School Visits 
2012-13 School Visits to the New York Transit Museum
NEW! The Transit Museum is pleased to introduce these important changes in the 2012 – 13 school year:
We look forward to seeing you at the
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General Education Group Programs |
Grade |
Length |
Students |
Chaperones |
Fee |
| Tour + one of the following activities: | |||||
| Design a Bus | Pre K – 1 | 75 min | 25 | 3* | $150 |
| Miles of Tiles | 1 – 2 | 75 min | 25 | 3* | $150 |
| Journey to the Past | 1 – 3 | 75 min | 25 | 3* | $150 |
| Subway Stories | 3 – 5 | 90 min | 25 | 3* | $150 |
| ElectriCity and Circuits | 4 – 5 | 90 min | 18 | 3* | $100 |
| Upper Grade Extended Tour | 6 – 12 | 75 min | 25 | 3* |
$150 |
*Additional chaperones will be charged $7 each.
Special Needs Group Programs |
Grade |
Length |
Students |
Minimum # of |
Fee |
| Tour + one of the following activities: | |||||
| Design a Bus | Pre K – 2 |
75 min |
12 | 3 | $75 |
| Miles of Tiles | 1 – 3 | 75 min |
12 | 3 | $75 |
| Modified Subway Stories |
4 – 6 | 75 min | 12 | 3 | $75 |
| Extended Tour | 4 – 12 | 75 min |
12 | 3 | $75 |
| 7 – 12 | 75 min |
10 | 3 | $100 |
When can I make a reservation?
We welcome school groups from Oct 9, 2012, through June 14, 2013.
Reservations may be made up to 3 months in advance, but no later than 2 weeks before the day you wish to come.
Public school teachers: be aware of testing days, half days, school holidays, and bus maintenance days when selecting dates for your visit.
How do I make a reservation?
Complete our new Reservation Request form. Once submitted, you’ll be contacted by our School Reservations Coordinator to schedule your visit.
A Visa, MasterCard, or American Express card number is required to hold each reservation. Please be prepared to give this information when speaking with the Reservations Coordinator.
When will my Reservation Agreement be sent to me?
Once your visit is scheduled, we’ll e-mail you a Reservation Agreement which must be acknowledged by each teacher or group leader and returned. Your program is not confirmed until we receive a completed and acknowledged Reservation Agreement!
What if I need to reschedule my class visit?
A first change in date incurs no penalty, but you’ll be charged $50/group for any further rescheduling.
What are your cancellation and “no-show” policies?
Cancellations must be made in writing, by emailing the School Reservation Coordinator at . Emails must be received at least 2 weeks prior to your scheduled visit. We can no longer accept cancellations made by phone or phone messages.
Cancellations made less than two weeks before the scheduled visit will incur a $50 fee.
“No show” groups, who have not sent a cancellation e-mail, are responsible for the full amount of the programs scheduled for that day. The credit card number used to make the reservation will be charged accordingly.
What are your policies on self-guided groups?
Groups wishing to self-guide may do so during our non-peak afternoon hours, beginning at 1:00 PM. We require one adult chaperone for every ten students. Chaperones must remain with students at all times. Prior to 1:00 PM, only groups with reservations will be permitted in the Museum.
What can I do to prepare my students for their visit to the Transit Museum?
Visit other sections of our online Teacher Resource Center for resources to use in your classroom, including lesson ideas , book lists , photographs , and transit history .
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Each school program at the Transit Museum supports curricular study and grade-level learning standards.
The youngest students are introduced to the various modes of transportation in New York City through story reading, a tour of the Museum’s collection of trains and buses, and a hands-on art activity.
Programs for elementary students examine the relationship between mass transit and the development of New York City by focusing on history or science. Each focus includes learning about the subway and the city by considering the people who developed it and are served by it and by making comparisons to students’ own experiences today.
Guided tours for middle and high school students explore the multi-faceted story of public transportation by focusing on the social history of New York City, engineering sciences, mathematics and art of subway and station design, the history of immigration and the urban landscape. Within each exhibit students explore and discuss transit development, construction, and impact over time.
Programs for special needs students are led by trained Special Needs Educators. Our educators contact classroom teachers prior to the visit to craft a Museum experience that best meets the learning needs of that group. Guided tours, hands-on art activities, and ‘then-now’ comparisons are some of the options for special needs groups. In addition, a unique 2-part program teaches the important life skill of traveling safely on the subway.
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Design a Bus
General Education: Preschool – Grade 1
Special Needs Groups: Preschool – Grade 2
60 – 75 minutes
Students compare buses past and present and, using various arts and crafts materials, design their own movable bus of the future.
