Find the perfect program for your students with these one-hour classes. Select your grade level and appropriate topics.
offer students an opportunity to meet live animals and use scientific investigation to discover the wonders of the ocean and the world around them. Discovery Labs are taught in our classrooms Monday through Friday, September to June, at 9:30 am, 11:15 am and 1 pm. Fee includes aquarium admission.
pre-K Sept-Feb. $6.75/student March-June $8.15/student
K-12 Sept-Feb. $7.50/student March-June $9.25/student
A teacher and parent chaperones are admitted free for the purpose of supervising students. The student to chaperone ratio is 5:1 for K-12 and 2:1 for pre-K classes. Extra chaperones are $12.00.
expands the classroom into the aquarium exhibits as student explore ocean inhabitants and their watery environment through hands-on discovery. Aquarium Explorations are offered Monday through Friday, September to June, at 9:30 am and 11:15 am Fee includes aquarium admission.
K-12 Sept-Feb. $7.50/student March-June Not Available
A teacher and parent chaperones are admitted free for the purpose of supervising students. The student to chaperone ratio is 5:1 for K-12 and 2:1 for Pre-K classes. Extra chaperones are $12.00.
Discovery Labs
NOTE: Meet and Greet the Sea is 30-minutes and booked as double programs within an hour's schedule.
Meet and Greet the Sea
The wonders of the sea will splash into the classroom as
students learn how different sea creatures move and survive
in the ocean. Preschoolers will meet live animals and use
puppets to explore body movements.
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Discovery Labs
Colossal Kelp
Dive into the wonderful world of kelp and meet the
amazing creatures that call this underwater forest home. Students
learn about the basic structure of giant kelp and discover how
animals are adapted to survive in this habitat through hands-on
interaction with live animals and kelp.
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Fascinating Fish
Starfish? Jellyfish? Catfish? Rockfish? What makes a fish a
fish? Through dress-up and hands-on exploration of the
Pacific mackerel, students will investigate the unique
characteristics of fish and learn how shape, size, and
movement help them survive in their ocean habitat.
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Tide-pool Treasures
Sea urchins, hermit crabs, snails, and sea stars are just a few of the
creatures that call the tide pool home. Through the use of puppets and
live animals, students will explore the world of tide pools and learn
how these creatures find food, protect themselves, and move about in
their ever-changing tide-pool habitat.
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Aquarium Explorations
Water Works
Are you ready to get wet and wild? Through hands-on investigation and
interactions at Wonders of Water play stations, students will explore
water's unique properties, discover the power of water in motion, and
learn what it means to conserve this precious resource.
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Shark Survivor
How do sharks survive challenges of nature and those presented by
humans? The aquarium's live shark displays provide an ideal living
classroom for students to explore the challenges sharks face and how
they have adapted to survive for more than 400 million years. Students
will tour shark exhibits to observe live shark behavior and adaptations
and use hands-on models to discover sharks' unique design.
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Discovery Labs
Fish Diversity
Forked tails, rounded tails, pointed tails, and more! Through hands-on
investigations, students will learn about the diversity of fish teeth,
fins, and coloration and how different adaptations help them survive in
the sea.
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Sandy Shores
Ever wonder why sand is pink, black, or even green? Learn where
sand comes from, what happens once it gets to the beach, and
which animals make the sand their home. Students will examine
sand samples from all over the world, observe animals that live
in sandy habitats, and investigate how they use their
environment to find food and shelter.
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Creatures of the Kelp
Want to trade your peanut butter sandwich for a hearty helping
of kelp? Students will explore the wonders of the kelp forest,
discover how animals there have adapted ways of finding food,
and learn how humans use kelp in everyday food items. Activities
include hands-on experiments and interactions with live animals.
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Can You Dig It?
Make no bones about it! Students become marine paleontologists
as they discover how different types of fossils are created and
what they teach scientists about the past. Students will unearth
the mysteries of ocean fossils by performing a mini-excavation,
matching fossils to present-day relatives, and creating a
take home fossil.
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Aquarium Explorations
Water Works
Are you ready to get wet and wild? Through hands-on
investigation and interactions at Wonders of Water play
stations, students will explore water's unique properties,
discover the power of water in motion, and learn what it means
to conserve this precious resource.
