Brandywine River Museum of Art
Christmastime at the Museum
The Brandywine River Museum of Art is a wonder to visit at any time of the year, but Christmas trees adorned with handmade critter ornaments and the famous holiday train display make it even more special.
If your homeschool group is looking for a field trip to an art museum, you can’t go wrong with the Brandywine River Museum of Art. Rich with history, amazing works of art, famous local artists, and a scenic location next to the Brandywine River, it should be on everyone’s “to visit” list.
Our co-op visited the museum for a field trip the week before Christmas. I typically take my boys on our own at this time of year as we always love spending time at the Brandywine Railroad display that’s available from late November to early January.
We started out by dividing into small groups and split up to start our tours in different areas of the museum. The tour was about an hour long and we all came back together at the end to visit the train display.
Our tour guide had her work cut out for her. My group consisted of three boys &, to be honest, they really just wanted to get to the trains!
We started in the lobby, discussing the Christmas trees and the gorgeous handmade critter ornaments made out of all-natural materials.
We then moved along to the galleries. The current special exhibit is called Fragile Earth which, for lack of a better description, is just really neat. It features four artists and includes preserved insects, ceramic sculptures of coral, hand-painted murals, and art made out of debris from the shore.
And the big, long-awaited final stop:
Logistics for Field Trip Organizers:
I submitted our field trip inquiry via their website in early-mid October. An associate educator promptly responded via email. At that time, they were booking up fast & only had a few available dates left for December. The educator I worked with was quick to respond to questions and very personable. She was a pleasure to work with!
Note: The optional hands-on activities are unavailable at this time. I really wanted to include that with our tour, but unfortunately, the classroom sustained significant damage during Hurricane Ida last year and is not open yet.
Real Mom Talk
The tour was a bit rough with the kids who weren’t interested.. they just wanted to get to the trains. The tour guide was great – she really tried to keep them engaged. I can normally occupy my younger one with attention issues by hanging out in the back during a group tour. However, our group was so small, that it wasn’t possible. I might not schedule this one again with elementary kids without a hands-on activity portion.
I think this tour would be better for middle schoolers & older as they might have a better appreciation for the art. This is only my personal observation – someone with kids who can stand quietly and listen would have a different experience.
I would like to say that all of the moms were VERY interested & we all agreed that we would love to go back on our own.
Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art
Accessibility
Art-Reach ACCESS Philly Participant
It wouldn’t be a trip to the museum without a stop in the gift shop. They have many options to purchase art, a good sized children’s gift area, and critter ornaments during the holidays. I have several prints in my house from visits over the years. We’ve previously gotten books, stuffed animals, and this time J picked out a train to give to Grandma for Christmas!
