Tampa Museum of Art adds school tours for county third graders

The Tampa Museum of Art added new tours for third graders in Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS). The museum built the tours around the third-grade curriculum. Local educators helped develop them. The tours align with Florida's academic standards.

The tours cover world cultures, elements of art, principles of design, storytelling and English/Language Arts vocabulary. They use works from the museum's collection.

During each visit, students explore all museum galleries. They discuss four works of art from the ancient and modern and contemporary collections. For one discussion, docents use a routine called See/Think/Wonder. All HCPS elementary art classes use this routine. Teachers get a lesson plan that aligns with Florida State Standards for Visual Art and English Language Arts.

The school referendum that voters approved in November 2024 funds part of the program. A portion of that money goes to educational field trips. Superintendent Van Ayres said the millage covers student admission to cultural and educational sites like the museum.

The museum expects about 11,000 students through the program in the 2026-27 school year. It has capacity for up to 15,000.

The museum's education center has more than 8,000 square feet of space. Its lobby can welcome two to three busloads of students at once.