» Register Online
Shark Survivor
How do sharks survive challenges of nature and those presented
by humans? The aquarium's live shark displays provide an ideal
living classroom for students to explore the challenges sharks
face and how they have adapted to survive for more than 400
million years. Students will tour shark exhibits to observe live
shark behavior and adaptations and use hands-on models to
discover sharks' unique design.
» Register Online
Discovery Labs
Plankton Planet
Enjoy a program of planktonic proportions! Through a series
of hands-on lab activities, students will discover the
critical role these tiny organisms play in supplying the
planet with oxygen, absorbing carbon dioxide from the
atmosphere, and providing food for all in the sea as the
basis of the marine food chain.
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All About Fish
Discover fish inside and out! Students will explore the
important role dissection plays in scientific investigation.
Through external examination and internal dissection of
Pacific mackerel, students will determine which adaptations
allow fish to survive in their marine environments.
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Fish Diversity
Fins, gills, and scales, oh my! Become a fish adaptation
expert as students learn how fish have diversified into
various habitats throughout the ocean. An external
investigation of fish shape, color, and unique
characteristics will provide the clues to identify where
fish live and how they survive.
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Kelp 101
Discover the largest and fastest growing algae in the sea -
giant kelp - as well as its importance to marine organisms
and humans. Students will explore how organisms in the kelp
forest community depend on one another, experiment with kelp
products, and investigate common food and household products
containing kelp.
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Earth Rocks!
And it rolls! Through a combination of hands-on activities
and cutting-edge technology, students will explore the
nature of earthquakes, how scientists pinpoint an
earthquake's epicenter, and how engineers design
earthquake-proof structures.
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Inside Molluscs
What do squid, mussels, and snails have in common? They're
all molluscs! Through scientific observations and squid
dissection, students discover the special characteristics of
the phylum Mollusca, as well as the adaptations that squid
use to eat, move, and protect themselves from predators.
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Hanging by a Thread
Is it true what they say about safety in numbers? Discover
the rich diversity of animals that make their home in the
mussel clumps of the rocky shore. By dissecting a mussel
clump, students will learn about the major invertebrate
phyla in the ocean, how these animals are classified based
on their unique characteristics, and how they depend on one
another for survival.
» Register Online
Aquarium Explorations
Water Works
Are you ready to get wet and wild? Through hands-on
investigation and interactions at Wonders of Water play
stations, students will explore water's unique properties,
discover the power of water in motion, and learn what it
means to conserve this precious resource.
» Register Online
Shark Survivor
ow do sharks survive challenges of nature and those
presented by humans? The aquarium's live shark displays
provide an ideal living classroom for students to explore
the challenges sharks face and how they have adapted to
survive for more than 400 million years. Students will tour
shark exhibits to observe live shark behavior and
adaptations and use hands-on models to discover sharks'
unique design.
» Register Online
Discovery Labs
Fish Lab
From the outside in, students will examine how fish are
adapted to their marine environments. Dissection of a
Pacific mackerel will provide in-depth investigation into
the unique anatomy of fish.
» Register Online
Squid Dissection
Investigate the wild world of cephalopods by performing a
squid dissection. Students will explore how squid move, eat,
and protect themselves as well as practice important
dissection skills.
» Register Online
Hanging by a Thread
Is it true what they say about safety in numbers? Discover
the rich diversity of animals that make their home in the
mussel clumps of the rocky shore. By dissecting a mussel
clump, students will learn about the major invertebrate
phyla in the ocean, how these animals are classified based
on their unique characteristics, and how they depend on one
another for survival.
» Register Online
Life without Light
What lives at the bottom of the sea? In "Life Without Light"
students will embark on a deep-sea exploration along
recently discovered hydrothermal vents and cold seeps.
Highlighting Scripps Oceanography research at these
little-known habitats, this class reveals newfound data
about how animals survive at these great depths.
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Science of the Sea
So you want to be an oceanographer? Find out if you're made
of the right stuff by performing experiments similar to
those that oceanographers conduct every day. Students will
explore sampling and exploration techniques, learn about
current Scripps Oceanography research, and discover possible
careers in this exciting field.
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Aquarium Explorations
Climate Challenge
It's an undisputed fact: climate change is happening NOW.
Step up to the challenging task of not only investigating
the major causes of climate change, but grappling with
solutions to slow these changes. Students will engage in hands-on
activities as well as friendly debates as they explore the challenges
scientists, policymakers, and individuals face when addressing this
important issue.
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