Skip to content

Teachers

Learn

2025/26 School Programs

We look forward to greeting you and your students with onsite programs that help students reflect, connect, and contribute to their communities. 

Explore the many stories of California and its people, while learning about the natural, artistic, and social forces that affect the state. Come investigate your own role in California’s history and its future.

Across OMCA’s Galleries of California Art, History, Natural Sciences, and special exhibitions, our cross-disciplinary programs invite inquiry, spark dialogue, celebrate creative expression, and are grounded in a commitment to both joy and justice.

We’re currently scheduling summer self-guided visits through August 1, 2025. Registration for 2025/26 school year programs will open June 13 for OUSD and June 23 for all schools.

New this year! All field trips are free for OUSD schools during the 2025/26 school year. Title I discounts and transportation scholarships are also available.

Join our teacher email list for the latest information on field trips and teacher resources!

* indicates required

onsite
field trips

Visit OMCA in person for a guided gallery visit, performance, or self-guided field trip. Program sold out? We encourage you to join our waitlist.

Changing California Guided Gallery Visit

Grades 3–6. How do habitats and communities shape each other over time?

Learn more
Becoming California Guided Gallery Visit

Grades 4–8.
How do people work together to shape a California that’s better for everyone?

Learn more
Art Speaks Loud Guided Gallery Visit

Grades 2–5.
How do artists use their art to speak about what’s important?

Learn more
Día de los Muertos Performance

Grades K–8. Celebrate California’s cultural roots as you explore the traditions and stories of Día de los Muertos with musical group Cascada de Flores.

Learn more
Black History Performance

Grades K–8.
Experience music that sparks change as you explore Black history and liberation through creativity, inclusion, and joy.

Learn more
Self-Guided Visits

Grades PreK–12.
Create your own experience for students to explore the Galleries of California Art, History, and Natural Sciences or special exhibitions in person at OMCA.

Learn more
Summer Self-Guided Visits

Grades PreK–12.
Create your own experience for students to explore the Galleries of California Art, History, and Natural Sciences or special exhibitions in person at OMCA.

Learn more

Plan
Your field trip

Payment

Field trips scheduled using our online registration system require a credit card for payment. To pay by invoice, email [email protected] before registering.

Scholarships & Discounts

New this year! All programs and self-guided visits are free for Oakland Unified School District groups. Title I schools outside of OUSD receive a 50% discount during the school year.

Public transit and bus scholarships are available during the school year and can be requested during registration. Scholarships are awarded on a rolling basis throughout the year, with priority given to OUSD and Title I schools. 

OMCA offers a 30% discount for Oakland Unified School District groups during summer visits.

Cancellations & Rescheduling

If you need to reschedule or cancel your field trip, please contact [email protected] at least two weeks before your scheduled visit to receive a refund.

Walk-up Groups

We ask that all groups book in advance. Due to limited same-day availability, we may not be able to accommodate a walk-up group. Walk-up groups are required to pay the standard group rate in order to gain entry to the Museum, plus a $25 walk-up fee. No additional discounts are available for walk-up groups.

Waitlist

Join our 2025/26 school year waitlist if the program you are interested in is currently sold out. If a program spot opens up that matches your request, we’ll contact you to make your reservation. Please note there is no waitlist for summer visits.

Chaperones

The Museum requires these chaperone-to-student ratios through grade 12:

1:10 minimum
1:4 maximum
1:6 in the OMCA Store

A maximum of 10 chaperones are allowed per reservation. Please note, if the ratio of adult chaperones to students exceeds 1:4, there will be a charge of $9.50 per additional adult.

School Group Entrance

The OMCA School Group Entrance is located in the Amphitheater on 10th Street, at the intersection with Fallon Street.

Transportation & Parking

We encourage groups to take public transportation when possible. We are located one block from the Lake Merritt BART Station and a 15-minute walk from 12th Street BART Station. Check out BART’s field trip discounts. Buses may drop off at the School Group Entrance on 10th Street. The Museum parking garage may be full at times. If you drive, please allow extra time for parking. Learn more.

Lunch & Backpack Storage

Please leave student backpacks at school or on the bus. A limited number of first-come, first-served lockers are located outside of the Gallery of California History, and cannot be guaranteed available. Please do not bring valuables to the Museum. Adults with backpacks must hand-carry them at their side or front while in the galleries. Lunches can be stored at OMCA’s School Group Entrance during your visit. Bag lunches can be eaten in the OMCA garden or at the picnic tables near the Koi Pond, but are not allowed in the Town Fare by Michele McQueen or at the tables on the cafe terrace.

Accessibility

OMCA is committed to accessibility for all. Guests using wheelchairs should enter at the Oak Street Plaza entrance, which is accessible by ramp from the sidewalk on Oak Street. Inside the museum, an elevator allows access to all three levels. A limited number of wheelchairs and assistive listening devices are available for loan onsite. Please reserve at least three weeks in advance and email [email protected] if you would like a program adapted to the needs of your group. Learn more.

Museum Guidelines

Please review the Museum’s rules ahead of time with students and chaperones. Learn more.

Explore OMCA

While you’re at OMCA, be sure to check out our Gallery of California Art, Gallery of California History, Gallery of California Natural Sciences, and Garden. Please note that the OMCA Kids: Nature Playspace was designed for children ages 2 to 5. We ask that K–12 school groups refrain from entering this area. Learn more.

Questions?

