Groups & Field Trips

Expand your students’ understanding of weather science with a visit to the Punxsutawney Weather Discovery Center. Or you can arrange to have an Outreach program at  your school!

Groups of 10 or more – take a look at our packages also!

Field Trips and Groups

Traditional classrooms, Homeschool groups, Cyber school groups, or groups of 10 or more,  explore our group & field trip packages to select the offering that best suits your group. We even have options for a visit with Punxsutawney Phil as part of your visit! If you need financial help with admission for your students, read below about our Aristotle Program. For a hassle-free way to allow children to have a memento of their visit, read about our School Visit Gift Shop Program in the tab below.

To schedule your group visit or field trip, complete this form and submit via fax to 814-938-8830 or e-mail to educator@weatherdiscovery.org. If you have questions, please call us at 814-938-1000.

CYBER & HOMESCHOOL SPECIFICS:Please note: To schedule Punxsutawney Phil as part of your field trip, you must have 15 or more students on the day of the visit. If this attendance requirement is not met you will be charged for 15 students. Our basic tour/video packages do not require a minimum number of students to host a visit. 

Field Trip Gift Shop Program

To make having a souvenir of their visit to the Punxsutawney Weather Discovery Center (PWDC) possible for every student who attends, and to make it easy for the teachers and attendants on the day of the visit, we suggest the following program:

 

Outreach Programs

When field trips aren’t possible, the Punxsutawney Weather Discovery Center will come to you! Our one-hour program features centers which groups of students will rotate through. Each center features an interactive exhibit and an activity or experiment that complements the exhibit. The centers can be adapted for grade levels K-6 and are designed with state standards in mind. Some examples of our traveling exhibits include a Van De Graaff generator, tornado simulator, wild weather quiz, hurricane disc, cloud in a bottle, heat map and temp-sensitive pads. 

Cost for the program presentation is $350(A mileage fee for travel expenses to and from your location is additional.)

PRESCHOOL PROGRAMS (Ages 3-5). Currently we offer two unique options that meet several of the Pennsylvania Early Learning Standards and are appropriate for early childhood education facilities, private schools, and child care centers. 

  • The Seasons – A one-hour outreach program about weather and climate that focuses on the four seasons by incorporating music, movement, interactive activities, and a weather craft or art project. Students will make a thunderstorm using rain sticks and thunder drums, dress for the seasons and more!
  • Weather Safety – A one-hour outreach program that explores the safe and unsafe practices and emergency responses to weather hazards such as sun/UV rays, heat, thunder and lightning, floods, wind, and tornados. Interactive exhibits and fun demonstrations will be utilized throughout the program.
  • *Please contact us for our Preschool programming pricing. 

Outreach programs are available in January, February, March, April, October, November, and December only.

For more information or to schedule your program, please contact our Director of Education at 814-938-1000 or via e-mail to educator@weatherdiscovery.org.

Mary Jean Johnston Education Fund

Your school may qualify for an admission subsidy. Check to see if you qualify.

Punxsutawney Weather Discovery Center (PWDC) established the Mary Jean Johnston Education Fund as a way to offer support to school districts and other educational organizations. Through this program, we are able to offer financial assistance for admission fees.

Who it serves
PWDC’s primary market for school group visits is the seven-county region surrounding and including Jefferson where we are located. This includes Armstrong, Clarion, Forest, Elk, Clearfield, and Indiana counties.  We are happy to welcome schools from counties outside of our primary market and offer the Mary Jean Johnston Education Fund to those schools as well.

Who is eligible
Financial assistance is based on the school’s percentage of students eligible for the state’s free or reduced price school lunch program. The minimum percentage to qualify for assistance is 40%. In addition, Head Start programs, Home Schools, Charter schools, and other educational programs are eligible for a subsidy.

How assistance is awarded
Teachers or group leaders must fill out this application form and submit via e-mail or fax. Submitted applications are evaluated by staff members and the Director of Education & Programming works with each school individually to determine the best match of funding to need and museum experience. Up to 50% of the admission price can be awarded to eligible schools. Head Start programs, Homeschools and Cyberschools can be awarded a subsidy of up to 20% towards admission.

Other
Funding is not awarded to individuals.  Funding is provided to groups that register for a guided visit or guided visit with program. Funding is on a first-come, first-served basis. The Mary Jean Johnston Education Fund is an ongoing fund. To learn more, please contact our educator at educator@weatherdiscovery.org or at 814-938-1000.

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