2011-12 School Visits to the New York Transit Museum  

The Education Department of the New York Transit Museum offers a selection of guided programs for school groups. All groups receive an age-appropriate guided tour. Preschool, elementary, and special needs groups take part in a hands-on activity, and all are welcome to eat their bag lunches in the Museum’s lunchroom.

Guided programs – designed to connect with curricular study and to support city and state learning standards – explore the multi-faceted story of public transportation by focusing on such topics as the social history of New York City, the engineering sciences, the mathematics and art of subway and station design, the history of immigration in New York City, and the urban landscape.

Housed in a 1936 subway station, the Transit Museum contains a variety of interactive exhibits, a collection of historic subway and elevated trains, a working signal tower, and an art gallery of changing displays. A guided visit will provide your class with a truly unique and memorable learning opportunity.

1) Know this first!

• Guided school programs may be scheduled Tuesday -- Friday. Programs for special needs groups are available on Tuesday & Wednesday. The Museum is closed on Mondays.
• Reservations may be made up to 3 months prior to the date you wish to visit but no later than 2 weeks in advance of the desired date.
• Rescheduling can be difficult. Be aware of testing days, half days, school holidays, and bus maintenance days when selecting dates for your visit.
• One group = the students assigned to one classroom teacher. If your 1 class is larger than 25 students, please divide into two groups, with one teacher, assistant teacher, or student teacher per group. One special needs group = up to 12 students.
• One Museum Educator is assigned to each group of students. We do not combine classes and we cannot accommodate more classes than those reserved.
• Due to the Museum’s safety concerns, space limitations, and our interest in providing a positive experience for all guests, only groups with reservations are permitted in the Museum before 1:00 PM. Groups wishing to self-guide are welcome after 1:00 PM.

2) Be Prepared with a Credit Card to Hold Your Reservation

The New York Transit Museum's Credit Card Policy for holding group reservations is as follows:

A Visa, MasterCard, or American Express card number is required to hold each school group reservation.

The credit card will be charged $30 per class 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 no later than ONE week prior to your scheduled visit.

3) Contact

Contact our School Reservations Coordinator at 718-694-1848, Tuesday through Friday, between 9:30 AM and 5:00 PM with the following information:

     * Your name, school name, and contact information
     * The grade level of your students
     * The number of classes you wish to bring
     * Several possible dates for your visit
     * Credit card information (see Step 2 above)

If you receive the voicemail, please leave this information in a detailed message (excluding the credit card number) and your call will be returned. Please note that leaving a message is not a reservation.

4) Confirm

Once your visit is scheduled, you will be emailed a Reservation Agreement which MUST be acknowledged by the teacher or group leader and sent back to our Reservations Department. Your program is NOT confirmed until we have received your completed and acknowledged Reservation Agreement. Note important information (curricular focus, special needs, etc.) on the Reservation Agreement in order to help us provide the best experience for your students.

5) If You Must Cancel or Reschedule

To cancel or reschedule your reservation, please contact our School Reservations Coordinator no later than one week prior to your scheduled visit at 718-694-1848. You may reschedule your appointment one time with no penalty; additional rescheduling will incur a $30 charge per class. Canceling or rescheduling your reservation less than one week prior to the original appointment will incur a $30 charge per class.

[ back to top ]

School programs are 1.25 or 1.5 hours in length, depending on the specific program.

All guided school programs support curricular study and grade-level learning standards. Tours are shaped according to the program or hands-on activity chosen (see options below).

Young 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, math, or environmental 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.

Middle and high school students develop an understanding of the cultural, social, and technological history of New York City’s public transportation system by touring the Museum’s exhibits. They explore and discuss the system’s development, construction, and impact over time.

Programs for special education students are designed or modified to best meet learning needs. Young students participate in a hands-on art activity, while programs for older students focus either on historical content or the important life skill of learning to travel safely on the subway.
[ back to 'Scheduling Your Visit' ]

Design a Bus (Preschool – Grade 1)
Students compare buses past and present and, using various arts and crafts materials, design their own movable bus of the future.

