Outreach Classroom Programs for Grades 1–12

Most of these programs can be reserved for large or small groups and can be tailored to your age group. Exceptions are noted below.

The paw print indicates that live animals are used in the lesson.

Small Group Programs

• Programs in a smaller, more intimate environment
• Maximum number of participants: 35
• Length of program: 50 minutes
• Fee: $250/presentation plus travel fee
  ($100 for each additional presentation)

Large Group Programs

• Programs in an auditorium or other large space
• Maximum number of participants: 200
• Length of program: 50 minutes
• Fee: $325/presentation plus travel fee
  ($200 for each additional presentation)

Lessons

Amazing Adaptations

What is an adaptation and what kinds are there? Learn about the wide variety of animals on Earth and discover some features and behaviors that help them to survive.

Animals with Bad Reputations

Slimy? Scary? Sneaky? Separate fact from fiction in this investigation of fascinating animals that are often misunderstood.

Download the Teacher’s Guide for Grades Pre-K–2
Download the Teacher’s Guide for Grades 3–6

Bugs to Butterflies

What’s the difference between an insect and a spider? Do butterflies have bones? What senses does a cockroach use to discover its world? Journey from egg to adult as you explore the features of various invertebrates using activities, museum specimens, and one live arthropod.

Grades 1–3, Maximum of 75 participants

Download An Educator’s Guide to Butterflies.

Discovering Dinosaurs 

How do we know what dinosaurs were like? Were other animals alive at the same time as the dinosaurs? How were they similar to animals still alive today? Learn the answers to the puzzles of paleontology by examining fossils and participating in engaging interactives.

Grades 1–6

Download the Teacher’s Guide for Grades Pre-K–2

Discovering Your World

Using their skills of observation and questioning, your students will be biologists exploring the natural world in this inquiry-based, hands-on experience. Study a colony of live animals and design an experiment right in your own classroom!

Grades 3–6, Small Group Format only)

Everybody Needs a Home

Food, water, shelter, space—all creatures need a habitat that provides these things. Meet several animals from different habitats and discover how these needs are met. Also explore how animals depend upon and relate to one another within a habitat.

Download the Teacher’s Guide for Grades Pre-K–2
Download the Teacher’s Guide for Grades 3–6

Fur, Feathers, and Scales

Why do animals have fur, feathers or scales? Learn about the importance of animal coverings and discover some of the basic differences between mammals, birds, and reptiles.

Download the Teacher’s Guide for Grades Pre-K–2
Download the Teacher’s Guide for Grades 3–6

Geology Really Rocks

From the salt on our food to the gas in our cars, we use geology in many ways. The fascinating world of rocks and minerals is revealed as you learn about the rock cycle and have a chance to handle real geological specimens.

Grades 3–6, Small Group Format only

Download the Teacher’s Guide for Grades 3–6

If We Could Talk to the Animals …

How do animals convey messages without speaking? Explore some of the secrets of animal communication, such as body language, scent, color, and sound.

Download the Teacher’s Guide for Grades Pre-K–2
Download the Teacher’s Guide for Grades 3–6

Raptors: Predators of the Sky

Hawks, falcons, owls—what makes these creatures so amazing? Get a bird’s-eye view of these magnificent animals and discover how they differ from one another.

Grades 3–12 only

Travel Information

• Depending on driving distance from museum, programs may begin as early as 9 am and end as late as 9 pm (not including set up and break down).
• Distance determines travel fee. Travel is limited to 80 miles one way.
• There is a holdover fee of $50 for presentations scheduled more than one hour apart (maximum of two hours between programs).