Field Trips
Explore the history of transportation at the marshall steam museum!
Our field trips offer engaging, hands-on experiences designed for students and smaller groups. Through interactive activities, participants will step back in time to compare transportation from the past to the present, discover early innovations, and spark their imaginations. With programs tailored to different grade levels, from story time for the youngest learners to STEM-focused challenges and role-play games for older students, every visit is an adventure.
Enhance your trip by adding train rides or a joint program with Auburn Valley State Park!
current field trip programs
Program Capacities and Minimums
Please note that our current on-site capacity is 30 participants (including children and adults) for a single program and 40 for a joint program with Auburn Valley State Park. Our minimum group size to book a program is 14 for schools (and similar organizations) and 8 for homeschools and co-ops.
Costs
Marshall Steam Museum:
Single Program (Schools & Similar Organizations): $7/person (every 10 students, 1 chaperone free)
Single Program (Homeschools): $8/person
Joint Programs:
Schools & Similar Organizations: $15/person (every 10 students, 1 chaperone free)
Homeschools: $16/person
Train Rides:
For 25 or more participants: $5/person add-on
For less than 25 participants: $280 flat rate add on
And the Train Goes... (Pre-School to 2nd Grade)
Chugga-chugga choo-choo! Learn about different jobs, sounds, and parts of a train through story time, movement and crafts. Program includes a demo in our working model railroad room and outside play on Little Toot (weather-permitting).
Consider adding outdoor train rides to this program!
Delaware Early Learning Foundations: (Engagement & Persistence) AL35, AL37, (Receptive Communication) LL31, LL32, LL35, LL36, (Expressive Communication) LL37, LL38, LL41, LL43, (Emergent Reading) LL50, LL55, (Emergent Reading) LL60, (Sensory Awareness) SC31, (Scientific Knowledge: Non-Living Things) SC43, SC44, (Past, Present, and Future History) MM37, MM39, (Movement & Dance) CE38, (Visual Arts) CE40, CE42, CE43, (Fine Motor) PD31, PD32, (Gross Motor) PD34, PD35, PD36, (Health Awareness and Practice) PD38
Engineer It! (Kindergarten to 5th Grade)
What would it be like to design a car of the future? We’ll compare cars of the past to cars today and discover the process early car inventors would have used to think, create, and test (and test again!) through a fun car-building activity out of recycled materials. Program utilizes STEM-focused curriculum.
DE Standards: H1,4-5a, H2,4-5b, E1,4-5a&b, E3,4-5a
NGSS: 3-PS2-1&2, 4-PS3-2&4, 4-ES3-1, Engineering Design: 3-5-ETS1-1, 3-5-ETS1-2
Cross-Country Road Trip (2nd to 5th Grades)
What travel was like for the first woman to drive an automobile across the U.S. in 1909? Discover Alice Ramsey’s story by going on a pretend road trip! Unpack her travel suitcase, select a car for the journey and see if you can make the trip with a fun virtual game.
DE Standards: G1.K-3a, H1.K-3a, HI.4-5a, H2.K-3a, H2.4-5a, H3.K-3a, H4.K-3a&b, H4.4-5b.
Common Core ELA: RI2.3, RI2.7, RI3.1-3, RI3.7, RI4.1, RI4.3, RI4.5, RI4.7, RI5.3, RI5.5, SL2.1-4, SL3.1-4, SL4.1-4, SL5.1-4.
Inventors vs. Investors (6th to 8th Grades)
In this interactive role-play game, students become automobile inventors who have to pitch their car to a group of “investors.” In advance of their big pitch, students learn about the power of advertising and the early automotive industry among the unique setting of our museum. Program takes inspiration from the show “Shark Tank.”
DE Standards: HI.6-8a, H2.6-8ab,
Common Core ELA: Literacy.RH.6-8.1, 6-8.2, 6-8.5, 6-8.6, 6-8.7, 6-8.8, 6-8.9
Joint programs with auburn valley state park
Enjoy a morning or afternoon at our site with a combined program between the Marshall Steam Museum and Auburn Valley State Park! Expect to spend at least two-hours here (1-hour with each organization) with the option for add-on train rides and time for eat a bagged lunch.
If you are interested in just booking a program with Auburn Valley State Park, please reach out to Teresa Pierce, Interpretive Program Manager at 302-239-5687 or Teresa.Pierce@delaware.gov.
STEM-Focused Joint Programs
Combine any of these programs for an experience centered around early machinery, invention and innovation!
