Another exciting school year is upon us! Are you ready to give your students an exciting field trip adventure? Then please consider a trip to the Christa McAuliffe Planetarium. We have something to offer your students, no matter what their grade or interest level.
Download the Educator's Guide to the Universe - a brochure that includes workshops, show descriptions, visit information, outreach and more!
To help you plan your visit, you can download our Planning Your Trip form.
If you are a homeschool parent planning a visit, please see our Homeschool Programs page.
To download PDF documents, you may need Adobe Acrobat Reader©.
Important: please read to ensure a great visit!
We are delighted that you have chosen the Christa McAuliffe Planetarium for your school trip. We'll do everything we can to make your visit a success.
Time: Please be on time! We have a lot to accomplish together during your field trip. We often book several groups at a time, so arriving late will shorten your students’ program and may disrupt other schools’ programs.
Buses: Please follow the signs to “Planetarium Drop Off” near our front door. Enter the Planetarium main door via the walkway with the colorful banners. New Hampshire Technical Institute (NHTI) is connected to our building; please do not enter through NHTI’s doorways. After dropping off passengers, the buses can then park in either of the two main parking lots.
Registration: Please have the reservation contact person check in at the front desk to register.
Lunch: If you plan to eat here, please have your students and chaperones bring bag lunches. Your group can gather for lunch outdoors at our picnic tables on nice days, and in our Discovery Room when the weather is less cooperative! Your lunch schedule is based on your program time:
9:00 AM program - lunch from 10:30-11:00 AM
10:00 AM program - lunch from 11:30-12:00 PM
11:00 AM program - lunch from 12:30-1:00 PM
12:00 PM program * - lunch from 11:00-11:30 AM *
*Note: if eating lunch here, students for the noon program must arrive by 11:00 AM. Thanks!
Our Discovery Room holds 40 students at a time for lunch; if your group is larger or we have booked other schools for the same program, we may need to shorten the lunch time and have the students eat in shifts.
Orientation: A Planetarium educator will greet your group and explain your program.
Chaperones: One chaperone is required for each ten students. We expect the chaperones to play an active role in supervising the students. Please let the chaperones know their role before the trip. Your students will get the most out of their field trip if they are in an environment that encourages learning. Please assign each chaperone ten students to supervise and ensure that the chaperone stays with his/her ten students throughout the visit. Please have a plan for chaperones to file in and sit among your students in the theater. Older students cannot be chaperones.
Gift Shop: Please plan on visiting our Celestial Treasures science store and plan time to shop before or after your program time. We stock items in all price ranges, including pencils, glow-in-the-dark stars, astronaut ice cream, and books on the planets, and we are particularly sensitive to the needs of children on field trips with limited cash. For your convenience, after making their purchase, students can sign their name on their bags and we can store them in a box for you until you return to the bus. Revenues from the gift shop support the offerings of the Christa McAuliffe Planetarium.
Thank you for partnering with us to make a great visit!
