Designed with the homeschooling community in mind, our programs feature subjects related to the Iron Hill region and beyond. We have Homeschool Days that will focus on a certain topic monthly during the year. We also have our standard program tiers- Nature at a Glance, Learning Together, and Geology + Collect. All programs are appropriate for a range of ages and abilities, activities include an educator-led tour of the Museum & Science Center, and a chance to explore various topics through historic artifacts, photographs, natural history, and demonstrations. Students and their families also get time to explore the Museum & Science Center on their own. See below for more information.
OUR BUILDINGS
Depending on where you live, your region may have many different museums, or just a few. Let us introduce you to our museum and science center.
Natural history inside the Iron Hill Science Center
Collections frequently include fossils, rocks and minerals, and preserved plants and animals. This building is located on Robert L. Melson Lane, and has been our main building since 2016.
Human history in the Iron Hill Museum
The collections are on display within a 1923 built school house. Those collections include iron mining & history of Iron Hill Village, the history of the school house, and the lives of the Lenape people.
Every month during the year, we have Homeschool Wednesdays! Explore the natural world in Iron Hill Museum & Science Center’s homeschool classes for individual families. Students ages 5-18 from the homeschool community can attend sessions designed to complement homeschool science curriculums and make homeschooling more convenient, interactive, and engaging for your family. You can register by clicking on the interested month below.
Upcoming Classes
Homeschool classes meet on certain week days each month. Please check dates and times on the registration page for each month. Admission is $3 per person. Registration is required for these classes.
October 5th & 12th, 2023: Who Goes there? A look at Owls (Ornithology)
Owls are majestic and a little misunderstood. These night hunters are equipped with features that are unique to them, from their feathers, beaks, eyes, and bones. Let’s learn about different types of owls in the world, as well as the ones we might hear in our own backyards this spooky season and beyond. This month, let’s learn about the world owls. Special in class activity is picking apart an owl pellet.
November 2nd & 17th, 2023: Ancient Oceans (Paleontology)
We all know about dinosaur fossils, but who wants to learn about marine/ocean fossils? Just a quick way to remember what fossils are: fossils are not animals or the bones of animals. Fossils are the stone’s memory of the bones of animals. Meet the fossils that can be found in Delaware and beyond. Learn about the Delaware state fossil and what creatures might have eaten it, or what it might have eaten.
December 7th & 14th, 2023: Hibernation Vs. Migration (Biology)
Ever watch the sky in the autumn and wonder where a lot of the birds are going? Did you ever want to know how bears sleep through the winter? Do you know which animals you might see during the cold months, and why they might not be sleeping until spring? Let’s examine what hibernating creatures, migrating creatures, and creatures that endure the winter without going anywhere or sleeping it away do when the temperatures drop and there’s snow in the air.
Classes are designed to serve small homeschool co-op groups, individual homeschool families, or private schools with small classes (this can accommodate up to 10 people).
To book a program, please email Maureen Zieber at director@ironhillsciencecenter.org or by calling 302-368-5703.
Nature at a Glance Program
This program costs $25 if your group is less than 10 people (children 4 and under are free). Every additional person exceeding the number of 10 is $2.50 each. The program includes:
- General admission to the building with self guided pamphlet.
- 1/2 hour of instruction on any topic we offer. This includes our field trip topics, and our outreach topics that can be tailored to be in our classroom.
- Access to our small classroom or outside pavilion if families wanted to teach a subject or two in a different location than their normal spot.
Learning Together Program
This program costs $45 if your group is less than 10 people (children 4 and under are free). Every additional person exceeding the number of 10 is $4 each. The program includes:
- General admission to the building with self guided pamphlet.
- 1 hour of instruction on any topic we offer. This includes our field trip topics, and our outreach topics that can be tailored to be in our classroom.
- A 1/2 hour museum educator lead nature hike through our woods.
- Access to our small classroom or our outside pavilion if families wanted to teach a subject or two in a different location than their normal spot.
Geology + Collect Program
This program costs $65 if your group is less than 10 people (children 4 and under are free). Every additional person exceeding the number of 10 is $5 each. The program includes:
- General admission to the building with self guided pamphlet.
- The Earth Science + Collect Program that is listed on our field trips page. Total time is 2-3 hours.
- Access to our small classroom or our outside pavilion if families wanted to teach a subject or two in a different location than their normal spot.
*Disclaimer: The Iron Hill Museum & Science Center interprets contemporary scientific information. This may include, but is not limited to current scientific methods, researched geological stratigraphy, and historical nature.*