Discovery Element Start

Museum Expolrations: Standards-aligned experiences for your class!

Docent Greeters stationed at our big iron gates welcome and orient visiting groups.

• Self-guided Tours
  (Tuesday–Friday, 10:00–11:00 AM)
  Provide open-ended opportunities for discovery in small groups with chaperones. Students explore the Museum visiting exhibit halls which focus on regional natural history, including birds, insects, mammals, marine life, paleontology, and the Chumash Indians. In various halls, Exploration Stations with Museum docents offer hands-on opportunities for up-close investigations. Group size: maximum 80 students. Can be combined with one additional program.
  
  
• Discovery Labs
  (Tuesday–Friday, 10:00–11:00 AM; 11:00 AM–12:00 PM)
  Are grade-specific programs for the whole class that provide hands-on, standards-based learning activities. Inquiry-based methods are used to stimulate thinking. Group size: maximum 20 students. Can be combined with a Self-guided Tour or Outdoor Nature Exploration.
  
  
• Planetarium Programs
  (Tuesday–Friday, 10:00–11:00 AM; 11:00 AM–12:00 PM)
  provide standards-based presentations for grades 3 and 5 that are also appropriate for other grades. Group size: maximum 44 people. Can be combined with Self-guided Tour or Outdoor Nature Exploration.
  
  
• Outdoor Nature Explorations
  [Tuesday–Friday, 10:00–11:00 AM; 11:00 AM–12:00 PM (one hour program) for grades K–4 or 10:00 AM–12:00 PM (two hour program) for grades 5–6.]
  Are available, rain or shine. Students explore the natural world along Mission Creek where science comes to life, right in the Museum’s own backyard. Group size: maximum 30 students. Can be combined with one additional program.
  

  All above activities are aligned with California State Science Standards.

• Mondays My Way
  (Mondays, 10:00 AM–12:00 PM; 1:00–3:00 PM)
  Offers 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. This is the only week day that clipboards are allowed in the Museum.

  Reservations are required for all programs including Mondays My Way