Learn
School Programs
In person or at-school learning resources and activities for educators.
Visit the museum in person or take resources back to your classroom to bring learning to life. Engage students of all ages with exciting ways to learn about our past, better understand our present, and be inspired for the future.
Museum Field Trip Program
School groups of all ages and abilities are welcome. All tours and activities can be tailored to meet instructional requirements.
Basic Tour
- 1-hour guided tour
- $4/per student
- Class Size: Maximum 40 students at a time.
Basic Tour + Additional Activities
- 1-hour guided tour followed by a Museum Educator led activity.
- Hands-on activities that encourage students to interact with historical objects, inventions, and stories. These experiences develop critical and creative thinking skills as students increase their knowledge of the community and its people.
- $8/per student
- Class Size: Maximum class size is 30.
In-School Programming
Designed to bring history to life and to engage students in hands on learning, Museum Educator led classroom visits are a great way to bring Maine MILL to your school or organization. Programs can be tailored to meet the needs of all ages and abilities.
Museum Educator In-School Programming
- Maximum class size is 30 students . Multiple classroom visits in one day preferred over large assembly programming.
- $100/hr fee for visit
- Visit must be scheduled a minimum of one month in advance
Museum Lending Program
Maine MILL offers 3 lending kits for educators throughout the state of Maine. Each kit provides lessons and materials to schools designed to inspire with stories, experiences, link the present to the past and provide paths for the future. Each educational kit has a curriculum guide providing specific links to Maine Learning Results and Next Gen Science Standards, where applicable. All kits may be reserved for two weeks at no cost.
Child Labor Lending Kit: Grades 3-6 can discover and learn about the industrial history, machines, and people involved in child labor with this take-home kit dedicated to what it was like for minors working in manufacturing mills. The trunk includes books, primary source weaving objects, activities, games and a curriculum guide. Guidelines are provided for educators that enable them to adapt materials to students’ abilities. Activities can be used with teams or individuals and encompass several academic areas: social studies, literacy, history, art, science, and technology. Pair the kit with the online Child Labor Unit resources including lesson plans, curriculum, and online tools to bring a full unit of learning to your students.
Energy Innovation Kit: Designed for grades 4 and up the Energy Innovation Kit links the innovations in power generation during the Industrial Revolution to today’s expanding renewable energy economy. Our Energy Innovation Kit offers teachers 2 weeks (6-8 class periods) of lessons and activities and all the necessary materials to successfully complete each. Lessons include how power was generated in Maine’s mills and how new forms of energy are being captured and deployed. Labs allow students to explore different forms of energy, create circuits and build solar cars.
Energy Innovation Mini-Kit: For educators who are looking for one to two day lessons and activities rather than the full 2 week curriculum of the Energy Innovation Kit. Mini-kits are available for Energy Transformation, Water Wheel STEAM Challenge and Circuits/Solar Cars.
Made possible in part by donations from the Margaret E. Burnham Charitable Trust, WEX and Auburn Manufacturing.