Begin exploring the natural world! We have numerous educational outreaches that are fun, engaging, and age-appropriate. Check out the options below!
TK Outreaches
Program Structure
A 30-minute educational program filled with lots of movement, interactions, and animal encounters that is sure to inspire the animal lover in all your kids!
Program Fees
- $300 for first program *travel fees may apply*
- $240 each additional program; same day, same site
- Maximum 25 students per program
TK
Hooterific (Grade TK)
Hooterific (Grade TK)
Learn about the unique adaptations an owl has to help it survive. Students will learn about the beak, feathers, and wings as they dress up a classmate. And your class is sure to have a hooterific time meeting one of our owl ambassadors through this program!
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Move It! (Grade TK)
Move It! (Grade TK)
Animals slither, swim, jump, and fly in very interesting ways. Students will learn about local animals that call San Diego home. Through fun dance moves and up-close animal encounters, children will walk away knowing how to crawl like a tortoise and slither like a snake.
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Totally Tidepools (Grade TK)
Totally Tidepools (Grade TK)
Students will learn about tide pools as a habitat and the animals that live there. Through up-close animal encounters, they will learn about their adaptations and how they can survive life on the rocks.
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K-12 Outreaches
Program Structure
A 60-minute educational program designed to be fun, engaging, and meet the Next Generation Science Standards and the CCSS.
Program Fees
- $350 for first program *travel fees may apply*
- $280 each additional program; same day, same site
- Maximum 40 students per program
K-Grade 2
Crawling Crabs (Grade K)
Crawling Crabs (Grade K)
Come crawl into the world of crabs and other crustacean relatives. Learn about adaptations with fun hands-on exploration. Students will enjoy touching and observing crustacean molts and live crabs.
Stations: Crab Encounter, Just Passing Through, Read-a-loud
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Slithering Snakes (Grade K)
Slithering Snakes (Grade K)
Slither yourself into the world of reptiles. Learn, through hands-on exploration, the adaptations that make snakes a successful predator. Students will get to have an up-close encounter with a snake.
Stations: Read-a-loud, Snake Encounter, Eating & Molting
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Arthropods All-Around (Grade 1)
Arthropods All-Around (Grade 1)
Arthropods are all around, just waiting to be observed by bug-eyed scientists. With microscopes and magnifying glasses, the small world of arthropods will come alive.
Stations: Insects vs Arachnids, Molting & Crustaceans, Magiscopes & Kaleidoscopes, Bug Hunt
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Beaks and Feet (Grade 1)
Beaks and Feet (Grade 1)
Come soar into the world of birds and find out what structures they have to help them survive. Students will get to experiment with “beaks” and learn to use binoculars.
Stations: Beak Experiment, Just Passing Through, Bird Watching, Foot Quest
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Budding Botanist (Grade 1)
Budding Botanist (Grade 1)
Dig into the world of plant adaptations. An engaging lab, where students will get to practice their observation skills and study the leaves of real native plants found right here on the marsh!
Stations: Plant Characteristics Hike, Water Conservation Adaptations, Magiscope Plant Drawing, Leaf Rubbing
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Footprints on the Marsh (Grade 2)
Footprints on the Marsh (Grade 2)
Tread lightly – our impact can be bigger than we think. Students will get to observe with binoculars native birds and their local habitat. Students will record and tally different species for comparison.
Stations: Just Passing Through, Habitats & Adaptations, Bird Watching, Nature Journaling
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Perfect Pollinators (Grade 2)
Perfect Pollinators (Grade 2)
What could be more perfect than learning about pollinators in a living garden? They’ll get hands-on with pollination and discover its importance to native species. Through fun, interactive role-play, the students will get hands-on with the entire pollination sequence!
Stations: Pollination Pantomime, Seed Dispersal, Bug Hunt, Nature Journaling
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Grades 3-5
Crustacean Lab (Grade 3)
Crustacean Lab (Grade 3)
Ever wonder what it means to be a crab? Get up close with crabs, lobsters, and other crustaceans as you explore the world of arthropods. From exoskeletons to real live animal encounters, students will learn what it means to be a marine invertebrate. Your students will be excited about their crabbing adventures and all that they learned in the crustacean lab.
