Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History

School and Teacher Services

Nature Adventures

Nature Collection

> Select Grade Level: K | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Grade 2

Standards-aligned experiences for your class! Reservations are required.

Museum Explorations

Mondays My Way
(Monday, 10:00–11:00 AM; 11:00 AM–Noon)
Group size: maximum 80 students.

This is an opportunity for teachers to conduct investigations in the exhibit halls with their own classes. Teacher-prepared scavenger hunts, single hall studies, and special topic focus are some of the possibilities. Monday is the only week day that clipboards are allowed in the Museum.

Self-guided Tour
(Tuesday–Friday, 10:00–11:00 AM; 11:00 AM–Noon)
Group size: maximum 80 students. May be combined with a Discovery Lab, Outdoor Nature Exploration, or Planetarium Program.

Discovery Lab
(Tuesday–Friday, 10:00–11:00 AM; 11:00 AM–Noon)
Group size: maximum one class. May be combined with a Self-guided Tour or Outdoor Nature Exploration.

Digging In
Students explore what fossils are, how paleontologists find and study them, and what fossils tell us about the world long ago. In science teams, students engage in a simulated dig to excavate and identify an animal skeleton. Bones are measured and identified by observing shape and function.

Outdoor Nature Exploration
(Tuesday–Friday, 10:00–11:00 AM; 11:00 AM–Noon)
Group size: maximum one class. May be combined with a Self-guided Tour, Discovery Lab, or Planetarium Program.

Reconnect to Nature - Students visit a natural environment where they look for aquatic plants and animals in the creek and dig under compost to discover terrestrial animals. This experience offers the freedom to explore in a natural setting and make one’s own discoveries. Field equipment is provided.

Planetarium Programs
(Tuesday–Friday, 10:00–11:00 AM; 11:00 AM–Noon)
Capacity: 44, including adults. May be combined with a Self-guided Tour or Outdoor Nature Exploration.

Earth and Moon
The relationship between Earth and our nearest celestial neighbor is explored in this program, which includes a multimedia presentation and a tour of our current evening sky.

Museum reservations taken Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 1:00–5:00 PM
at 805-682-4711 ext. 107.

Sea Center Expeditions

Self-guided Tour
(Monday–Friday, 10:00–11:00 AM; 11:00 AM–Noon)
Group size: maximum 80 students. May be combined with a Discovery Lab or Outdoor Nature Exploration.

Sea Center reservations taken Tuesday–Friday, 1:00–5:00 PM at 805-962-2526 ext. 108.