The Children's Museum of Virginia

Group Tours

Reservations for a variety of group tours (more than 15) may be made to take advantage of a lower admission price by calling (757)393-5258, ext. 10. For each 8 children in the group, one adult chaperone is admitted free. Be sure to ask about educational programming that can also be made available during your visit.

SOL Assistance

Welcome to the Teacher Link! The Children's Museum of Virginia isn't just a whole lot of fun - it's also educational. The Children's Museum of Virginia Education Staff offers many SOL-based, focused programs and workshops, as demonstrated in the examples below. For more information on Virginia's SOLs, please visit the Virginia Department of Education's "Standards of Learning: Instruction, Training, and Assessment Resources". Give us a call and bring your class for a visit. Be sure to also visit the Courthouse Galleries Web Site to see their educational programming as well.

SOL based programs for groups up to 120
These SOL programs cover Force, Motion and Energy K.3, 1.2, 2.2, 3.2, 4.2 and 5.2. We demonstrate magnets, motion, Newton laws, bowling balls, vibration, electricity and rotting garbage. Our programs are hands-on and interactive as all the students take an active part in the program by helping the instructor perform the activities. We believe that by doing you learn. We can accommodate up to 150 students. Price for SOL based program is $5.00 per student. For reservations call 393-5258 Ex 10.

What's a Magnet
This program is geared for Kindergarten and focuses on the K.3 SOL.
The program investigates attraction, repelling, iron dust, refrigerators, and frying pans.
A great program to demonstrate the unseen forces of magnetism.

On a Roll
Motion for 1st grade covers SOL 1.2. Spinning wheels, rolling balls, yo-yos and vibrating tuning forks. This program explains the energy behind the motion and how it can make sound or keep us balanced on our bike.

More than Magnets
A program for 2nd grade covers SOL 2.2 and picks up where What's a Magnet? leaves off. In addition, the group discovers rare earth magnets, lodestones, Electro-magnets, and Electro-motors. The students will understand how the unseen magnetic force is all around us and how we use it every day.

What's a matter with Matter?
Solid, liquids and gas, matter is everywhere and in everything. So come and learn all about the little stuff that makes up the big things. Covers Second Grade SOL.

Simple Machines and Complex too
This program is designed for 3rd grade and covers SOL 3.2 on wedges, incline planes, wheels, pulleys, levers, and screws. We’ll also try out a few compound machines and discover the simple machines that make them up. We have them all! We’ll talk about how they have been used throughout history and how we still use them today.

Beyond Simple Machines
Beyond simple machines is geared toward 4th grade and covers SOL 4.2 on energy, force, work, and motion. The program shows that work is more than collecting a paycheck. The group will see and demonstrate how machines help us work. They will also discover the good, the bad, and the ugly about friction.

Sound
This 5th grade program about sound focuses on SOL 5.2 including waves, frequency, music, noise, reverberation, and resonation. Sound is energy and you need to make the air move so you can hear it! The students will investigate what we need to make sound and how to do it. Sound is all around us and this program will help us understand it.

Boy Scouts (Click here for the Boy Scouts Requirements Catalog)
What do you know about birds, buildings, old pots, and acids and bases? Find out as you earn a badge at the Portsmouth Museums!

Join us for Boy Scout Badge Workshops in these areas:

Archaeology
Architecture
Art
Bird Study
Engineering
Environmental Science

We offer workshops to match your schedule. Reservations are required, and a minimum of fifteen Scouts is needed to hold a workshop. The fee is $10 per Scout and the leaders are free. The workshop will last a minimum of four hours, and one leader should plan to stay with the group. We provide all the materials; all you bring is lunch!

Call the Children’s Museum of Virginia at (757) 393-5258 extension 19 for more information and to schedule your workshop!

Girl Scouts

Bring your Brownies and Juniors to complete a Try-It or Badge! We offer workshops to match your Troop’s schedule. Reservations are required, with a minimum of fifteen Scouts needed to hold a workshop. One leader should plan to stay with the group. The fee is $10 per Scout and all materials are provided. Check out the list of Badges and Try-Its below, and call the Children's Museum of Virginia at (757) 393-5258 extension 27 to schedule your workshop!

Juniors Badges

Local Lore
My Community
Pet Care
Highway to Health
Weather Watch
Finding Your Way
Architecture
Art in 3D
Drawing and Painting
Prints and Graphics
Toymaker
Visual Arts
Aerospace
Making It Matter
Science Discovery
Science Sleuth
Sky Search

Brownie Try-Its

Art to Wear
Safety Sense
Friends Are Fun
Puppets, Dolls, and Plays
Building Art
Earth and Sky
Movers
Science in Action
Science Wonders
Space Explorers

Workshops
The Children’s Museum offers small group workshops, designed for 8- 20 students. These workshops run approximately two hours and are appropriate for many age groups. They are Make-and-Take, so everybody goes home with something! The cost is $10 per student for members and $12 per student for non-members, and includes Museum admission. These workshops are available to and recommended for educators. Please call (757) 393 -5258 extension 18 to make your reservation.

Bubbles, Balloons, and Bernoulli
Did you ever wonder how an airplane stays in the air, why a bubble is round, or what keeps a hot air balloon in the air? We’ll discover the answers as we investigate air pressure, lift, blimps, minimal surfaces, and flight.

Cycles in Nature
Explore the life cycles of butterflies, flowers, trees, and frogs in this hands-on workshop.

Getting Around With Maps
Sign up for this workshop and learn about compasses, latitude and longitude, and how to make maps. Then create a map to find a treasure in the Museum.

Junkyard Toys
Learn to make simple toys with every day objects found around the house, such as rubber bands, balloons, and milk cartons.

Newton’s Rockets
The Laws of Motion: they’re what you need to make a rocket fly into space. Participants uncover the secrets of the laws to create different kinds rockets.