Field Trips
Field Trips
Schools and youth-serving organizations are invited to bring students in grades 3–12 to First Americans Museum for field trips. Skilled FAM volunteers lead interactive tours that encourage critical thinking and dialogue and align with Oklahoma Academic Standards.
About FAM Field Trips:
- Three weeks prior notice is required for a reservation
- All groups agree to read and follow visit guidelines
- Pricing is $4 per student in grades 3–7 and $6 per student in grades 8–12
- FAM requires one adult chaperone per 10 students; additional adults (excluding bus drivers) are $8
- School/program staff and chaperones enjoy free admission
- FREE admission for Title I schools in Oklahoma
Young Visitors Policy:
FAM does not recommend group visits to the museum for children in 2nd grade or younger. However, please be aware of the following guidelines for young children and early elementary groups:
- Reservations are still required for your visit to the museum.
- Docent-led tours are not available for these groups
- Visits should be limited to two hours. FAM cannot provide lunch space for younger group visits.
Tour Experiences
Highly trained FAM volunteers lead guided tours that accommodate 60 students and last one hour and 15 minutes, including an introduction in Xchange Theater. Options include:
- Native Heroes (grades 6–12)—celebrates the significance of First American artists, athletes, culture bearers and warriors to our communities. Ideal for those studying United States government/civics or Indian Education, JOM and tribal nation groups.
- OKLA HOMMA (grades 3–12)—addresses the historical stories of the 39 tribes in Oklahoma today. Ideal for educators seeking to meet social studies or history content standards.
- WINIKO: Life of an Object (grades 3–12)—investigates the galleries on the mezzanine level that feature objects from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. Best for schools interested in viewing historic objects and those seeking to meet visual arts standards.
- NEW! Self-Guided Tour (grades 9–12)—groups in high school may choose to plan and lead their own tour of the exhibitions. Reservations for self-guided tours are required. FAM has developed self-guided tour materials to support your visit. Click here to view.
- NEW! Girl Scout Visits—FAM has collaborated with Girl Scouts of Western Oklahoma to develop a fun patch that scouts may earn at FAM. Learn more and schedule your self-led visit here.
Important: Guided tours are designed to facilitate in-depth conversation. Your group will not see the entire museum during your guided tour. If you wish and as time/space allows, your group may self-tour through remaining portions of the museum after the guided tour. Chaperones must always accompany students, and self-touring groups must respect other guided groups and general visitors in the gallery.
FAM invites homeschool families and consortia to participate in Homeschool Days, which will feature reduced admission and special programming to best fit the needs of your group.
Additionally, FAM members receive free admission year-round in addition to other perks. Become a member and support our mission!
Teachers and bus drivers are free. FAM requires a minimum of one adult chaperone for every 10 students, including for high school groups. The required chaperones are free, and additional adults are $8. Adults not paid for by the school will be charged standard admission.
If you need FAM to complete vendor paperwork, email your request to learn@famok.org. You may find a copy of our W9 here.
Boxed lunches are offered through our partners at NMS. To set NMS up as a vendor, please email Alexandra.Philbrick@nmsusa.com.
FAM accepts the following forms of payment:
- Credit card, cash or check upon entry
- Invoice after the visit
Schools only pay for the actual students present for the tour. Teachers must arrive with an accurate count of students.
Visit times vary:
FAM staff will work with you to develop a visit itinerary. Visit times vary, with the minimum amount of time being one and a half hours and the maximum being three hours:
- Guided tours are one hour and 15 minutes long, including an introduction in Xchange Theater
- To self-tour remaining portions of the exhibitions will take 30–45 minutes
- Lunch takes 30–45 minutes
- A trip to the FAM Mound peak takes 20–30 minutes (weather permitting)
- A visit to FAMstore can take 30–45 minutes with 10 students allowed inside the store at a time with a chaperone. You must request a visit to FAMstore in advance.
Yes! Schools may reserve a lunch space on a first-come, first-served basis when completing their reservation. Schools may bring their own lunches, but refrigeration is not provided.
When scheduling a tour through our reservation form, you may request a guided tour of either OKLA HOMMA or WINIKO: Life of an Object. Following your one-hour tour, students may visit the other exhibition, FAMstore, FAMtheater, and the Mound, if open. Chaperones must stay with their students at all times during their visit.
School tours are written at an age appropriate level and align with Oklahoma Academic Standards in Social Studies, Oklahoma History and United States History.
FAM can accommodate up to 60 students per visit. Larger groups will need to stagger arrival times or bring students over the course of several days.
Group visits are available for schools and youth-serving organizations Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. You are also welcome to schedule a visit on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
FAM requires one adult per chaperone for every 10 students. When calculating the number of chaperones needed, please round up (i.e., 32 students requires four chaperones). Chaperones must accompany all students at all times, including high school students.
Guidelines for chaperones:
- Assist the docent in holding student attention and keeping the group together
- Monitor your assigned student group at all times while at FAM and ensure they follow behavioral expectations
- Refrain from talking with other chaperones or talking on your cell phone during the visit
- Help encourage a positive learning environment!