Tour Guidelines
Learning in a museum is not automatic. The well-planned, clearly focused field trip will reward the expectations of students, teachers, and museum educators. This guide will help prepare educators of public, private, and home schools for an exciting field trip. The Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum’s educational mission is to provide educational programming to support and benefit the public and to provide compelling reasons and opportunities to visit. PPHM is committed to assisting educators in delivering the best information through quality programming.
Field Trip Hours
PPHM is open Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. for school tours. The teacher should plan for the field trip to take about 1½ - 2 hours for large groups.
Admission Fees
Admission for students is $3 per child. Teachers and required adults (one adult per 10 students) are admitted free. Additional adults and children pay regular museum admission fees. It is the teacher’s responsibility to inform additional adults of the required admission cost, which can be paid at the front desk upon arrival at the museum.
School Contracts
Admission is free for all Canyon ISD and Nazareth ISD students.
Reservations
Group reservations should be made at least two weeks in advance by clicking "Field Trips" on this website. Reservations can also be made by emailing education@pphm.wtamu.edu.
Bus Unloading and Loading
PPHM has curbside bus loading and unloading zones in front of the museum. Please have the bus pull up so that the bus door is directly in front of the museum door. This allows for traffic on the cross street to see around the bus. Once the bus has unloaded, the driver can park at the West Texas A&M University First United Bank Event Center, which is about a half-mile east of the museum. The teacher will need to coordinate a pickup time with the bus driver due to limitations on parking in the loading zone.
Arrival
A museum representative will meet students and teachers at the front entrance. If your group is late, parts of your scheduled visit may have to be shortened. All students must be accompanied by their teachers and chaperones during the entire museum visit. No food, drinks, or gum are allowed in the museum except in designated areas.
Adult Chaperones
The role of a chaperone is to supervise students closely and assist the teacher in making the field trip a good learning experience. An adult should not volunteer to be a chaperone if he/she has small children that will interfere with their duty of being a responsible chaperone. We discourage adult chaperones from using their cell phones while on the tour or having any other pressing circumstance that would keep them from performing this important duty. PPHM wants each student, teacher, and chaperone to have a meaningful visit; therefore, no one individual or group may take away the enjoyment of another visitor through unruly behavior and/or rude language.
Lunch
Some schools enjoy bringing sack lunches for the students as part of their field trip. Weather permitting, guests can eat on the north or east museum lawns. If there is inclement weather, the large Education Classroom has tables and chairs and will accommodate approximately 75 people. It is the teacher’s responsibility to be sure the lawn or classroom is picked up and cleaned before departure.
Museum Store
If the teacher allows students to enter the Museum Store, an adult must be present at all times with the students, and no more than five students are allowed in the store at any time.
Departure
Teachers need to coordinate a pickup time with their bus drivers. Please ensure the students have their belongings and museum journals before leaving the museum. Pencils should be returned to the pencil box at the front desk.
Contact
For more information, please contact the Education Department at (806)-651-2249 or education@pphm.wtamu.edu.