K–12 Schools & Educators
Guided tours, educator workshops, and online resources provide support for classroom teachers to integrate the museum and visual arts into the curriculum.School Tours
All school tours at the Palmer include shared-inquiry discussion and experiential learning activities to support core skills of observation, visual literacy, discussion, and critical thinking.
Use the 2025–2026 Field Trip Guide to help plan a guided class visit to the Palmer Museum of Art. It has information about guided tours for school groups, curriculum connections, and planning tips.
A variety of tour themes are available: The Elements of Art (grades pre-K–3); Seeing Ourselves, Seeing Each Other (grades 3–12); Art and the Object (grades 3–12); Art and Nature (grades 3–12); Art and Society (grades 5–12).
Through the generosity of the Carver Family Education Program Endowment at the Palmer Museum of Art, guided K–12 school tours can be offered free of charge on a first come, first served basis. When these funds are unavailable, tour fees for school groups are: $30 for up to 12 students, $60 for 13–24, $90 for 25–36, and $120 for 37–48.
School Tours may be scheduled Wednesdays–Fridays, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Request a tour date at least four weeks in advance through the Tour Request Form.
Find More Information in the Field Trip Guide
Lesson-Planning Resources
Meet the Museum Preview Video
Introduce students to the museum in anticipation of a planned class visit. This brief 3-minute video provides images of the museum building, gallery spaces, and artwork on view. It also introduces museum guidelines and what to expect during tours.
View the Video
Educator Resource Guide: Journey to Nature's Underworld
This guide to the exhibition Mark Dion and Alexis Rockman: Journey to Nature’s Underworld was made especially for K–12 teachers. Explore and learn about the exhibition, and introduce it to students through selected images, section previews, and suggested discussion prompts. On view at the Palmer August 30 to December 7, 2025, this dynamic exhibition examines our complex relationship with the natural world.
Access the Guide
MADE IN PA Educator Resource Guide
This Educator Resource Guide is designed to connect K–12 educators to themes, resources, and suggested lessons related to the special exhibition MADE IN PA, on view at the Palmer through December 1, 2024.
Generous support for this project was provided by Art Bridges.
Access the Guide
Classroom Poster: Keith Haring
Enjoy this virtual version of our classroom poster featuring artist Keith Haring. With an image of Self-Portrait, 1985, information about the artist and his unique visual language, and suggested discussion questions, this poster makes a mini lesson on Pop Art easy. You may also want to share this brief video about the work.
Generous support for this project was provided by Art Bridges.
View the Poster
Art Lesson: Botanical Illustration
This standards-based lesson explores botanical illustration and decorative motifs inspired by nature. The lesson offers video examples of observational drawing from nature as well as techniques for adapting floral drawings into stylistic embellishments. Written by Marie Huard, a Ph.D. candidate in Art Education at Penn State and a graduate assistant at the Palmer Museum of Art. Marie taught elementary middle school art in Philadelphia for seventeen years.
Access the Lesson
Art Lesson: Protest Song Project
This lesson explores ekphrastic art (a work created in response to another work of art), especially the connection between music and the visual arts. With examples of ekphrastic images from the Palmer collection and student-created works, this lesson encourages critical thinking, interpretation, and creative expression. Students will listen and analyze a protest song of their choosing then create a work of art representing their interpretation. Written by Madeilynann “Cookie” Mitchell, AP Art Teacher at Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate High School in Tampa, Florida.
Generous support for this project was provided by Art Bridges.
Access the Lesson
Art Lesson: Historical Cartoons
This lesson is inspired by the work of collection artist Roger Shimomura and his use of cartoon imagery to depict history and popular culture. Students will explore online archives and learn about historical images as well as elements of cartooning that enhance or exaggerate images for specific effects. Written by Chelsea Borgman (MA, ’21), an elementary and high school art teacher in Cincinnati, Ohio and former graduate assistant at the Palmer.
Access the Lesson
Art Lesson: Creative Collages
Inspired by Vik Muniz’s portrait Sarah Bernhardt, from “Rebus”, 2010, this project uses found materials to create a collage. As part of the Palmer’s 2021 Online Art Club, this video tutorial takes a close look at the artist with several examples of his work then demonstrates four different approaches to creating a collage inspired by them.
Access the Lesson
Subject Guides
With nearly 11,000 objects, the Palmer has artwork to engage your students, regardless of course topic! Explore the collection using our curated Subject Guides in eMuseum below the listed collecting areas.
Subject Guides via eMuseum
Virtual Tours & Artist Lectures
Access a variety of past Palmer exhibitions through virtual tours. With video-guided explorations of a selection of works, discussion prompts, and related art-making activities, these resources provide opportunities to connect students to the museum without planning a field trip. Virtual tours include: MADE IN PA, Africa in Art, Conversations across the Collection, Global Asias, Women in Art, and Art and Identity.
To access virtual tours, artist lectures, and other online resources, see below.
Online ResourcesEducator Programs
Educator workshops offer K–12 teachers the opportunity to explore museum collections, learn about teaching resources, and enjoy professional development designed to connect visual arts to class curriculum and educational goals.
Upcoming Educator Programs:
TBD (check back for upcoming educator workshops)
Online Resources
Engage with the museum’s collection through virtual tours, online exhibitions, webinars, and art activity videos.
Explore our Online Resources page to prepare for a museum visit or to bring the museum into your classroom. Browse collection-inspired lesson plans created by teachers, for teachers. Use virtual tours for student assignments or to supplement in-class activities and discussions. Spark students’ creativity with art-making tutorial videos, inspired by works of art in the Palmer’s collection.
Online Resources
Educational programs at the Palmer are made possible by our Friends members! Become a Friend of the Palmer today!