The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Mission Canyon Campus and Ty Warner Sea Center offer school groups unique learning experiences through various activities designed to meet specific educational goals. Students are encouraged to develop keen observation skills, to generate questions, and to construct a personal understanding of the natural world. School programs are aligned with California State Standards. Reservations are required for all programs.
Museum Explorations: Available September 29–June 12
Mondays My Way offers an opportunity for teachers to conduct investigations in the exhibit halls with their own classes.
(Monday, 10:00–11:00 AM; 11:00 AM–Noon)
AstronoMonday is the day to bring 5th grade students to the Museum for planetarium programs as well as our new AstroLab. (Monday, 9:30–10:45 AM; 10:45 AM–Noon)
Self-guided Tours provide open-ended opportunities for discovery in small groups with chaperones. Docents at Exploration Stations in the exhibit halls provide hands-on materials for up-close investigations.
(Tuesday–Friday, 10:00–11:00 AM; 11:00 AM–Noon)
Discovery Labs are grade-specific programs for the whole class that provide hands-on learning activities. Inquiry-based methods are used to stimulate thinking.
(Tuesday–Friday, 10:00–11:00 AM; 11:00 AM–Noon)
Outdoor Nature Explorations are available rain or shine. Students explore and closely observe the various habitats along Mission Creek with exploration guides. For many students, this will be their first experience in “real nature.”
(Tuesday–Friday, 10:00–11:00 AM; 11:00 AM–Noon;
6th grade Tuesday–Friday 10:00 AM–Noon, 2 hours)
Planetarium Programs provide standards-aligned presentations for grades 3, 5, and 6 that are also appropriate for grades one through six.
(Tuesday–Friday, 10:00–11:00 AM; 11:00 AM–Noon)
Sea Center Expeditions
Self-guided Tours and Outdoor Nature Explorations are available year round.
Discovery Labs are available September 29–June 12.
Self-guided Tours provide open-ended opportunities for discovery in small groups with chaperones. Sea Crew volunteers and interactive exhibits offer hands-on opportunities for up-close investigation.
(Monday–Friday, 10:00–11:00 AM; 11:00 AM–Noon)
Discovery Labs are grade-specific programs for the whole class that provide hands-on learning activities. Inquiry-based methods are used to stimulate thinking.
(Tuesday–Friday, 10:00–11:00 AM; 11:00 AM–Noon)
Outdoor Nature Explorations are available rain or shine. Students explore the sandy beach or rocky intertidal habitats. Activities are dependent on tides.
(Tuesday–Friday, 10:00–11:00 AM; 11:00 AM–Noon)
Channel WATCH (Watershed Activities for Teaching Coastal Health)
This limited program is available only to fourth, fifth, and sixth grade classes. Students participate in a multi-site, multi-experience program in which they discover the impact of the watershed on our coastal health. Teachers make a commitment to an in-class visit, a field trip to the Sea Center, and a field trip to the Museum. Funds are available for buses and admission fees.
(Tuesday–Friday, 10:00 AM–Noon PM, 2 hours)
Group size: maximum two classes *Funded in part by the National Marine Sanctuary
CHANNEL ISLANDS
Channel WATCH Program
805-962-2526 ext. 108
Tuesday–Friday, 1:00–5:00 PM
