School and Camp Visits
The Museum visit incorporates learning from across the New York State curriculum, including science, mathematics, the arts, and social studies. Educators lead tours (up to 30 students) that allow students to interact with the Museum’s collections. Students leave with an appreciation of skyscrapers and their role in society as well as a better understanding of the methods of constructing tall buildings.
Scheduling
Educational guided tours of the current exhibition are available during non-public hours:
Tuesday, 10 AM to 6 PM
Wednesday – Friday, 10 AM to 12 Noon
Cost
The Skyscraper Museum holds a NYC Department of Education Vendor Number.
$2.50 per Student; First three Instructors/Chaperones free, additional $5 each
$35 gallery fee for guided and self-guided tours during non-public hours.
Guidelines
The Skyscraper Museum does not have any facilities for students to eat their lunch. If the weather is pleasant, teachers may choose to bring their classes to Battery Park and its esplanade. Otherwise, classes may walk to nearby public spaces such as the Winter Garden at the World Financial Center.
Additionally:
- There should be one chaperone for every ten students.
- Students will be asked to leave their belongings in a secure place in the Museum before beginning the tour.
- No food, drink, or gum is allowed in the gallery.
- Students are expected to respect the Museum exhibits and staff.
To Schedule
To schedule a 40-minute tour, email [email protected] or call 212.945.6324 at least two weeks in advance of your desired visit date. A deposit of $35 is required to hold your reservation and tours may be cancelled up to one week in advance of the scheduled visit full deposit refund.
Resources
Tower Tube
Lessons
Activities
Collected here are highlights from the Museum’s extensive archive of green multimedia. Classes can explore this material as a group, or individually – either as enrichment or as part of a lesson. Students should notice the changes in building that is leading to more environmentally friendly cities, and consider what green innovations they see in their own lives.
Recommended Reading (K-12)
Books selected by The Skyscraper Museum enhance and enrich student learning about skyscrapers, complete with suggested activities.
Students learn about the real, vertical race to the top of the Empire State Building and then use a chart of race results to solve an array of challenging mathematics problems. This engaging activity can be used in a single class period or a take-home activity.
Junior High Level Document-Based Question
The documents in this DBQ vary in their level of difficulty, but prompt the students to write an essay about the Empire State Building.