Welcome back to school from Rice NW Museum!

Posted on August 29, 2018 by Janice Crane

Field Trips:

Field trip registration for the 2018-2019 school year is open! Visit our For Teachers page to book now. Rice Museum field trips adhere to Next Generation Science Standards for elementary students. We take group reservations for up to 120 participants for tours in the mornings while we are closed to the public. Financial aid is available for low income schools thanks to the generosity of our donors. Dates are filling quickly, so book soon to ensure availability! Tour dates are available through July 2019.

New! Small School & Home School Tours:

New this year, we are excited to pilot a Small School & Home School Tour program! It’s fulfills all the same educational benchmarks as our tours for large school groups, but you can purchase individual spaces on the tour for smaller groups. This program is designed with small, nonprofit private schools, Montessori Going Out, and families that home school in mind. Space is limited, so reserve your spot today!

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We’re Hiring! Museum Educator Position Available

Posted on August 26, 2016 by Leslie Moclock

Will you be our new Educator? In this position, you’ll give on-site museum tours to school groups and travel to classrooms and camps to deliver dynamic presentations. You will also have the opportunity to develop new outreach education modules and programs.

Learn more about this job and submit a cover letter and resume through our posting on Indeed.com, just in time for the new school year.

Summer Fest August 6-7, 2016

Posted on July 11, 2016 by

Our annual Summer Fest 2016 will be at the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals Saturday and Sunday, August 6-7, 2016. This year will be bigger than ever! The hours are 10 AM – 5 PM. Admission is only $5, and kids 17 and under are FREE.

Geodes and other minerals and rocks for sale at vendor booth. The outdoor festival features a wide variety of rock, mineral, gem, and fossil dealers. We will have food, music, and plenty of fun family activities. Of course, our favorites Fred and Wilma Flintstone will be rolling in on the famous Flintmobile to give “rides” to children and adults.

Rock clubs from around the region will be offering wonderful educational displays, demonstrations, and activities.

The road construction is complete so you will have no problem finding your way through the new interchange at Highway 26 and Helvetia.

Come early and stay the whole day. The entire museum will be open during this event, so you can explore all our displays after browsing vendors’ tents and creating a “pet rock.” Bring a picnic lunch or enjoy the refreshments at the museum. It’s a perfect event to spend with friends and family. Bring them all!

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Rice NW Museum honored for educational exhibits at the 2014 Denver Gem & Mineral Show

Posted on September 17, 2014 by Julian Gray

Julian Gray and Leslie Moclock with the Rice NW Museum case of agates at the 2014 Denver Gem & Mineral Show. This case won the Donna Chirnside Memorial Award for best educational case by a museum.

Thousands of people attended the Denver Gem & Mineral Show held the second weekend in September each year in Denver, Colorado. The theme of this year’s show was near and dear to the heart of the Rice NW Museum and Oregonians rockhounds: Agate. Agates are found in many places in Oregon and are well represented in the Rice NW Museum’s permanent exhibits. Curator Leslie Moclock selected about two dozen of the best agates and thundereggs from the museum’s collection for two temporary educational exhibits at the show September 12-14, 2014. Taking the museum to mineral collectors in attendance at shows is part of the museum’s outreach program.

Both exhibit cases were recognized for their excellence in educational content and quality of exhibition. The Denver Gem & Mineral Show Committee selected the Rice NW Museum’s case on the origin of agates for the Donna Chirnside Memorial Award honoring the best display by an institution at the show. The Friends of Mineralogy, a group that promotes mineral education, awarded the Best Educational Case by an Institution Award to the Rice NW Museum case featuring thundereggs, Oregon’s State Rock.