Signs are a great teaching tool for all ages!

Learn about American history, pop culture, branding, changes in technology, and more during your visit to the Museum. The bright glow of the signs makes for a fun and engaging backdrop for your young learners whether you are visiting the Museum as a family or as a class.

Download these scavenger hunts to add some challenge to your visit

Enjoy these ASM at home activities

INNOVATIVE EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES

The Museum can be an exciting classroom to learn about history, language arts, design and more. Teachers and group leaders have used the Museum to create their own lesson plans, reading lists, tours, art projects and scavenger hunts. We also offer our own curriculum-based programs.

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 10am-4pm Wednesdays-Fridays, student and youth groups can inquire about availability for Mondays and Tuesdays 9am-4pm. If these times or group sizes do not match your group’s needs, please consider booking a virtual program.

Interested in booking a visit either in person or virtually? Contact learn@americansignmuseum.org.

Fees for In Person Programs

Self tour: $7 per student, $10 per adult with 1 weeks’ notice in scheduling and payment due the day of tour

Highlights tour/School Tours Program: $7 per student, $10 per adult with 4 weeks’ notice in scheduling and payment due 2 weeks prior to the program

Fees for Virtual Programs

Free for schools. Youth groups: $20 for the session and payment due 1 week prior to the program

Additional experiences to add to your In Person visit

Neon Color Demo- learn about how we make the different colors in neon signs by exploring a 1950s neon kit (no additional charge).

Neon Sign Making Demo- learn about the process of making a neon sign with a visit to Neonworks of Cincinnati’s shop- one of the only full functioning neon shops in the area (additional charge of $150).

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 and 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.

For more information, please contact learn@americansignmuseum.org or 513-701-2185.

The American Sign Museum’s educational programs are supported by the Ohio Arts Council.

Ohio Arts Council