Auburn Valley State Park:
Machinery Mansion Tour (Grades 2 – 5)
Tour the first floor of the Auburn Heights mansion. Learn about the mansion’s construction and its amenities which were very modern in 1897. We will emphasize the furnishings that include simple machines and how they work. Students will see a live steam demonstration, with a focus on how water and steam can create power and the phases of matter and how they relate to water and the operation of a mill.
NGSS: PS2, PS3, ESS3 Social Studies: H1.4-5, H2.K-3, 4-5; H3.K-3; H4.K-3, 4-5
OR
Bridging the Past (Grades 3 – 5)
Bridges paved the way to the 20th century industrial and automotive booms in northern Delaware. Students will bridge history with STEM as they learn about the historic bridges connecting the trails throughout the park, basic engineering principles, and will design, build, and test their own bridges.
NGSS: 3-5-ETS 1-3 Social Studies: H1.4-5; H2.K-3,4-5; H3.3; H4.K-3
WITH
Marshall Steam Museum:
Engineer It! (Grades K – 5)
What would it be like to design a car of the future? We’ll compare cars of the past to cars today and discover the process early car inventors would have used to think, create, and test (and test again!) through a fun car-building activity out of recycled materials. Program utilizes STEM-focused curriculum.
DE Standards: H1,4-5a, H2,4-5b, E1,4-5a&b, E3,4-5a
NGSS: 3-PS2-1&2, 4-PS3-2&4, 4-ES3-1, Engineering Design: 3-5-ETS1-1, 3-5-ETS1-2
Social Studies Joint Program
Combine both of these programs for an experience centered around early travel and daily life in the Dawn of the Automotive Age (1900s – 1930s) with ties back to Delaware history.
Auburn Valley State Park: Cabinets of Curiosities (Grades 2 – 5)
Marshall Steam Museum: Cross-Country Road Trip (Grades 2 – 5)
What travel was like for the first woman to drive an automobile across the U.S. in 1909? Discover Alice Ramsey’s story by going on a pretend road trip! Unpack her travel suitcase, select a car for the journey and see if you can make the trip with a fun virtual game.
DE Standards: G1.K-3a, H1.K-3a, HI.4-5a, H2.K-3a, H2.4-5a, H3.K-3a, H4.K-3a&b, H4.4-5b.
Common Core ELA: RI2.3, RI2.7, RI3.1-3, RI3.7, RI4.1, RI4.3, RI4.5, RI4.7, RI5.3, RI5.5, SL2.1-4, SL3.1-4, SL4.1-4, SL5.1-4.
Science + History Joint Program
Auburn Valley State Park:
Who’s in the Water? (Grades 5-6)
Insects can tell us a lot about the health of an aquatic system. During this program, students explore the Red Clay Creek and examine the varieties of aquatic larvae present in the water. Using insect ID resources, they will track the health of the water as indicated by the species of insects found, and learn about the creek’s industrial past, the role insects play in ecosystems, and how to help keep our water clean.
WITH
Marshall Steam Museum:
Inventors vs. Investors (Grades 6 – 8)
In this interactive role-play game, students become automobile inventors who have to pitch their car to a group of “investors.” In advance of their big pitch, students learn about the power of advertising and the early automotive industry among the unique setting of our museum. Program takes inspiration from the show “Shark Tank.”
DE Standards: HI.6-8a, H2.6-8ab,
Common Core ELA: Literacy.RH.6-8.1, 6-8.2, 6-8.5, 6-8.6, 6-8.7, 6-8.8, 6-8.9
Field Trip Submission Form
Frequently Asked Questions
When is payment due?
We prefer payments due the day of the program, as participant numbers often change. We can take cash, card or check (please make out to Friends of Auburn Heights).
What type of lunch facility is available?
We have outdoor picnic table seating around the property. Limited indoor seating can be made available depending on the group size and situation, such as inclement weather.
We do not have any vending machines or food services on the property as well as no access to refrigeration. Bagged lunches are encouraged.
Is there a gift shop?
Yes, advanced arrangements can be made for students to shop at our museum gift shop at the end of their program and/or during lunch. Please ask about details when scheduling your visit.
What type of parking is available?
The best address to use is 3000 Creek Road, Hockessin, DE. Unless directed elsewhere, buses and private cars may use our Event Parking lot across the street from the estate. Staff will greet your group upon arrival and lead you onto the site.