Frequently Asked Questions

Yes — completely free for PreK–12 school groups and organized youth groups of ten or more students. This includes access to all permanent galleries and exhibits. The only costs are optional paid add-ons: Sturm Theater, Gates Planetarium, and temporary exhibitions, each $5 per student. One free chaperone is required for every five students. Additional chaperones beyond that ratio are welcome but pay regular adult admission.

Yes — Design Your Own Adventures (DYOA) is available on weekends. On weekends, school groups use the general museum entrance rather than the School Entrance. Field Trip Adventures (FTA) studio sessions are only available Monday–Friday during the school year (September through May).

Design Your Own Adventures (DYOA) is fully self-guided. You arrive, explore the permanent galleries at your own pace, and add on any ticketed experiences you choose. It's the most flexible option.

Field Trip Adventures (FTA) includes a structured program led by a DMNS educator in a dedicated studio space. It's a curated, curriculum-aligned learning experience built around a specific science topic. Many schools combine FTAs with free gallery time to get the best of both.

Schools where 49.5% or more of students qualify for Free & Reduced Lunch (FRL) may be eligible for a 50% scholarship on add-ons (DYOA) or studio sessions (FTA and Overnight Adventures). Select the FRL option during the booking process and we'll automatically apply your discount.

If your school qualifies for scholarship, Bus Fuel Fund (BFF) may be available. The BFF helps cover transportation costs and is available to qualifying schools. It's a post-visit rebate — your teacher must request it. Please contact Guest Services at 303.370.6000 or guestservices@dmns.org. It cannot be applied automatically or at the time of booking. Funding is subject to availability.

For DYOA museum-only visits, there's no minimum for school groups (organized youth groups need at least 10 students). The daily soft limit is 2,800 students — contact us if your group is 200 or more (Super Group).

For FTA, each studio session holds 10–32 students. Large schools book multiple sessions.

For Overnight Adventures, the minimum is 6 students and the maximum is 500 total participants per event.

DYOA museum-only: No advance booking required, but you're welcome to notify us for large groups.

DYOA with add-ons: Book at least 30 days in advance.

FTA: Book at least 21 days in advance.

Overnight Adventures: Dates open in September; book as early as possible as events fill up quickly.

Yes — six of the seven FTA studio programs are available in bilingual (English/Spanish) delivery. The exception is Unraveling Mummies, which is available in English only. Indicate your bilingual preference when booking. Availability may vary by date — your booking coordinator will confirm.

Wonder Workshops are live, facilitated programs led by a DMNS educator who comes to your school. The educator brings all materials and leads your students through hands-on investigations. These require advance scheduling, fall within our 90-minute service radius, and are session-based.

Curiosity Kits are self-contained kits that ship to your school. You — the classroom teacher — lead the activities using the included guide and materials. These work for any Colorado school, are great for remote or rural communities, and can be used over a full week on your own schedule.

Wonder Workshops are available to schools within a 90-minute drive of DMNS (2001 Colorado Blvd, Denver, CO 80205) based on typical morning traffic. When you begin the booking process, enter your school's zip code and address — our system will check your eligibility automatically. If your school is on the boundary, contact us directly and we'll confirm with our travel team.

Yes — up to 4 sessions per day. Student groups rotate through the same room as each session finishes. Allow 15 minutes between sessions for the DMNS educator to reset the space and materials. If you're booking 4 sessions, you'll also need to schedule a 30-minute lunch break for the educator that does not fall at the very beginning or end of the day.

Note: if you want two different programs on the same day, those must be booked as separate orders.

Schools where 49.5% or more of students qualify for Free & Reduced Lunch (FRL) may be eligible for a 50% scholarship on Wonder Workshops and Curiosity Kits. Enter your FRL percentage during the booking process and the discount will be applied automatically.

Please note that the Bus Fuel Fund (BFF) is only available for onsite museum visits — it does not apply to offsite programs.

Wonder Workshops: Book at least 21 days in advance.

Curiosity Kits: Book at least 10 days in advance to ensure delivery scheduling.

Both programs are popular and dates fill quickly — especially in fall and spring. We recommend booking as early as you can to secure your preferred dates.

Yes — four of the five Wonder Workshop programs are available in bilingual (English/Spanish) delivery: Mission to Mars, Wild Senses, Body Systems in Motion, and Invisible Forces. Dino Detectives is currently available in English only.

Bilingual sessions run for one full hour (vs. 45 minutes for English-only sessions) to allow for thorough bilingual instruction. Indicate your preference when booking — availability may vary by date.

Contact us immediately at offsite@dmns.org or 303.370.6000. We'll work quickly to get you replacement materials or a partial credit depending on the situation. Please inspect your kit on arrival day and report any issues before the week of programming begins.

Each kit booking covers one week (Monday delivery, Friday pickup). If you'd like to use a kit for a second or third week, you can book additional consecutive weeks — subject to availability. Each week is a separate booking at the standard $120 rate (or $60 with scholarship).

Right after you book. Double-check that it lists the correct program, date, time and number of sessions, and reach out right away if anything looks off.

About two weeks before your program, our Guest Services team emails a unique Zoom link — check your spam folder if it doesn't arrive. New to Zoom? Test your camera, mic and connection anytime at zoom.us/test.

Connect 15 minutes before your scheduled start time so your educator can run an audio and video check with your class.

Most virtual programs run 45–60 minutes

Yes. A classroom teacher should stay in the room throughout to call on students and help moderate.

Our technology team supports DMNS-side equipment; loop in your school's IT department for issues on your end. Delays caused by technology may result in rescheduling.