Volunteer at the Cradle of Aviation Museum

The Cradle of Aviation is looking for men and women who wish to volunteer a few hours of their time each week.

The atmosphere is interesting and exciting and you will meet and work with community spirited people who share a love of aviation, Long Island history and friendship.

We provide annual training and welcome individuals who are comfortable and enthusiastic about working with people. As a member of our Volunteer Team you will enjoy the following benefits:

Free family admission to the museum & the exciting X-ride theater
Free rides on our beautifully restored Nunley’s carousel
Admisson to special Giant Screen showings
Discounts at the Museum Store and the Red Planet Cafe
Two catered lunches & other scheduled events

Our team of volunteers is the pride of the Cradle of Aviation and you can become a part of this exciting family. COME JOIN US, and share in the satisfaction!

Call Linda Maugeri at 516-572-4039

The Cradle of Aviation Museum has the following general volunteering opportunities:

Museum and Resoration Volunteers

Docent/Museum Guide - Share information with visitors.
You do not have to be knowledgeable about aviation to make an impact here. Our large number of docents are passionate, committed and eager to assist newcomers.

Restoration
Our restoration members build aircraft parts and replica planes for exhibit. If you like to be creative and work with your hands, this might be the place for you. These volunteers are immensely proud of what they build.

Education Department Volunteers

How Education Volunteers Can Help

The museum sees over 250,000 visitors each year and over 50,000 students each school year! That’s why the museum needs your help!! The Cradle of Aviation Education Volunteer Program (EVP) helps to provide quality programs to the public and community. Education Docents are volunteer teachers who provide learning experiences in a range of forms, from museum tours, to demonstrations and outreach activities.

Join our team to engage and inform visitors, for all ages! The museum has a variety of tools and activities to tell each gallery story and show our aerospace know-how. Your time and experience will allow us to continue to offer diverse public learning and have our visitors coming back for more!

Here is a list of what the museum needs your help with:

Public Programs –
the museum offers hands-on learning opportunities for families during events, weekends, holidays and vacation breaks such as:

Discovery Carts:
Currently the museum has three Discovery Carts including Early Flight, World War II and Space Exploration. Each cart is filled with artifacts and objects that attract visitors to interact with museum staff, providing the opportunity for further learning.

Space Flight Center:
Located next to the X-Ride, the Space Flight Center is a mock up of the space shuttle cockpit. NASA computer simulations allow visitors to pilot the shuttle or man the arm when instructed by museum docents and staff.

Demos:
The public likes to get their hands on! Museum demonstrations take a specific topic, event, or concept and physically explains it. For example a museum demo can examine the Lunar Modules ability to withstand extreme temperatures by conducting a hands-on demonstration specifically about insulation used in space.

Learning Labs:
These are very much like demonstrations but longer. Visitors can sign up to participate in scheduled workshops where they will have the chance to take part in learning about aerospace concepts.

Family Activities:
Most family activities are geared for children ages 6 & up and encourage parent/guardian interaction. Activities are determined by museum themes, films, or events and are provided on weekends, breaks and special events.

Special Events & Competitions:
The museum competitions are designed to encourage teams and individuals to seek alternative learning paths and be a motivating factor in achievement.
Competitions are held either during school visits or during extracurricular hours and most are annual events. Examples include the “Annual Egg Drop” based on engineering and “Lift Off” based on the physics and chemistry of rockets.

After School Programs:
The museum’s after-school activity is any of our organized programs which invites youth to participate outside of the traditional school day whether at a school building, elsewhere in the community, or the museum. The activities are a corner-stone of concerted cultivation, giving children experience with leadership and nurturing interests. Such children are believed by proponents to be more successful in later life because of its fostering attributes.

Camps:
The museum’s camps are supervised programs for children ranging in age from 9-15. These camps are conducted during school breaks, including the summer. These hands-on learning programs revolve around science and aerospace themes. Each camp program takes on a unique approach to learning by introducing and developing kids’ interest in STEM through fun interactive lessons and the museum exhibits.

Saturday Classes:
Saturday classes are Educator led, guiding children through fun and informative experiences in the galleries followed by hands-on projects. These classes are very much like mini camps or extended Learning Labs. Children Class sizes are usually limited and Pre-registration is required.

Scouts :
Boy and Girl Scout Programs at the museum offer badges, loops, pins, try its, Eagle and Cadette level workshops. It is the goal of Scouting and the museum to contribute to the development of young people in achieving their full physical, intellectual, social and spiritual potentials as individuals, as responsible citizens and as members of their local, national and international communities

School Programs are conducted on a prescheduled basis and are designed to supplement the classroom curriculum or accommodate a specific study interest.

Museum Classes:
Museum classes are offered to school groups visiting the museum. Each is designed to extend the museum’s impact and connect to content school curriculum.

STEM Partnerships:
STEM Partnerships promote relationships between the museum and local school districts. It is intended to provide students and teachers with new ways of learning 21st Century Skills and Curriculum in a 21st Century Learning Environment like the museum. In these partnerships a museum educator is matched with a class to work closely on projects and visits.

Outreach programs:
The Cradle of Aviation travels to schools and community organizations to present programs. The program may provide an introduction for an upcoming museum visit or a unique educational experience for community groups like nursing homes, libraries or schools.

Professional Development:
Professional development is a broad term, encompassing a range of programs, interests and approaches that the museum provides to the public, enhancing their ability to do their work. The museum’s professional development mainly assists Teachers and industry professionals to improve professional competence, enhance career progression, keep abreast of new technology and practice.

Clerical:
If being behind the scenes is more your style, then this is for you. It takes a team of people to help research and develop school programs, public programs, activities, exhibits, grants, marketing and all the many facets that go into making them possible.

Leadership:
We are always looking for volunteers to help manage our diverse programs and offerings; however this requires extraordinary volunteers who can dedicate more of their time to the oversight of specific department needs like the training, scheduling and coordination of activities.

Leadership roles needed right now:
Docent Training & Coordination Leader – This individual will be responsible to coordinate with education administrators to schedule education volunteers and manage the training of the department volunteers. To do so this volunteer will need to have a period of training under education staff and provide a larger commitment than regular volunteers.

Guidelines

The Education Department is looking for individuals who are flexible, motivated, and enthusiastic about educating the public. Being an Education Volunteer is a positive way to engage students of all ages and abilities through hands-on learning and immersive experiences.

Education Volunteers can work from scripts, however we encourage volunteers to combine their life experiences with the training they receive at the Museum in science and informal education. Education Volunteers will collaborate, work together and mentor one another. Minimum volunteer requirement is four hours per week (but more is always appreciated)!

If you are ambitious and ready to use your experiences and creativity to impact hundreds of teachers and students visiting the Museum, you are ready to be an Education Volunteer!

Previous teaching experience is not required- we will train you. However, retired teachers or those with other volunteer experience are encouraged to apply helpful.

Contact Linda Maugeri at 516-572-4039 or email volunteer@cradleofaviation.org