Programming for Schools and Community Groups

Onsite field trips:

Through our onsite field trips, we engage students in hand-on activities at our sites in downtown San Diego.

All onsite programs will start with a tour of our permanent exhibition, so students may gain a better sense of context. We also are able to provide the following hands-on workshops:

Dig to discover
Scavenger hunt
Calligraphy
Fan making
Paper cutting
Zhezhi (traditional Chinese paper folding)
Chinese Zodiac crafts

For more information about our onsite field trips, please check out our brochure.

If you are a teacher or group leader and would like to request program delivery, please fill out our online form.

Onsite field trip FAQ:

We offer tours of our current exhibitions, as well as tours of the Asian Pacific Historic District.
All field trips require at least one teacher or chaperone per ten students present at the museum with their group.
Reservations must be made at least three weeks in advance. We can receive up to 30 students per visit, and, when you book your program, you will need to provide information about the number of participants, so that we may prepare.
For museum tours, all students under 12 years of age, along with their adult chaperone will be admitted free of charge. For students that are over 12 years of age, we will need to charge an $8 per student program fee.
For hands-on programs, we will need to charge an $8 per student materials fee.

Classroom Exhibit Presentations

We also offer educator-led programs for school and community groups. Our Classroom Exhibit Presentations (CEP's) engage learners through slideshows and guided discussions. We offer CEP's on five different topics, including:

The Rise and Fall of the First Chinese Emperor
Pre-20th Century Chinese contributions to science and technology
The art of Chinese Calligraphy
Traditions of the Chinese Lunar New Year
Early San Diego Chinese American History

For more information about CEP's, please review our brochure. Each CEP topic can be tailored for delivery to a range of age groups (from elementary school to retirement age).

If you are a teacher or group leader and would like to request program delivery, please fill out our online form.

Classroom Exhibit Presentation (CEP) FAQ:

Classroom Exhibit Presentations are available Mondays through Fridays at 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m., and 1 p.m. PDT
Programs are 60 minutes long, and provided via Zoom. In certain contexts, we can provide in-person presentations. If you request an in-person presentation, we will contact you to evaluate feasibility.
Programs are designed for one class at a time, allowing museum educators to tailor the program according to your students’ needs.
All programs require at least one teacher or chaperone present for every twenty participants for the duration of the program.
Reservations must be made at least two weeks in advance.
We are able to provide virtual CEPs to all K-12 classrooms free of charge.
For community groups, such as senior centers, we will charge a minimum fee of $60 for online delivery of CEPs, charging $30 for additional topics after the first presentation.
If you would like to request in-person delivery of a CEP at your location, we will require a $100 speaker's fee.
Grant funding is available to support programs at Title I schools (inquire at education@sdchm.org)