Signs are a great teaching tool for all ages!
The Museum can be an exciting classroom to learn about history, language arts, design, and more. School and youth programming allows teachers and group leaders to use the Museum to create their own lesson plans, reading lists, tours, art projects and scavenger hunts. We also offer our own curriculum-based programs.
Interested in booking a visit either in person or virtually? Contact learn@americansignmuseum.org
Plan your School or Youth Program
In-person groups must have a minimum of 10 children and a maximum of 60 with 1 adult per 10 children. In addition to offering tours during the Museum’s normal operating hours of 9 am – 3 pm Wednesdays-Fridays, student and youth groups can inquire about availability for Mondays and Tuesdays 9 am – 3 pm. If these times or group sizes do not match your group’s needs, please consider booking a virtual program.
Program Fees
Self-guided tour (in-person)
$7 per student, $10 per adult
Please provide at least one (1) week’s notice when scheduling.
Payment due the day of tour.
Highlights tour/School Tours Program (in-person)
$7 per student, $10 per adult
Please provide at least four (4) weeks’ notice when scheduling.
Payment due two weeks prior to the program.
Virtual Programs
$20 per session for schools and youth groups
Payment due one week prior to the program.
Explore our Programs
Communicating with Signs
a 90-minute program ideal for grades K-6
In this program, we will discuss what symbols are and how businesses use them to create signs that communicate with their customers. We will explore signs from the late 1800s through the 1980s and see how technology influenced sign design. We will then use all that we learned to inspire us to create our own personal signs.
Marketing & Branding
a 90-minute program ideal for grades 7-12
In this program, we will discuss how fonts, symbols, and colors are the building blocks to creating a brand identity. We will explore how and why popular brands like Holiday Inn® and McDonald’s® have evolved over time. We will then use all that we learned to develop a brand and marketing plan for perspective clients.
Financial Literacy I: Wants & Needs
a 90-minute program ideal for grades K-2
In this program, we will discuss the concept of wants and needs using signs from the collection. The discussion will include how we define wants and needs and how businesses use signs to try to influence how we spend our money. Students will practice identifying currency and then go “shopping” on Main Street to buy their wants and needs.
Financial Literacy II: Convenience vs. Quality vs. Price
a 90-minute program ideal for grades 3-6
In this program, we will discuss the concept of convenience vs. quality vs. price when making financial decisions using signs from the collection. The discussion will include how we weigh the costs of an item or opportunity based on how convenient it is, its quality, and its price and how businesses use signs to influence us. Students will then go “shopping” on Main Street to plan a fun weekend day in budget.
Financial Literacy III: Inflation
a 2 hour program ideal for grades 7-12
In this program, we will discuss the concept of inflation using signs from the collection. The discussion will include what causes and affects inflation. Students will travel back in time to 1963 when a burger cost 15 cents and create a personal budget and then jump to 2022 to see how prices and their budgets change.
The American Sign Museum’s educational programs are supported by the following:
Wednesday – Sunday
10 am – 4 pm
10 am – 4 pm