an hour. The hands-on activities take 30–45 minutes to complete. 

Listed below are our five tour themes, each followed by a list of activities that pair well with that tour (and suggested grade levels). Tip: Archaeology activities work well with most tours.

Archaeology

• Read and Look (Pre-K–1st)
• Sketching in the Galleries (K–12th)
• Pottery Reconstruction (1st–8th)
• Ancient Board Games (2nd–8th)
• Burial Boxes (3rd–12th)
• Museum Ethics and Artifacts (11th–12th)

Ancient Egypt

• Hieroglyphic Writing (1st–5th)

Ancient Greece

• Myths and Monsters (K–5th)
• Ancient Democracy (5th–12th)
• Greek Mythology through Artifacts (6th–12th) 

Ancient Rome

• Making Mosaics (K–5th)
• Reading Latin Inscriptions (8th–12th, for Latin students only)

Ancient Middle East

• Ancient Board Games—The Royal Game of Ur (2nd–8th)

You are welcome to bring your K–12 class to the Kelsey to explore on your own. The museum is free and is open to the public Tuesday through Friday, 9 AM to 4 PM. To ensure that your visit doesn’t conflict with another scheduled tour, please tell us when you’d like to come by filling out the K–12 Group Request Form.

We have a number of self-guided tour sheets and scavenger hunts that you can download and print prior to your arrival. Visit our Self-Guided Visits page for more information.

Please remember to review our Planning Your Visit page and the rules of the museum prior to your visit.

Bring the Kelsey to your classroom with a virtual visit! Our virtual Zoom tour options for K–12 are as listed above in our “Guided Tours” section. Fill out the K–12 Group Request Form to schedule your virtual tour of the Kelsey Museum. At this time, we are not offering activities with the virtual Zoom tour format.