Grades K–2
Times: 9:30 am, 10:30 am, 11:30 am, 12:30 pm
Number of Students: 50 maximum
Length: One hour
Fee: $6.00 per student ($180 minimum per program) includes
museum admission. One chaperone per five students free; $6.00 per
additional adult chaperone.
Please note: One chaperone per five students is required for grades K-8.
Animal ABCs
On an imaginary walk through the forest, students will discover
different animal groups and compare their differences and similarities.
They will look at animals with and without backbones and then examine
birds, reptiles, mammals, and amphibians to compare the life cycles and
special characteristics that make each animal unique.
Home Sweet Home
Students will take a tour of habitats around the globe and search for
the creatures who call these places home. From lush rainforests to
frozen tundra to scorching deserts, they will explore these fascinating
environments and the unique adaptations that allow plants and animals
to survive in challenging conditions.
Dig Into Fossils
What are fossils and how do they form? What clues can they give us
to life in the past? Students will become paleontologists as they
answer these and other questions about fossils and prehistoric life
from three different periods in Earth’s history.
Grades 3–5
Times: 9:30 am, 10:30 am, 11:30 am, 12:30 pm
Number of Students: 50 maximum
Length: One hour
Fee: $6.00 per student ($180 minimum per program) includes
museum admission. One chaperone per five students free; $6.00 per
additional adult chaperone.
Please note: One chaperone per five students is required for grades K-8.
Jaws and Claws
By comparing and contrasting a variety of predators, students will
discover the specialized adaptations that allow them to hunt fish,
insects, and mice. They will examine the eyes, ears, teeth, beaks, and
bodies that enable predators to successfully hunt specific prey.
Inside Skeletons
(30 students maximum for this hands-on lab)
Starting with the human skeleton, students will investigate the
function of bones. Through close examination of snake, frog, and other
animal skeletons, students will learn how different animals are adapted
for jumping, flying, and other lifestyles.
Plants: The Roots of Ecology
Students will explore why plants are the foundation of ecosystems by using plant specimens to study plant anatomy and photosynthesis. They will investigate producers, consumers, and decomposers to discover the ecological principles that connect and sustain plants, animals, and people.
Rocks and Minerals
Students will become geologists as they explore the fascinating diversity of rocks and minerals. They will learn how scientists
use color, heft, hardness, and other properties to identify minerals
and discover the surprising uses of minerals around the home.
The Changing Earth
Students will explore rocks, fossils, and other specimens to uncover
the geologic history of our region over the past 600 million years.
They will discover how plate tectonics, weathering, erosion, and
mountain building have all shaped New England’s landscape.
Sketchbook Naturalists:Bird Adaptations
Times: 9:30 am, 12:30 pm
Number of students: 30 students maximum
Length: 2 hours
Fee: $9.00 per student ($250 minimum per program) includes museum admission
Through careful observations and sketches students will follow in the footsteps of great naturalists, learning science by studying natural objects. They will investigate the beaks and feet of a variety of bird families to discover how these animals are adapted to their habitats.
Grades 6–12
Times: 9:30 am, 12:30 pm
Number of students: 30 maximum
Length: Two hours
Fee: $9.00 per student ($250 minimum per program), includes museum admission.
One chaperone per five students free; $9.00 per additional adult chaperone.
Please note: One chaperone per five students is required for grades K-8. Contact us about requirements for older students.
New England’s Prehistoric Past
How has New England changed over the past 500 million years? By
studying rocks, fossils, and living animals that provide the clues to
ancient oceans, volcanoes, and ice ages, students will leave this lab
with a better understanding of what New England looked like, who lived
here, and how scientists know this.
Marine Biology
By comparing the major groups of invertebrate marine animals, students
will discover the amazing diversity of life in the sea. Through the use
of live and preserved specimens, they will learn how to classify
echinoderms, mollusks, crustaceans, and other marine groups with a
focus on regional species like sea stars, crabs, and anemones.
Human Evolution
By comparing the skeletons and technology of human and non-human primates from Australopithecus to Homo sapiens
students will see the evolutionary trends which led to the emergence of
modern humans. Students will learn how skulls, teeth, hips, and other
key features have evolved through time.
Sketchbook Naturalists: Bird Adaptations
Through careful observations and sketches students will follow in
the footsteps of great naturalists, learning science by studying
natural objects. They will investigate the beaks and feet of a variety
of bird families to discover how these animals are adapted to their
habitats.
Sketchbook Naturalists: Arthropods
Help us test out this new program in pilot form starting January 2010.
Through careful observation and sketching of fossils, preserved
specimens, and living arthropods, students will discover the common
features that characterize this group. Students will gain a new
understanding of earth’s most abundant and diverse phylum, its
evolutionary history, and its classification.
Climate Change
Times: 9:30 am, 10:30 am, 11:30 am, 12:30 pm
Number of students: 50 maximum
Length: One hour
Fee: $6.00 per student ($180 minimum per program), includes museum admission.
Using fossils, rocks and scientific data, students will investigate
climate in two dramatically different periods of Earth’s history. Then
students will compare these ancient climates to today’s to better
understand how climate changes.
