Chaperones play an integral role during the field trip experience. Thank you for volunteering to make a difference in the lives of students! Below is a quick guide to help you succeed as a chaperone.
To view or print our Chaperone Guide brochure, please click here.
• Ask your group leader if there are certain galleries or places in the museum that the students should visit, and fill out your “Schedule for the Day” below.
• Learn the names and faces of the students in your group and make sure they know your name.
• Keep track of the students you are chaperoning, and travel through exhibits as a group. Count your students before moving to the next gallery.
• While exploring each gallery in the museum, engage students by asking thought-provoking questions. You do not need to know the answers!
• Do not run in the galleries. Walk carefully and be aware of your surroundings.
• No food or drink is allowed in the galleries.
• Use indoor voices.
• Do not touch the artwork in the galleries.
• Photography is allowed in some galleries, no flash photography. Please ask the gallery host.
Discovery Worlds
Older children can create a stop motion animation movie, explore a giant pin wall, or construct an amazing structure using different kinds of building materials. Younger children can investigate magnetism on our magnet wall, build in our Duplo® play area, and practice gross motor skills in the “crawl and discover” area for toddlers. Discovery Worlds also features an interactive water table!
Dispersed Exhibits/Green Tour
Six permanent display cases along the north wing corridor showcase items from our fine/folk art and natural history collections, including minerals, fossils, and insects. Throughout the museum the Green Tour logo identifies elements of the building and its operation that are part of our sustainability mission.
Giant Screen Digital Theater
During the day, school groups are welcome to purchase tickets and join public shows in the Giant Screen Theater which seats up to 200 people at once.
IHSA Peak Performance Center
Challenge yourself with the game of chess, a music pitch test, or an athletic contest. All kinds of achievement are celebrated in this gallery! With highly interactive exhibits, visitors can test skills required in the Illinois High School Association’s 40 sports and activities.
Illinois River Encounter
Explore the history and science of the Illinois River. One side of the gallery focuses on the natural river and investigates the powerful event that shaped the river, and how it has changed over time. The opposite side uses interactive exhibits to show how humans have changed the river for their own uses.
International Feature Gallery
This gallery features traveling exhibits. Ask the information desk what is currently on display.
Permanent Collections Gallery
Explore fine art, decorative art, folk art, ethnographic objects, and natural history collections.
The Dome
Educators conduct live presentations on stars, constellations, planets, and a wide variety of astronomy topics in our state-of-the-art planetarium. Visitors can also watch immersive shows on astronomy and other science topics projected on the domed ceiling.
The Street
Take a walk down The Street and learn about Peoria’s history. This gallery uses objects, photographs, text, and media displays to tell the story of life in the Peoria area, beginning with the first native settlers and looking to the future. Visitors can also enjoy an Object Theater, a Hands-On area, the Peoria Oral History Center, and the African-American Wall of Fame in this space.
