Experience the story of farming and food at the Kelley Farm from 19th-century farm life on the historic farmstead to modern Minnesota agriculture and food in the Farm Lab.

Field Trips
Thank you for your interest. In response to ongoing concerns over health and safety practices, MNHS museums and historic sites will not host any field trips during the 2020-2021 school year.
Look for scholarships to re-open in the fall of 2021 for the 2021-2022 school year.
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Field Trips include one program of your choice in either the historic farmstead or the Farm Lab, plus student interaction with farm animals, farm and garden crops, and products that come from farms.
Academic standards
All programs support state of Minnesota academic standards in social studies, math, science, and language arts.
Field trip options
Farms, Past and Present (School Age Care Program)
Explore the important roles of Minnesota farmers, past and present, by experiencing the sights, smells, and sounds of our historic farmstead and our modern Farm Lab. Students will learn about modern farm science by playing games, encountering and interacting with farm animals, and using historic and modern artifacts to investigate how agriculture impacts their own lives.
Grades: Pre-K-8
Cost: $6 per student
What is a Farm?
This multi-sensory program gives students a chance to explore a real working farm. Discover first-hand what farmers do, where food comes from and why animals live on a farm.
Grades: Pre-K, K
Cost: $6 per student
1860s Farm: Then and Now
Discover what life was like on an 1860s farm and compare it to life today. Through a variety of farm and domestic chores, students experience how each family member contributed to the farm’s success then and now.
Grades: 1, 2, 3
Cost: $6 per student
Farm Animals in the Making of Minnesota
Animals played an integral role in early Minnesota agriculture. Students discover how animals provided labor, food, by-products and income for farm families in the past, and continue to do so today.
Grades: 3, 4
Cost: $6 per student
Agriculture is Everywhere
Discover the surprising ways that agriculture touches our lives every day. Students meet Minnesota farm animals and crops as they use maps to explore the variety and location of agricultural products grown across the state.
Grades: 3, 4
Cost: $6 per student
Northern Lights - Growing Minnesota
This curriculum-based program focuses on chapters 10-20 of the Northern Lights textbook, and uses the thread of agriculture in Minnesota to explore technology, the environment, and society as it has changed over time. Students will examine the kinds of decisions farmers over the decades have faced as they responded to events such as war, failing economics, weather factors, and government policies.
Grades: 6
Cost: $6 per student
Farm to You
Find out how agriculture touches our lives beyond the dinner table. Students will explore agricultural products and the many steps and careers required to produce consumer goods from farm to food, to fashion, to fine arts to fun.
Grades: 6, 7, 8
Cost: $6 per student
Farming in the Changing Community
Students explore the dramatic changes that took place in mid-19th-century agriculture as they work in the historic 1860s house, fields, and farmyard. Discover how small towns and larger communities were tied to farms, and how changes in livestock breeds, crop varieties, farm technology, and advocacy affected community growth and success.
Grades: 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Cost: $6 per student
Feeding the World
By 2050 it is projected that there will be over 9 billion people on earth. What role can Minnesota play to make sure there is enough food? Students examine topics such as changing farming methods, food waste reduction, concerns related to raising animals, and the careers that can solve our food shortage dilemma.
Grades: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Cost: $6 per student
Book a field trip
Field trip request form
763-441-6896
kelley.farm@mnhs.org
Cost
- $6 per student
- Teachers FREE
- One free adult per 10 students
Details
- Length: 1 to 4 hours
- Free bus parking
Scholarships
Apply for scholarships, grants and subsidies.