Activites Offered at Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History
| Connecting w/the Chumash: Role of the Anthropologist (3rd-5th) | How do we know what we know about the past? What sort of work do anthropologists do? Why do we learn about human cultures in museums of natural history? Students will get hands-on experience examining replica Chumash artifacts as archaeologists and anthropologists in the field might do and learn ab... |
| Fossil Forensics (4th-5th) | How do we know so much about dinosaurs, and what does it take for paleontologists to bring our favorite dinosaurs to life? Students get their hands dirty as they examine the scene of a mystery preserved in ancient sand and stone. As junior paleontologists, students learn about how fossils are formed... |
| GeOdyssey (2nd-4th grade) | Take a trip back in time to the birth of our Earth and investigate the forces that shape it today. Students will participate in hands-on activities and demonstrations to answer questions about our unique geologic journey here on the Central Coast, such as: what causes earthquakes, how did we get Mis... |
| Meet the Teeth (K-2nd grade) | What do teeth tell us about what an animal can eat? What can animals’ bodies tell us about how they live? In this interactive program, students get up close and personal with some familiar wild animals (safely stuffed), and hands-on with animal skulls. Students learn to distinguish between herbivore... |
Astronomy Program OR Lab/Class |
| Activity Name | Description | |
| Astronomy Program | A guided 45-min. program that includes time in our Gladwin Planetarium and, weather permitting, a solar viewing experience in our Palmer Observatory. |
| Lab/Class | A 45-min. program that takes a deep dive into different grade-aligned NGSS (or History-Social Science) topics at the Museum. |
Museum Tour OR Self-Guided Backyard |
| Activity Name | Description | |
| Magical Museum Tour | A 45-min. guided tour through our Museum Halls with a Museum Educator that is NGSS-aligned. |
| Self-guided Backyard Exploration | A 45-min self-guided exploratory period in our Museum Backyard where students can choose their own adventure through the activities in order to become a Jr. Naturalist. |