Education

Field Trips

Educational & Entertaining

HMNS Sugar Land strives to deliver interactive experiences that are so much fun you might not realize you’re learning!
The Houston Museum of Natural Science at Sugar Land invites all school groups to explore technology and the natural environment on a field trip designed to meet the learning goals of your students.

Field Trips to the Houston Museum of Natural Science at Sugar Land are available Monday through Friday with advance reservations. With exhibitions ranging from marvelous mineral masterpieces to the wonders of outer space, the Houston Museum of Natural Science at Sugar Land presents compelling exhibitions and fascinating learning experiences. Our exciting exhibition halls and hands-on field trip classes ignite a passion for learning that lasts far beyond the field trip day.

Please Note: Two weeks notice is required to schedule all Field Trip Classes.
Contact Us
reservations@hmns.org
713-639-4659

Field Trip Curriculum

To help your students get the most out of their field trip to the Museum, we offer supplementary information tailored for each grade level or high school course. Additional selection is coming soon.

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Field Trip FAQs and Guidelines

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FAQ

When can I visit?

To qualify as a school group, you must belong to an educational organization (K – 12), make advance reservations, and visit the Museum Thursday & Friday from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and Monday – Wednesday for groups of 60+ 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. The field trip rate also extends to home schools with at least 10 students.

Groups of fewer than 10 students may still book a field trip; however, they will be charged for 10 students plus any chaperones if they wish to receive the field trip rate. Our representatives are available to help determine the most cost-efficient method for your group to visit the Museum.For an established field trip, the person who booked the trip should call (713) 639-4659 at any time prior to the day of arrival to add or subtract people from the reservation. Groups that fall below 10 students will be charged for 10 students plus any chaperones in order to receive the field trip rate.

We require one chaperone for every ten students (groups should not exceed 10 students). Chaperones must remain with their students at all times. Chaperones must be at least 21 years of age and must wear their chaperone sticker. All teachers and chaperones included in the official count will pay the field trip rate; those not included in the chaperone count will need to purchase their own tickets at the full rate, if available, upon arrival.

Before the trip, reservation numbers can be updated by calling (713) 639-4659. On the day of the trip, the final count of students, parents, teachers, and chaperones must be written on the Required Teacher Admission Sheet found on page 2 of the Field Trip Preparation Planner.

Adding or removing venues from a reservation requires a four-day notice, if available. After tickets have been printed, the reservation may not be changed.

Lunches may be brought in and stored inside the Sugar Land Museum until your designated lunch time. For easy storage and retrieval, it is best to put lunches in a labeled ice chest, plastic tote, or box for transit.

The Museum offers customized TEKS-based curriculum, available at hmns.org/curriculum to accompany your field trip. These free units are designed to make the field trip experience educationally sound and fun and include a TEKS-aligned knowledge hunt and extension activities for grades K-8. High school curriculum is available, with a two-week notice, upon request. For questions, email educationquestions@hmns.org.

Absolutely! Visit Special Attractions for more information about what is currently on display.

Yes! Docents are available to lead tours throughout the Museum. They are great for larger school groups and can accommodate up to 10 people (including chaperones) per docent. Tours are approximately 30-45 minutes long. A two-week notice is required. Cost: $15.00 per docent. Docents are available between 10 a.m.–1 p.m.

Explore science, nature, and history in our Science Labs which feature specimens, artifacts, and laboratory equipment. Each lab lasts one hour and accommodates up to 25 students. If your group is interested in scheduling a Lab, please visit hmns.org/sciencelab or contact educationquestions@hmns.org.

To drop off students, buses will enter the Houston Museum of Natural Science at Sugar Land property from the entrance on New Territory Blvd. Buses may park at the south end of the front parking lot.

It may also be possible to book one of our Outreach programs for your group during your visit to the Museum. These include Chevron Earth Science on Wheels, ConocoPhillips Science on Stage, El Paso Corporation Wildlife on Wheels, Docents to Go, Bugs on Wheels, and the Discovery Dome. The costs vary per program and per request. Please book your presentation at least one month in advance to avoid scheduling conflicts.

Field trips may be paid for in advance by calling 713-639-4659, by mailing a check, or on the day of the trip. If you choose to pay on the day of the trip, the Museum will accept school district checks, credit cards, or cash (large bills only). A purchase order (PO) will not be accepted. Field trips must be paid for in one transaction. All students and chaperones on the reservation should give their payment to one person who will present the money at the box office.
 
Please mail checks to:
The Houston Museum of Natural Science
ATTN: School Services
5555 Hermann Park Dr.
Houston, TX 77030-1718

Guidelines

Scheduling Specifics
 
The Museum requires advance reservations for all visiting school groups.
 
Policies
To qualify for school group discounts, you must belong to an educational organization (K-12), make advance reservations, and visit us Monday – Sunday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Chaperones (includes teachers, parents, bus drivers, etc.) are responsible for the behavior and discipline of their groups at all times and are required to accompany students for the duration of the visit. Each school group must meet a 1:10 student chaperone ratio (21 years or older). All chaperones are required to purchase admission ticket(s).
 
Reservations
We strongly recommend scheduling your trip early in the school year to avoid over-crowding and the possible unavailability of your ideal dates and programs.
 
Field trip reservations must be made through our booking form. Please complete the SL Booking Form, and one of our Reservations Coordinators will reach out to you to process your booking.
 
Upon completion of your reservation, you will receive a confirmation number by e-mail. Please review this confirmation e-mail and notify HMNS immediately to make changes. If you do not have access to e-mail, a confirmation letter will be mailed to you.
 
Payment
You may pay on arrival. The Box Office accepts credit cards, school district checks (member checks or organization checks only) and cash (large bills only).
 
In order to avoid delays when you arrive at the Museum, you also have the option of prepaying for your trip. To do this, 2 weeks before the trip you should mail a school check with your reservation number on it to:
 
Attn: School Services
Houston Museum of Natural Science
5555 Hermann Park Drive
Houston, TX 77030
 
Another option is to prepay by credit card by calling (713) 639-4629. You will need the following information:
 
Card type
Name on the card
Zip code
Expiration date
CVV number on the back of the card (3-digit number)
 
SCHOOL GROUP RATES are already discounted; no additional coupons or Membership discounts apply.
 
Cancellations, Changes & Refunds:
ALL CHANGES AND CANCELLATIONS MUST BE MADE FOUR BUSINESS DAYS IN ADVANCE. After that time, you will be charged for the entire reservation.
 
Refunds will be made only in the event of Museum equipment failure, power failures, malfunctions in projection equipment, etc. NO OTHER REFUNDS WILL BE ISSUED.
 
Guidelines:
Students must be supervised at all times – teachers and chaperones are responsible for maintaining the discipline necessary for proper behavior while visiting the Museum. For the safety and enjoyment of all visitors, disruptive or unsafe behavior will not be permitted and may result in the entire group being asked to leave without a refund.
 
No backpacks, headphones, lunches, gum, or candy are allowed inside the Museum.
 
There is a designated area that will be used for schools to store their lunches while visiting HMNS at Sugar Land. Once this space has been filled, we will not be able to store any more lunches. Lunches can be eaten in the snack bar area on a first-come, first-served basis. If your group prefers, they may take their lunches outdoors and eat on the grounds of the Museum.
 
HMNS reserves the right to change program dates, times and prices without prior notice.