Miles of Tiles (Kindergarten – Grade 2)
Students explore the patterns and decorative signs found in subway stations and use glass tiles to create their own mosaics.

Journey to the Past (Grades 1 – 3)    
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 (Grades 3 – 5)
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 Grades 4 – 7)   
Students use photos of seats, lights, signs, etc. to compare and contrast components of subway trains past and present.

ElectriCity (Grades 4 – 5)
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. 
This program is available beginning November 15.

Travel Training (Special Needs Grades 7 – 12)
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 program is only available at 12:00 PM. This is a two-part program. Ideally, the two visits are spaced no more than one month apart.

[ back to 'Scheduling Your Visit' ]

Prompt Arrival

It is essential that your group arrive on time. Every effort will be made to accommodate groups arriving late, but any class that arrives more than 15 minutes late will not receive a complete program. The visit will conclude at the group’s previously scheduled time.

We cannot accommodate groups arriving more than 15 minutes prior to their program start time. Due to limited space in the Museum's lobby area, groups arriving early will be asked to wait before entering the Museum.

Upon arrival, please check in at the Museum’s Visitor Booth, where you will pay your group’s admission and be greeted by your guide.

Directions 

The New York Transit Museum is located at the corner of Boerum Place and Schermerhorn Street in Brooklyn Heights.

Subway:
   to Borough Hall
to Court St.
   to Hoyt-Schermerhorn St.
   to Jay St./MetroTech
  to Bergen St.

Bus: 
B25, B26, B38, B41, B45, B52, B54, B57, B61, B62, B63, B65, B67, and B103 all stop within 1 or 2 blocks of the Museum.

Driving: 
The Transit Museum is just five blocks from the Brooklyn Bridge. From Manhattan, take the Brooklyn Bridge and proceed straight on Adams Street. Adams Street will become Boerum Place. Go two blocks to Schermerhorn Street. For more detailed directions from other boroughs, Long Island, or New Jersey, please call 718-694-1700 or 718-694-1873. There are several parking lots for cars in the immediate vicinity.

School Bus:
School buses should drop off students on Boerum Place, near the corner of Schermerhorn Street. There is little parking for buses in the Downtown Brooklyn area, but bus drivers needing to wait for groups are encouraged to seek space along Schermerhorn Street or along State Street, just south of the Museum.

Museum Admission

Payment will be settled upon entry to the Museum.

The New York Transit Museum only accepts cash, Visa, MasterCard, and American Express. We do not accept personal or company checks, vouchers, or purchase orders. Groups without appropriate form of payment will not be admitted.

$5 for children ages 2 – 17
$7 for adults

Chaperones

The Museum requires 2 adult chaperones per reserved group, regardless of the group's size.

Additional chaperone requirements are as follows:

1 adult chaperone per 5 children for preschool, kindergarten, and special needs groups.

1 adult chaperone per 10 children for first grade through high school classes.

Required chaperones are admitted free; any additional adults pay admission. All chaperones must stay with the group at all times and are responsible for the appropriate behavior of the group.

Museum Conduct

On the day of your visit, please follow rules provided by Museum staff regarding safety and courtesy in order to insure a safe and enjoyable experience for your group.

Accessibility

The Museum is wheelchair accessible via a wheelchair lift that must be 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 the start time of your program.

Special Learning Needs

Information you provide about your students when making your reservation will help our special needs educators prepare a Museum experience that best meets their learning needs.

Lunch Facilities

For your convenience, a lunchroom is available for your group to use either before or after your scheduled program, depending on your appointment time. Food and beverages are not sold at the Museum; students must bring their own bag lunches. If you would like to use the lunchroom, please indicate this on your Reservation Agreement.

Museum Store

During your visit, your students may shop at the Transit Museum Store. Be aware that a maximum of 10 children at one time are allowed in the Store with an adult chaperone. 

[ back to top ]


[ back to 'Scheduling Your Visit' ]
 


A Visa, MasterCard, or American Express card number is required to hold each school group reservation.

The credit card will be charged $30 per class 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 no later than ONE (1) week prior to your scheduled visit.

[ back to 'Scheduling Your Visit' ]

We look forward to seeing your students at the
New York Transit Museum this school year!