Miles of Tiles
General Education: Grades 1 – 2
Special Needs Groups: Grades 1 – 3
75 minutes
Students explore the patterns and decorative signs found in subway stations and use glass tiles to create their own mosaics.
Journey to the Past
General Education: Grades 1 – 3
75 minutes
Students take a trip back in time with a costumed performer on one of the Museum's vintage subway or elevated train cars, learning about work and travel in the past.
Subway Stories
General Education: Grades 3 – 5
90 minutes
Students become historical investigators, observing and recording information about subway trains and riders of the past and making comparisons to their own experiences as subway riders today.
Modified Subway Stories
Special Needs Groups: Grades 4 – 7
60 – 75 minutes
Students use photos of seats, lights, signs, etc. to compare and contrast components of subway trains past and present.
ElectriCity and Circuits
General Education: Grades 4 – 5
90 minutes
Students examine how electricity powers the subway in the new exhibit ElectriCity: Powering New York's Rails, then work in small groups to construct circuits to power simple motors.
Travel Training
Special Needs Groups: Grades 7 – 12
60 minutes
In this introduction to independent subway travel, students experience all aspects of riding the subway – from mapping a route to buying MetroCards to negotiating various scenarios onboard a subway train – in the safe environment of our subway station museum. This is a two-part program. Please select two dates when making your reservation.
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When should we arrive at the Museum?
The Museum has limited waiting areas. Please arrive 10 minutes before your scheduled start time to take care of check-in and payment.
A teacher or group leader should enter the lobby BEFORE children are brought inside the Museum. When possible, have students remain on the bus until this process is complete.
What if we arri
ve early?
We cannot begin your program before your scheduled start time, and do not have waiting areas to accommodate classes inside the Museum. Due to limited space in the Museum's lobby area, groups arriving early will be asked to wait before entering the Museum.
What if we’re running late?
Please make every effort to arrive on time! If your group is late, your program will be shortened accordingly and finish at the originally designated time. Groups scheduled for a workshop or hands-on activity arriving more than 20 minutes late will lose this portion of their program. If you are running late, please call 718-694-1406.
When is payment due?
Payment will be settled upon entry to the Museum. Only cash, pre-paid money orders, Visa, MasterCard, and American Express are accepted. We do not accept personal or company checks, vouchers, or purchase orders. Groups without appropriate form of payment will not be admitted.
What subways are near the Museum?
The Transit Museum is located in Downtown Brooklyn, just a few blocks from the Borough Hall station on the 
and 5 lines, the Jay Street-MetroTech station on the
lines, and the Hoyt-Schermerhorn station on the 
lines. We hope you travel to us by subway! This will make your visit all the richer.
Schools can use Certificates For Free Transportation provided by New York City Transit to travel to and from field trips between 9:30 AM and 3:00 PM, or for return travel from a trip scheduled to arrive back at school later than 1:30 PM.
If we travel by school bus, where can our bus wait?
There is limited parking for buses in the Downtown Brooklyn area. Bus drivers waiting for groups are encouraged to seek space on State Street, just south of the Museum, or Schermerhorn Street, west of the Museum. Drivers must remain with their buses!
Is the Transit Museum wheelchair accessible?
Yes. Our wheelchair lift is operated by Museum staff. Please share information regarding the needs of your group when making your reservation so that we can best serve you. The lift is slow, so plan to arrive 15 minutes before your program’s start time.
What should my students bring?
Students don’t need to bring anything! In fact, we prefer that they have nothing in hand while touring the Museum and suggest that book bags remain on the bus whenever possible. With no bag check, and the risk of dropping items like cellphones and cameras onto our electrified tracks, the only important items for students to carry into the Museum are coats and bagged lunches. In winter the Museum can be cold and coats are recommended. Bagged lunches will be collected upon entry and taken to the lunchroom, where they will be waiting for you when you are ready to eat lunch.
Can we eat lunch in the Museum?
Our lunchroom is available for your group to use either before or after your scheduled program, depending on your program time. Students bring their own bag lunches; food and beverages are not sold at the Museum. Please reserve space in the lunchroom when making your group reservation.
Can my class stay in the Museum after our guided visit?
Unfortunately, no. Due to safety concerns, space limitations, and our interest in providing a positive experience for all guests, your group must arrive and depart at the scheduled times.
Yes. At the conclusion of your visit classes may shop in the Store. Ten children at one time are allowed in the Store with an adult chaperone. Additional chaperones must supervise the remainder of the group.
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A Visa, MasterCard, or American Express card number is required to hold each school group reservation.
The credit card will be charged only if:
(1) your class does not show up on the day of your reserved guided program or
(2) you do not cancel your class’s reservation in sufficient time.
Cancellations must be made in writing no later than TWO (2) weeks prior to your scheduled visit.
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