Stations: Crustacean Comparison, Crabbing, Biofacts & Adaptations, Nature Journaling
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Something's Fishy (Grade 3 - 5)
Something’s Fishy (Grade 3 – 5)
Get your hands all scaly and slimy with this dissection. Students will learn about the ins and outs of a fish and how their internal anatomy is really not that different than ours! Through this fun, interactive dissection, students explore the internal and external parts that help a fish survive in a marine environment.
Stations: Dissection Lab, Outdoor Exhibit Exploration
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Something's Squidy (Grades 3 - 8)
Something’s Squidy (Grades 3 – 8)
Students will learn about the internal and external parts that help a squid survive, and focus on how they exchange energy and matter with their environment.
Stations: Dissection Lab, Outdoor Exhibit Exploration
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Grades 6-8
Eat, Not Eaten (Grades 6 - 8)
Eat, Not Eaten (Grades 6 – 8)
This program is a perfect introduction to everything ecology. Come be challenged by the delicate balance of an ecological food web that must overcome disasters, natural and man-made alike.
Stations: Food Chains & Webs, Natural Disasters & Impacts, Bird Watching, Habitat Restoration
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Fish'N'Me Dissection (Grades 6 - 8)
Fish’N’Me Dissection (Grades 6 – 8)
Through a fishy and fun dissection, students will compare what parts of a fish are similar or different to humans. Fish provide an excellent model for scientific exploration and comparison of vascular systems.
Stations: Dissection Lab, Outdoor Exhibit Exploration
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Jr. Ichthyologist (Grades 9 - 12)
Jr. Ichthyologist (Grades 9 – 12)
Students will dissect fish to learn about their anatomy and physiology. As ichthyologists, they will study how environmental factors affect the health of fish, the importance of protecting ecosystems, causes of population die-offs, and why science is essential to understanding the role that humans play in their environment.
Stations: Dissection Lab, Outdoor Exhibit Exploration
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Where's My Shell? (Grades 9 - 12)
Where’s My Shell? (Grades 9 – 12)
Mollusks have been classified as soft bodied animals with shells. But some modern mollusks have evolved, missing their shell! Through this program, students will dissect squid and explore the evolution of this shell-less mollusk. Students will look for patterns in how organisms are classified, and compare-contrast squids to other living mollusks.
Stations: Dissection Lab, Outdoor Exhibit Exploration
BOOK NOW: Outreach
Discovery Station
Program Structure
A 60-minute discovery booth featuring a local San Diego animal and hands-on science interaction. Perfect for your next science night or community event.
Program Fees
- $300 for first hour *travel fees may apply*
- $240 for each additional hour; same day, same site
Discovery Station Themes
Radical Reptiles
Radical Reptiles
Crawl into the world of reptiles with our San Diego animal ambassadors. Learn about what all reptiles have in common. Look at snake skin up-close and compare the sizes of tortoises and sea turtles.
Science of Flight
Science of Flight
Learn what it takes to live in the air! Meet one of our raptor ambassadors up-close and discover how feathers, hollow bones, and specially shaped wings adapt birds for flight. This table is sure to inspire the naturalist in all your students!
Radical Reptiles
Seashore Splash
Life is tough in the tide pools! Children will discover some of the crazy ways tide pool animals are adapted for the rocky shores. With hands-on interaction, students will be able to touch, see, and discover what it takes to cling to a slippery home.
Additional Outreach Options:
San Diego Spotlight
Have a school assembly or carnival coming up? Our animal ambassadors are true show stoppers! This is a 15-20 minute appearance featuring a local San Diego animal. The animal care specialist will introduce the animal and teach the students about all its amazing adaptations
Program Fees
- $100 per animal ambassador *travel fees may apply*
San Diego Library Program
Looking for a unique way for the community to connect with wildlife? Book a 45-60 minute program with live animals, interactive tables, and hands-on discovery for your local families to enjoy!
Program Fees
- $300 per program *travel fees may apply*
- $240 each additional program; same day, same site
