School Tours
Lynden offers tours for schools and other organized groups of children and youth. Consider staying for a picnic lunch or outdoor drawing session, weather permitting.
Self-Guided Tours
Self-guided tour packages include a guide designed to help group leaders plan their visit to Lynden; a map of the grounds (both delivered electronically in advance of the trip); and clipboards with paper and writing materials for your students when you visit. Each guide provides a walking route and a series of activities—from short and simple to longer and more interactive--related to a specific theme. You will be able to draw from the compendium of resources included in each guide to plan a trip that suits the age and curricular interests of your students, and the amount of time you can spend at Lynden. Many of the activities are flexible: you can spend as much or as little time as you like doing them with your students, or you can simply follow the prescribed route to see sculptures related to your theme.
We also know that one of the great benefits of visiting Lynden is to spend time outdoors in a place where art and nature create a unique environment. Consider how long your students may need to settle into a large outdoor place, and how much time you would like to devote to student-guided exploration while at Lynden.
Animals at Lynden
Adaptable for ages 6 and up.
Discover Lynden's own animal sculptures on a mini-tour and nature observation walk.
Exploring Place at Lynden
Adaptable for ages 6 and up.
Choose from a variety of hands-on approaches to discover more about art and nature at Lynden.
Monumental Sculptures at Lynden
Adaptable for ages 9 and up.
Follow an itinerary to discover several of the large-scale works in Lynden’s sculpture collection. Explore key elements like scale, materials, color, and form in art and nature.
For those planning a less structured trip, we offer activity sheets that are adaptable for all ages.
Land Bingo
Pond Bingo
Taking In, a sensory activity designed to practice observation skills
Docent-Led Tours
Docent-led tours are available on a very limited basis for groups of up to 35 students. Choose between Art as an Avenue to EcoAwareness and Sculpture: Modern and Contemporary, a tour that introduces the sculpture of several major 20th-century artists in our collection, as well as temporary installations on the grounds.
Register
Advance registration is required for all school tours, self-guided or docent-led. Lynden limits the number of groups on the grounds at one time, so early registration is encouraged.
To reserve a school tour, please fill out this form and a Lynden staff member will get back to you shortly.
Questions?
tours@lyndensculpturegarden.org
Fees
The Self-guided tour package costs $5 per student. The docent-led school tour fee is $8 per student. One adult chaperone per 10 students is required, and these adults are admitted free.
Tour subsidies and assistance with the cost of transportation are available; awards are based on need. Please contact Jeremy Stepien, Director of Education, at jstepien@lyndensculpturegarden.org or 414-446-8481.
Planning Your School Tour:
Tour Times
The Sculpture Garden is open year-round for tours. School Tours are booked Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 am-3:30 pm. Docent-guided tours last one hour. The Sculpture Garden is closed on Thursdays for maintenance of the sculpture and grounds.
Group Size
The minimum group size for docent-led tours is 10 students; maximums vary. Group size does not include chaperones. Group size helps maintain a productive teaching environment in the Sculpture Garden.
Chaperones
The presence and assistance of teachers and adult chaperones are essential during school tours. One chaperone per 10 students is required. Adult chaperones are responsible for the students' conduct and adherence to the Sculpture Garden's visitor guidelines. Chaperones must stay with their group while visiting the Sculpture Garden. Please ensure that all chaperones are aware of the vital role they will play during your tour. The Sculpture Garden staff requires the assistance of chaperones in the following areas:
- Monitoring and supervising students throughout the visit.
- Keeping groups together.
- Explaining and modeling the Sculpture Garden's visitor guidelines for the students.
- Assisting in the distribution and clean-up of onsite activities and/or art projects.