Contact us at [email protected].

TEACHER
RESOURCES

Whether you’re planning a lesson for your classroom or a trip to the Oakland Museum of California, our materials provide information and ideas to use with your students. Browse OMCA’s online collection resources, curriculum, and other materials for your classroom or Museum visit.

Picture This: California’s Perspectives on American History

Learn about the rich cultural diversity of California using primary source images from the OMCA’s collections.

Learn More
Online Collection

OMCA has an extensive collection of objects. Thousands of artifacts and artworks, each with images and descriptions, can be browsed on the Online Collection website. 

Learn More
Dorothea Lange Digital Archive

This digital archive showcases the socially conscious work of documentary photographer Dorothea Lange, including notable photographs, personal quotes, and historical context illustrating some of America’s most defining moments.

Learn More
Dorothea Lange: Politics of Seeing Teacher Resources

Dorothea Lange: Politics of Seeing explores the enduring legacy of her photography through the lens of social and political activism. These teacher resources provide a platform for students to dive deeper into major themes explored in this exhibition, and feature a variety of primary sources pulled from the Oakland Museum of California’s Dorothea Lange Archive.

Learn More
Andrew J. Russell and the Building of the Transcontinental Railroad Curriculum

Uncover the history behind the building of the Transcontinental Railroad and practice visual literacy skills using the online tool Picture This to closely examine historical photographs from the Oakland Museum of California’s Andrew J. Russell Collection. The curriculum includes document-based lessons that explore themes of westward expansion along with photographs from the Andrew J. Russell Collection that examine key topics such as Native Americans in the West, the environment, working conditions, and technological advancement.

Learn More
Día de los Muertos Curriculum

These Day of the Dead curriculum materials offer teachers and students an opportunity to experience a living and evolving cultural tradition. The materials provide resources for integrating lessons related to history, culture, and art.

Learn More
Gallery of California History: Student & Teacher Guides

Resources to support your self-guided, teacher-led experience at the Museum. The Student Guide provides printable, gallery-based activities for students and teachers to choose from. Each section can be used on its own—mix and match a few pages, or use them all. The Teacher Guide includes suggestions for how to use the Student Guide and support students’ learning.

Learn More
Gallery of California Art: Student & Teacher Guides

Resources to support your self-guided, teacher-led experience at the Museum. The Student Guide provides printable, gallery-based activities for students and teachers to choose from. Each section can be used on its own—mix and match a few pages, or use them all. The Teacher Guide includes suggestions for how to use the Student Guide and support students’ learning.

Learn More
Gallery of California Natural Sciences: Student Guide

Resources to support your self-guided, teacher-led experience at the Museum. The Student Guide provides printable, gallery-based activities.

Learn More
Question Bridge: Black Males Student and Teacher Guides

Download a written guide to help students and teachers explore issues of identity through dialogue and connections to other OMCA resources. 

Learn More
Born of the Bear Dance: Dugan Aguilar’s Photographs of Native California Student and Teacher Guides

Experience the diverse voices of California’s Indigenous peoples as they shape the present and future through the lens of celebrated Indigenous photographer Dugan Aguilar. Aguilar’s work defies colonial narratives and documents a rich array of Indigenous experiences, from breathtaking California landscapes to gatherings, ceremonies, and the artistry of basket weaving.

Learn More
Chelsea Ryoko Wong Coloring & Conversation Guide

Explore fashion, family histories, and personal identity with the Coloring & Conversation guide, inspired by Ancestral Visions: An Installation by Chelsea Ryoko Wong. Wong’s vibrant and dynamic paintings are drawn from the stories of six Chinese American women, whose cherished dresses and stories are preserved in OMCA’s collection.

Learn More
Students on Strike Student and Teacher Guides

Explore the enduring legacy of student activism at San Francisco State University by comparing the 1968–1969 student strike that established the nation’s first Black Studies Department and first College of Ethnic Studies to the recent campus protests against the war in Gaza.

Learn More
Black Spaces: Reclaim & Remain Student & Teacher Guides

Stories of strength, creativity, and community come to life in Black Spaces: Reclaim & Remain. Through powerful art, design, and history, discover how Black communities in Oakland and the East Bay have faced displacement and responded with resistance and resilience. The Student and Teacher Guides will help students reflect on identity, belonging, and how creative expression helps shape the spaces we call home.

Learn More

Teacher Fellowship

Partner with fellow teachers and OMCA staff to build and prototype new learning experiences for your students. This year’s fellowship will focus on art as a tool for social and political engagement for individuals and communities, for grades 3–5. The fellowship kicks off with Teacher Summer Camp, when participants spend 5 days on OMCA’s campus. Start the week by exploring and finding inspiration in the exhibits and galleries during special tours and gallery talks. During the second half of the week, partner with peers and OMCA staff to imagine and build inquiry-based curricula that explore important questions and empower student voices. 

Check back in winter 2025 for details about the 2026 Fellowship. Stay up-to-date through our teacher mailing list.

School programs are made possible in part by generous support from the Oakland Women’s Board, Kaiser Permanente, Koret Foundation, and PG&E.

Additional support is provided by the Banks Family Foundation, Dodge & Cox, Daryl Lillie Fund for Oakland Students, the Joseph and Mercedes McMicking Foundation, Port of Oakland, the Nora Eccles Treadwell Foundation, and Matson Navigation Company.

Womens Board, Kaiser Permanente, Koret and PG& E logos