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Educational Programs

Email us to receive information about school field trips ([email protected]).  

Museum Tour Information

Education about the earth and environmental responsibility is at the core of our mission. We welcome visits from school groups, scouts, ECHO Rangers, science clubs and organizations of all kinds and ages.

Download our Field Trip information to learn more.

The Gillespie Museum and the Rinker Environmental Learning Center (RELC) are at the intersection of Amelia and East Michigan Avenues at 234 East Michigan Avenue, on Stetson University's DeLand Campus.

The RELC was built, in part, by the Volusia County ECHO Program in 2007 with a generous grant of $325,000. This ECHO-supported facility is used as a classroom and activity space for our GeoLab and other K-12 school and tour group programming; it also includes a small exhibit and exploration gallery called The Nature Nook which is open to the public during regular museum hours at no cost to visitors.

Self-Guided Field Trips

Available during regular visiting hours from August to May.

Self-guided field trips (up to 50 participants) are available during regular hours. A staff member will give a brief welcome and overview of the museum when you arrive, and then you will tour the museum on your own. Expect a self-guided field trip to last ~1-2 hours, depending on how much time you spend exploring our exhibits and outdoor space. There is no charge (donations welcome), but reservations are required.

Guided Field Trips

Available from early September through early December and late January through late April.

Please e-mail the museum ([email protected]) if you would like to be contacted about field trip scheduling.  See also the Virtual Programming our Educational Resources page for activity sheets, checklists, coloring pages and other downloadable materials.

Our guided field trips begin at 10AM and conclude at 11:30AM. Groups are welcome to stay afterwards until 1PM for a picnic lunch, to visit the gift shop in small groups, and/or explore our outdoor exhibits. Outdoor exhibits can also be visited prior to your program if you wish. Programs will consist of a museum tour and two lessons on your selected topics that last ~1/2 hour each. Lesson options are below in this guide. Undergraduate student staff members guide students through the lessons. Costs are outlined below.

Field Trip Activities

You may choose to study Rocks & Minerals in the museum or Florida Ecosystems in the Teaching Landscape.

Geology Programs (Museum and GeoLab)

  •  Tour of the Museum (including the Mineral Collection, Florida Room and Underground World)
  •  Mining for Minerals (hands-on rock and mineral hunting)
  •  The Rock Cycle (earth structures, volcanoes and the rock cycle)
  •  Florida Formations (Florida geology)
  •  Mystery Mineral Lab (mineral identification lab)
  •  Jello Gem Mining
  •  Creating Crystals
  •  Plate Tectonics

 Habitats and Adaptations Programs (Outdoor Classroom)

  •  Pollinators and Plants
  •  Tree Tales
  •  Looking for Longleaf
  •  All About Birds
  •  Mammal Adaptations
  •  Pond Life
  •  Fish Form and Function

Field Trip Logistics

  • Scheduling: Because we have a limited number of mornings for field trips during the school year, it is best to plan as early as possible. You may contact the museum to make arrangements at 386-822-7330 or by email, [email protected]

  • Arrival: Please plan to arrive at the museum at least ten minutes before 10:00 a.m. Gather your students on the front porch, and one of the staff members will greet you there. It is important to be prompt for your field trip, since the student staff members will have time constraints due to their class schedules. Students should be divided into groups ahead of time and chaperones/teachers assigned to each group.

  • Museum Gift Shop: An extension of our educational mission, the museum's gift shop has inexpensive minerals and rocks, handmade jewelry, books and scientific/educational toys. Teachers/organizers may choose whether or not to have the gift shop open after educational programming.

  • Lunch on the Grounds: There are tables on the grounds for picnic lunches. Larger groups (40 to 60) may also want to bring picnic blankets or towels. The museum will provide trash cans and recycling receptacles. On rainy and extremely cold days, we will move our visitors to the porches of the museum and/or inside the adjacent Rinker Environmental Learning Center.

Field Trip Pricing

Self-guided field trips are free, but donations are appreciated! Guided field trips are $2.50 per student. Teachers and school staff are free; all other attendees (including chaperones, parents, and siblings) are charged at the student rate. Admission is not taxed and can be paid by cash, check, or credit card. Payments are made the day of the field trip and should be made in one transaction; we are not able to accommodate separate payments. An invoice can be emailed to you to pay online ahead of time if you prefer (a small surcharge is required to cover the increased online transaction fee).

Group Size

The Gillespie Museum is a small museum with a small staff. For self-guided field trips, we ask that no more than two groups of 15 students (accompanied by an adult, max two groups of 25 with adults) visit at a time. For guided field trip visits, the minimum number of students is 15 and maximum is ~60 (or 3 classrooms). Students will be grouped by classroom or groups of ~20-25 students each. For public/private school groups, one adult chaperone is suggested for every 10 students (usually one or two chaperones, plus the teacher, per class). For homeschool groups, a responsible adult is required to accompany each family group of students. The total number of attendees we can accommodate, including chaperones, parents, and siblings is 75. Reservations are required for ALL field trips, whether guided OR self-guided.

Virtual Programming + At Home or In the Classroom Curriculum

The Gillespie Museum's rock and mineral curriculum is also available to you at home or in your classroom! Through short videos and hands-on activities, you can implement some of our most popular programs as a teacher, a homeschool educator, or on your own through the lesson plans provided here. 

More Online Educational Resources

Looking for additional activities, crafts, coloring pages, fact sheets, and downloadables? Visit our Educational Resources pages!