Payment
Payment is calculated based on the number of students and chaperones submitted on your Request Form. If there is a change in headcount, please notify the tour scheduler at (414) 446-8481 or tours@lyndensculpturegarden.org at least two weeks in advance of the tour. All members of your group must be pre-registered. Your school will be billed for the number of students and chaperones shown on your request form (with any modifications) two weeks prior to the tour. Payment is due upon receipt of your bill. Make checks payable to "Lynden Inc." Do not send payment with a change in headcount without first notifying the tour scheduler.
While we do make a complete refund if your tour is cancelled due to weather conditions, we cannot offer a refund if your group's headcount decreases after your payment has been made.
Name Tags
Name tags are required for all students, chaperones, and other adults attending a docent-led tour. Please provide name tags with your students' names on them, and be sure that they are worn where docents can see them easily to facilitate discussion.
What to Bring
We provide clipboards with paper and writing materials for self-guided tours if requested. You may bring clipboards with paper, sketchbooks or notebooks, and a pencil for working in the Sculpture Garden for docent-led or self-guided tours. Due to the irreversible nature of other drawing and writing materials, pencil is the only medium routinely allowed in the Sculpture Garden. For all other requests, contact Jeremy Stepien at jstepien@lyndensculpturegarden.org or 414-446-8481.
Food, drinks, gum, candy, backpacks and large handbags are all safety and security risks for works of art. Please leave these items on the bus.
What to Wear
The Sculpture Garden tour takes place outdoors, even in light rain. Please dress appropriately for the season. Visitors are advised to wear comfortable walking shoes as extensive walking on uneven ground is required. There are no paths in the Sculpture Garden, and you will be sharing the grassy surfaces with geese--flip flops, sandals or dress shoes are not appropriate.
Lunch
The Sculpture Garden has an outdoor picnic area that can accommodate up to 80 students. There is no indoor lunch facility.
Photography
Due to copyright restrictions, visitor safety and access concerns, no commercial photography or videography is allowed on Lynden Sculpture Garden property without permission. Personal photography/videography with handheld equipment is permitted, but reproduction or publication of still or moving images of the house, permanent collection, gardens, grounds or temporary exhibitions is strictly prohibited (this includes posting images on electronic/digital platforms).
Where to Enter
Busses must enter through the west gate. This is the entrance closest to the barn and immediately opposite the westbound left turn lane on Brown Deer Road. There is a small sign hanging from a lamppost at this entrance that says "LYNDEN. Harry L. Bradley." Pull up past the barn to discharge passengers; a docent or Lynden staff member will show you where to park. There is room in the lot for up to 5 busses.
Under no conditions may passengers be discharged on Brown Deer Road. This is extremely dangerous: eastbound traffic will not be expecting to encounter a bus parked in the far right lane.
Don't Be Late!
Arrive with your students and chaperones, prepared with name tags if necessary, 10 minutes prior to your tour start time. If you are delayed, you must call (414) 446-8481. Your group has a 15-minute grace period for arrival, but a late arrival may result in a shortened tour. If you arrive more than 15 minutes late, and you fail to contact us, the tour will be cancelled.
Weather
Tours are conducted in light rain. However, the presence of lightning will result in the immediate cancellation of a tour. If your tour is cancelled due to weather conditions, you may reschedule or receive a full refund.
If you have questions about weather in the 24 hours prior to your tour, please call (414) 446-8481.
Changes & Cancellations
If there is a change in the date or time of your scheduled tour, or a cancellation, please contact the tour scheduler at (414) 446-8481 or tours@lyndensculpturegarden.org. An entire tour may be canceled no later than one week before the tour date. Any school group canceling less than a week in advance, except for health reasons, must pay the full cost of their visit.
Special Needs
When requesting a tour, please indicate your need for any specialized information or assistance for your students. There are no paths at the Sculpture Garden. If you have any questions about accessibility, please contact the tour scheduler by e-mail or phone.
All docent-guided school tours are one hour in length and conducted in English unless otherwise requested. If you would like to request a tour in Spanish, German, French, or American Sign Language, please indicate this at the time of your tour request. Docents and translators for tours conducted in these languages are very limited.
