At the Museum | 50-Minute

Availability
Outdoor programs are available September 13 – November 18 and March 13 – May 26.
All other programs are available September 13 – May 26 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, Degu Reptiles: American Alligator, Ball Python, Bearded Dragon, Box Turtle, Corn Snake, Mud Turtle, Red-Eared Slider Turtle, Red-footed Tortoise, Gecko Birds: Silkie Chicken, Barred Owl, Red-tailed Hawk, Blue Jay Amphibians: Tiger Salamander, Yellow-spotted Salamander Invertebrates: House Cricket, Giant African Millipede, Giant Prickly Stick, Land Snail, Madagascar Hissing Cockroach, Rose-Hair Tarantula, Vietnamese Walking Stick

Wind and Weather 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 Get out of the classroom and up-close with our bears! Study the behaviors, diet and lifestyles of these beloved Museum residents. Beneath Your Feet There's a whole world hiding under your toes! Get the dirt on the rocks, sand and soil beneath your feet. Investigate live earthworms, and make a worm painting to take home. Pan for gems in different types of dirt and put on your miner's hat to explore our bat cave. Incredible Insects Want to be an entomologist? Explore the wide world of insects with us as we meet walking sticks, hissing cockroaches and more! Discover different species of beetles, study a cricket up close and make your own colorful insect to keep. Play a game of Insect or Not, where we'll separate the insects from the other invertebrates using live animals. Myself and Others How are we alike? How are we different? Come celebrate the things that make us human beings. We'll use a high-powered dermascope to study our hair and skin, and we'll make different measurements to see how tall we are! We'll meet some live museum animals to discover what makes us uniquely human.	Super NanoScience Let's learn about nanoscience! This super small science is changing the way we look at everyday objects. Bend our "memory metal" and see it change back to its original shape right before your eyes. Drench a nanofabric with water and watch how it mysteriously stays dry. Come join our nanoexperiments as we discover how wacky things get at the nano level! Lilypad Pond Who lives in the pond? We'll explore the plants and animals that make their homes in this habitat. Learn about the life cycle of a frog and discover the different living things that we can find in each part of a pond. We'll even visit with a pond animal that lives here at the Museum! Rain or Shine Become a junior meteorologist as you learn to use scientific tools to figure out which clothes would be best to wear for the day's weather. Measure the weather using thermometers, rain gauges and weather vanes, then share your predictions on "WMLS TV." Investigate moving air and even create a mini tornado to take home.

Butterfly Life Study these beautiful creatures and their fascinating life cycles by looking at real specimens, comparing life cycles and making your own 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. Movers and Shapers 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 by eating right.

Force 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 in 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. Learn 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.
GRADES 5–7
Greenhouse Gases Explore what makes up the earth’s atmosphere, how changes to it can affect life on Earth and investigate solar technology.