Visit a Museum
Visit a museum, explore exhibits, complete a simple scavenger hunt, sketch favorite artifacts, and ask questions to learn about history, science, or art.
About this activity
Visit a museum, explore exhibits, complete a simple scavenger hunt, sketch favorite artifacts, and ask questions to learn about history, science, or art.
What you need
Step by step
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Step 1
Gather your sketchbook pencil eraser and coloring materials and put them in your small bag.
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Step 2
Put on comfortable shoes for walking around the museum.
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Step 3
Go to the museum with your adult helper and enter the building.
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Step 4
Pick up a museum map at the welcome desk or information area.
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Step 5
Make a simple scavenger hunt list of five things to find using the map such as an animal artifact a painting a tool a fossil or a weird object.
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Step 6
Choose the first exhibit from your scavenger list and walk to that exhibit.
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Step 7
Search the exhibit carefully for the first item on your scavenger list.
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Step 8
Check off the item on your scavenger list when you find it.
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Step 9
Write the exhibit name and one short note about where you saw the item in your sketchbook.
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Step 10
Sit where it is allowed and sketch your favorite artifact for at least five minutes.
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Step 11
Ask a staff member docent or guide one question about something you want to learn.
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Step 12
Write the answer to the question and two facts you learned in your sketchbook.
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Step 13
Add color and labels to your sketch to show important details.
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Step 14
Make a final page with small sketches and a sentence about your three favorite finds.
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Step 15
Share your finished museum sketchbook and scavenger notes on DIY.org.
Fun facts
How do I plan a museum visit with my child and complete the scavenger hunt?
To visit a museum with your child, pick a child-friendly museum and check hours, exhibits, and any admission or reservation rules. Print or make a simple scavenger-hunt checklist, pack a small sketchbook, pencils, water, and snacks. Start at a single gallery, read labels aloud, point out hands-on displays, let your child find items on the list, pause for sketching, ask open-ended questions, and keep visits 45–90 minutes depending on your child’s age.
What materials do I need for a museum scavenger hunt and sketching?
You'll need admission or membership, a simple scavenger-hunt sheet or checklist, a small clipboard or hard surface, pencils and eraser, a pocket-sized sketchbook, optional colored pencils, a camera or phone (if allowed), a tote bag, water and easy snacks, hand sanitizer, and any mobility or sensory supports your child uses. Check the museum's rules about photography and using art supplies before you go.
What ages is a museum scavenger hunt and sketching activity suitable for?
A museum scavenger hunt and sketching can be adapted for ages about 2–16. Toddlers (2–4) enjoy short guided hunts with picture prompts and breaks. Preschool and early elementary (4–8) work well with simple lists and basic sketching. Older kids (9–12) can handle research questions and detailed sketches; teens can focus on critical thinking, themed trails, or sketching techniques. Adjust pace, supervision, and complexity to your child’s attention span.
What are the benefits of visiting a museum with a scavenger hunt?
Visiting a museum with a scavenger hunt builds observation, vocabulary, and critical thinking while making learning playful. Sketching artifacts improves fine motor skills, visual memory, and attention to detail. Asking questions encourages curiosity, conversation, and historical or scientific understanding. The shared experience strengthens family bonds, models museum etiquette, and provides ideas for follow-up projects at home, like reading books or creating art inspired by exhibits.
Watch & Learn
Need help?
What can we use if we don't have a sketchbook, eraser, or coloring materials?
Substitute a few stapled sheets of plain paper for the sketchbook, use a ballpoint pen or pencil without an eraser for lines, and pack crayons or a single marker in your small bag so you can still complete 'Gather your sketchbook pencil eraser and coloring materials' and 'sit where it is allowed and sketch your favorite artifact for at least five minutes.'
What should we do if we can't find an item from our scavenger hunt?
If you can't find an item on your scavenger list, use the museum map or ask a staff member where that exhibit is, then either swap the item for a similar artifact and check it off or note the change in your sketchbook when you 'Write the exhibit name and one short note about where you saw the item.'
How can I adapt the activity for younger or older children?
For younger kids, shorten 'Make a simple scavenger hunt list of five things' to three easy items, reduce the sketch time from 'at least five minutes' to two minutes with adult help, and for older kids increase to ten items, sketch for 15 minutes, and add extra research notes when you 'Write the answer to the question and two facts you learned in your sketchbook.'
How can we make the sketchbook project more creative or personal?
Enhance 'Add color and labels to your sketch' and 'Make a final page with small sketches and a sentence about your three favorite finds' by photographing artifacts (if allowed), attaching a ticket stub, writing why each piece mattered, and then sharing the personalized pages on DIY.org as suggested in the final step.