Group Reservations - General Field Trips

General Information for Making Group Reservations
We're so happy you're interested in bringing your group to Lied Discovery Children's Museum! We hope the information here will help you to plan your visit.

GROUPS ARE SPECIAL!
Because visiting groups are a very important part of our audience, we offer reduced admission fees.  Visiting groups are different from visiting individuals because they have different needs and present different logistical issues to museum staff.  To ensure everyone's visit to the museum begins smoothly, we must complete the check-in process for groups as efficiently as possible to avoid/minimize delays at the Admissions Desk.  In order to offer the benefit of a group rate, groups must comply with conditions as listed below.

WHAT IS A GROUP?
(These conditions must be met in order to quality as a "group.")

• Your group must contain a minimum of 12 or more paying visitors. (This does not include children ages one and under.)
• Reservations should be made in advance of the day of the visit.
• Upon arrival at the museum on the day of your visit, all members of your group must enter the museum at the same time. Please Note: Those who arrive after the group has entered the Museum must pay the regular admission price for children and adults.
• The group must make one payment to the Admissions Desk Clerk.
• The group must stay together for a brief orientation by a staff member before dispersing into the museum.

WHAT IS AT THE MUSEUM?
Lied Discovery Children’s Museum contains 22,000 square feet of both temporary and permanent hands-on exhibits exploring the arts, sciences and humanities. You and your students will be part of an informal learning environment highlighting discovery, exploration, and creative expression. Our field trip program and teacher preparation materials are designed to help you meet your curriculum goals in fun and innovative ways!  The Education Staff develop teacher preparation materials for Featured and Permanent Exhibitions.  These packets include exhibit overviews, education goals and connections to the Nevada State Content Standards with vocabulary, extension activities, and a resource list.   We hope that you will utilize these materials to enhance your field trip visit.

Special Exhibits
Special traveling/featured exhibits in the museum's Cultural Gallery change regularly and extend the multi-disciplinary themes of the museum in a variety of ways. For these special exhibits, Education Department Staff develop teacher preparation materials that will help you to prepare your students for their visit as well as enhance their field trip visit.

Field Trip Packages
Please discuss the scheduling options available to you when you speak with the Reservationist. Some class size limits or sub-groupings of classes may be necessary in order to participate in some options. The Reservationist will discuss this with you before confirming your reservation.

• For group visits, Lied Discovery Children's Museum offers scheduled areas and/or experiences led by a museum Educator.  These presentations are based on exhibits in the museum, a predetermined concept or subject area and can also include special traveling exhibits on view in the Cultural Gallery.  They are also structured to address Nevada Curriculum and Content Standards for Kindergarten through 5th grade.  Written teacher preparation materials are available.  Presentations must be scheduled in advance and are available between 9:00 AM and 11:30 AM, Tuesday through Friday.  For more information about the presentations offered, or to schedule a presentation, please contact the museum Reservationist at 702-382-3445. Some current presentation topics are listed here:
  Stuffee - Come visit our 9-foot, 300-pound stuffed doll who can be unzipped to reveal the inner workings of our bodies.  It's a great way to learn more about our digestive, respiratory, circulatory, and nervous systems!  Written teacher preparation materials are available.
  Desert Discovery – A special areas design specifically for our Little Learners - children ages 5 and under, this permanent exhibit explores the animals and activities of the Mojave Desert in ways that encourage cooperation, role-playing, problem-solving, planning, and lots of "serious" play! Written teacher preparation materials are available for this exhibit covering learning goals, vocabulary, and pre- and post-visit activities!

LOGISTICS
We recommend you allow at least a 90-minute time period for most field trips. Please keep in mind that your group will be sharing the museum with a variety of differently aged children. During your visit, each exploration group must be guided by one or more chaperone(s) that are at least 18 years old. A 1:10 adult to child chaperone ratio required.

Time Slots

Holidays
The museum is open on school holidays and winter and spring breaks. Groups also may be scheduled during these dates/times. For a listing of the holiday schedule please call our administrative offices at 382-3445.

Lunch Facilities
The museum can provide space, tables, and chairs for field trip lunches. Vending machines are available for the purchase of cold drinks and snacks. Requests for field trip lunch space must be made in advance with the Reservationist. Because of multiple requests, the specific lunch area will be designated upon arrival. Space is limited on a first come, first served basis.

Eating and drinking are restricted
to the designated lunch and vending areas.

Chaperones & Safety
Chaperones are a very important part of any field trip! Their own life experiences support meaningful group learning and that makes for a memorable visit! When you book your field trip, your confirmation packet will contain a "So, You're going to be a Chaperone" sheet with useful information.  Please make copies and distribute to your Chaperones!
For the safety of your children and other museum visitors, adult chaperones are required at a ratio of one adult to every ten children. Chaperones must be at least 18 years old. Please note: Your group may be denied entrance if the minimum number of chaperones required for your group are not present. For students with special needs or disabilities, you may bring up to 1 adult for each child and chaperones up to this number are admitted free of charge.  Any chaperones exceeding the number of children will be charged.  Chaperones are required to stay with and monitor the children.

GROUP ADMISSION FEES
Group/Nonprofit Rates (12 or more):         
Adults  $6
Children 1-17/Seniors  $5
Children under 1  Free

CCSD School Groups (12 or more):         
Children 1-17  $3.50         
Chaperones (limit 1 to 1 ratio)  Free           
Additional Chaperones  $4.50 

PAYMENT
Fees are paid at the time of the visit with cash, business checks or VISA, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, or an ATM debit card with VISA logo. Personal checks are not accepted. Refunds or cash-backs are not granted on agency-issued checks. Clark County School District schools may request to pay by purchase order in advance of the visit. Purchase orders must agree to the rates, policies and procedures of the museum.

LATE POLICY
Field trips to the museum are quite popular and we want to do our best to accommodate your group but in the interest of providing a quality visit for all students, groups arriving more than 15 minutes late may not be able to participate in all of the special field trip options originally requested. 

CANCELLATION POLICY
If you find you need to cancel your reservation, please call us at least two weeks (14 days) prior to your scheduled visit. The museum is often fully-booked for field trips and your call in advance will enable us to schedule other groups in your place. As a courtesy, we will be happy to help you reserve another time for your visit.

CLICK HERE FOR FAX BACK RESERVATION FORM

We know you're busy! Click on the link above to print out the reservation form and fax back to us on your own schedule, we'll take it from there! Please let us know the best time to contact you to confirm your visit.  PLEASE NOTE: Your reservation is not final until you have received a confirmation form detailing the logistics of your visit.