At the Museum | 50-Minute

Availability
Outdoor programs are available September 15 – November 20 and March 1 – May 28.
All other programs are available September 15 – May 28 unless otherwise noted.

Fees for 50-Minute focused field trips
$180 + discounted group admission
$195 for outdoor programs or programs with animals + discounted group admission

Maximum group size
25 students for ages 4-5
30 students for grades K-8

Programs with animals

Programs held outdoors


Build-Your-Own Animal Program The Museum has a variety of live animals for your students to meet and touch! Are you learning about reptiles, nocturnal animals or North Carolina species? Do you plan to study invertebrates, mammals or carnivores? Choose any four of our animals to customize a 50-minute Focused Field Trip that best fits with your curriculum. *All animals subject to availability	Mammals: Chinchilla, Ferret, Opossum, Rabbit Reptiles: American Alligator, Ball Python, Bearded Dragon, Box Turtle, Corn Snake, banded water snake, Mud Turtle, Red-Eared Slider Turtle, Red-footed tortoise (beginning Oct. 1, 2009), Gecko (beginning Oct. 1, 2009) Birds: Silkie Chicken, Barred Owl (beginning Oct. 1, 2009), Red-tailed Hawk (limited availability) Amphibians: Tiger Salamander, Yellow-spotted Salamander, American toad Invertebrates: House Cricket, Giant African Millipede, Giant Prickly Stick, Land Snail, Madagscar Hissing Cockroach, Rose-Hair Tarantula, Vietnamese Walking Stick

Wind and Weather (available September 15 - November 20 and March 1 – May 28) Enjoy your own hands-on experience using the smoke ring and sailboat pond in our Catch the Wind outdoor area! Learn how wind affects our weather and our lives. A Bear's Backyard (available September 15 - November 20 and March 1 – May 28) Get out of the classroom and up-close with our bears! Study the behaviors, diet and lifestyles of these beloved Museum residents. Incredible Insects (available September 15 - May 28) Explore butterflies, bees, beetles and more! Study live crickets and cockroaches, play with puppets and create insect crafts! Dinosaur Detectives (available September 15 - May 28) Become a paleontologist uncovering clues from the past. Dig for fossils, compare dinosaur sizes and reconstruct how you think dinosaurs looked, felt and sounded. Invention Investigation (available September 15 - May 28) Step up to the workbench to tinker, fiddle and experiment as we invent a color, build a marble maze and use scraps to design a tool or toy. Try out our mystery tools to guess what problems the tools could solve. Our investigations and curiosity might inspire us to create our own inventions!	NEW! Movers and Shapers (available September 15 - May 28) Give your bones, muscles and joints a round of applause! Investigate how these important body parts work together to keep people and other animals up and moving. Study our skeleton specimens and x-rays, experiment with our model muscle arm and learn how to keep your bones and muscles strong! Snack Science (available September 15 - November 20) Come into our kitchen and use science to create tasty snacks from simple ingredients. We'll use all our senses to discover a mystery favorite treat. We’ll use solids and liquids to stir up fizzy drinks, and make a fruit texture picture. Astronaut Academy (available December 9 - February 27) 5,4,3,2,1 ... Count down for fun in this space adventure as we explore what it takes to travel into space. Learn about the shuttle that astronauts use for travel, the special suits they wear and the food they eat! Down on the Farm (available March 8 - May 28) Come learn about work and play on the farm. Pitch in to discover how milk becomes butter and how sheep’s wool becomes yarn. Hunt for eggs, plant some vegetables, and sell your goods at our vegetable stand.

Butterfly Life Study these beautiful creatures and their fascinating life cycles by looking at real specimens, comparing lifecycles and making microscope slides of wings to see up-close! Weather Watchers Learn about the fascinating, and sometimes unpredictable, world of meteorologists by using their tools to analyze the components of weather.	Life in Wetlands Grab your dip nets and trek down to Explore the Wild to investigate animals and plants that thrive in our wetlands! Work with field guides and your educator to identify what you find.

Forces and Motion Join us for a fast-paced, hands-on program that uses sail-cars and motion sensors to learn about the many forces that affect motion. Junior Meteorologists Join us as we create weather at the Museum! We'll make it rain the room and craft a cloud in a bottle as we learn about weather patterns, the water cycle and storms.	Minerals Rock! Become a geologist and practice classifying rocks and minerals using tools of the trade. Lean how we use these minerals in our everyday lives. Animal Eyewitness Investigate our bears and wolves in their Museum habitats to learn how animal behaviors and adaptations are key to survival.