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

• Museum reservations taken Monday through Friday from 1:00–5:00 PM at 805-682-4711 ext. 108.
• Sea Center reservations taken Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM–5:00 PM, at 805-962-2526 ext. 108.

MUSEUM EXPLORATIONS

• Interactive Tour
  (Tuesday–Friday, 10:00–11:00 AM; 11:00 AM–Noon)
  Group size: maximum 80 students per hour. May be combined with a Discovery Lab or Outdoor Nature Exploration. Tours go to most of the Museum’s halls. Clipboards and other student supplies are not allowed on these tours; please see “Mondays My Way” for that option or to focus on one or more halls.
   
• Discovery Lab
  (Tuesday–Friday, 10:00–11:00 AM; 11:00 AM–Noon)
  Group size: maximum one class. May be combined with an Interactive 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 an Interactive Tour or Discovery Lab.
  
  
  • 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.
     
• Mondays My Way
  (Monday, 10:00–11:00 AM; 11:00 AM–Noon)
  Group size: maximum 80 students per hour.
  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.

• Interactive Tour
  (Monday–Friday, 10:00–11:00 AM; 11:00 AM–Noon)
  Group size: maximum 80 students.
  Interactive Tours give students the chance to observe, touch, and explore Santa Barbara's marine life in small groups. Trained docens guide engaging, interactive experiences with sharks and rays, tide pool animals, marine mammals, oceanography equipment, and live jellies.
   
• Outdoor Exploration (at East Beach)
  (Monday–Friday, 10:00–11:00 AM; 11:00 AM–Noon)
  May be combined with Self-guided Tour.
  
   
  • Investigating the Sandy Beach
    
    Students take a guided nature walk along the beach, using their senses to detect signs of life. They observe local birds and may find crabs, clams, worms, insects, kelp, rocks, and shells in the sand. Buckets, sieves, and hand lenses are used to locate and respectfully observe small animals and plants of interest. Students note similarities/differences within and between species and ultimately return all biotic items to the natural habitat. Additionally, students investigate the composition of sand with magnifying lenses and magnets, describing the physical characteristics that provide clues to its origin.