The Museum and Science Trail is a cultural and science education programme for schoolchildren run by the Oulu Museum and Science Centre. It is part of the City of Oulu’s Student Cultural Path. The Cultural Path supports and complements the City of Oulu’s Cultural Education Plan, which is part of the City of Oulu’s basic education curriculum. The Oulu Cultural Trail is based on the city’s own cultural offering and heritage, on which the Museum and Science Trail is built.
Museum and Science Trail visits are designed for specific grade levels at the following sites of the Oulu Museum and Science Centre Turkansaari Open Air Museum (grade 2), Oulu Castle / Museum of Northern Ostrobothnia (grade 4), Kierikki (grade 5), Tietomaa Science Centre (grade 6) and Oulu Art Museum (grade 6). During the school years 2023-2026, the Tietomaa Science Centre will be closed for the construction of the new building in Myllytullli, so visits to the Tietomaa Science Centre and the Art Museum will be irregular and will be announced separately each term. The closure during the construction of the new Museum of Northern Ostrobothnia building will not affect visits to Oulu Castle.
Each site has an expert guide who leads the activity tours and introduces the themes of the site. With guidance, each student can explore, engage in activities and experiment for themselves. The Museum and Science Trail teaches creativity and the ability to see things differently. The trail supports the objectives of the basic education curriculum in different areas of competence, multidisciplinary learning units and the objectives and content of several subjects.
The Museum and Science Trail guarantees equal access to art and culture for every student in Oulu, regardless of the location of their school. Visits to the Turkansaari Open Air Museum, the Museum of Northern Ostrobothnia, the Oulu Art Museum and the Tietomaa Science Centre are free for schools, including transport. Guided tours of the Kierikki Centre are free for schools, but transport to Kierikki is paid for by the school.
The Museum and Science Trail is open to schools in the south and centre of Oulu in the autumn and to schools in the east and north in the spring. In Kierikki, all school visits take place in the autumn.
University and private schools in the Oulu area can now book visits to the Museum and Science Trail at the same time as Oulu City schools. The schools pay the guide fee and any transport costs. The visits can be booked via the Museum and Science Centre’s online shop during the booking period. Prices, booking instructions and links to the online shop can be found under each service.
