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 an Outdoor Nature Exploration or Planetarium Program.
Outdoor Nature Explorations
(Tuesday–Friday, 10:00–11:00 AM; 11:00AM–Noon)
Group size: maximum one class. May be combined with a Self-guided Tour or Planetarium Program.
Reconnect to Nature
Students use investigative equipment to explore the various habitats available at the Museum: chaparral, oak woodland, and riparian. They look for aquatic plants and animals in Mission Creek and dig under compost to discover decomposers in the soil. Focus is on the characteristics of unique habitats, the interrelationship of plants and animals, food chains, and the important role of decomposers in an ecosystem. This experience offers the freedom to explore in a natural setting and make one’s own discoveries of what lives in various habitats and how things are connected.
Bird Behavior – In an oak woodland and along Mission Creek, students learn to use Museum-supplied binoculars, watch birds, and observe what the birds are doing: preening, eating (what and where), nest building, or defending territories. Students are introduced to bird language. This is a spring activity best scheduled between March and the end of the school year.
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.
The Sun and Its Family
Students take a multimedia journey to the Sun, visit each of the planets, and explore comets and other celestial bodies before returning home to view the evening sky.
Museum reservations taken Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 1:00– 5:00 PM
at 805-682-4711 ext. 107.
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.
This limited program is available only to fourth, fifth, and sixth grade classes. Students participate in a multi-site, multi-experience program in which they discover the impact of the watershed on our coastal health. Teachers make a commitment to an in-class visit, a fieldtrip to the Sea Center, and a fieldtrip to the Museum. Funds are available for buses and admission fees.
(Tuesday–Friday, 10:00 AM–Noon, 2 hours)
Group size: maximum two classes
*Funded in part by the National Marine Sanctuary
Channel WATCH reservations taken Tuesday–Friday, 1:00–5:00 PM, at 805-962-2526 ext. 108.
