Availability of indoor classes is subject to change based on recommendations by the CDC or the MN Dept of Health regarding COVID-19 transmission. We are able to accommodate outdoor classes as an alternative.
| Class | Grade Level | Duration | Available as Outreach? | MN Science Standards Addressed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Animal Encounter Meet one of the Aquarium's ambassador animals up close! Options include a skunk, turtle, alligator, millipede, and more. Animal availability subject to change. Animal encounters are a $50 flat fee for up to 25 participants. | All | 20-30 minutes | Yes | |
| Busy, Busy Bees Many people may get nervous around bees, but bees are an important part of nature and our own lives. Students explore bee lives through movements, station exploration, and dramatic play. | PreK - K | 45 Min -1 Hour Class | Yes | |
| Fantastic Frogs Hop, Jump, Plop! Frogs are fantastic with their slimy skin and watery ways. Learn to sing like a frog, practice your jumping, and learn about their special, transforming lives. | PreK - 2 | 1 Hour Class | Yes | 0.4.1.1.2, 0.4.1.1.1, 1.4.1.1.1, 1.4.3.1.1, 1.4.3.1.2, |
| Snouty Seahorses What is it like to be a seahorse? What do they eat? How do they move? Join us to learn more about the unique lives of seahorses through music, movement, literature, hands-on activities, and art. | K - 2 | 1 Hour Class | Yes | 0.4.1.1.1, 1.4.2.1.2 |
| Creature Feature Scientists create categories to make sense of the organisms they study. Explore the five major groups of vertebrates while practicing sorting and classifying skills. Discover what all vertebrates have in common and how they are different, while investigating the special characteristics that help these animals survive in their habitat. | 1-3 | 1 Hour Class | Yes | |
| Water on the Move Where does the water go? Students become drops of water and travel through the water cycle on an amazing journey. Learn more about the ways that we use, enjoy and protect water resources in the Great Lakes region. | 3 - 5 | 1 Hour Class | Yes | 2.2.1.2.1, 4.2.1.2.1, 4.2.1.2.2, 4.3.2.3.1, 5.3.4.1.1 |
| Run for Your Life Cycle Students become lake sturgeon traveling a migration route through an obstacle course depicting sturgeon habitats. Dangers accompany migration – the lake sturgeon encounter both natural and man-made obstacles as they grow to adulthood and return to spawning grounds. | 3 - 8 | 1 Hour Class | Yes | 3.4.1.1.1, 3.4.3.2.2, 4.1.2.1.1, 5.1.1.1.4, 5.3.4.1.3, 5.4.2.1.1, 5.4.4.1.1, 7.4.2.1.1, 7.4.4.1.2, 8.1.3.3.1, 8.3.4.1.2 |
| Stories in Stone If you know what to listen and look for, rocks can tell all kinds of stories. What are they made of and how did they form? How can you tell them apart? Students learn to identify local rock samples from the shores of Lake Superior and rock out in our “geo-theater." | 1 - 8 | 1 Hour Class | Yes | 4.3.1.3.2, 5.3.1.2.1, 5.3.1.2.2, 5.3.4.1.1, 5.3.4.1.2 |
| Behind the Scenes Tour What keeps Great Lakes Aquarium habitats looking so clean? How do we feed all these animals? Follow a drop of water through the Aquarium's life support system to understand the process of keeping hundreds of thousands of gallons of water clean. You'll even visit the kitchen where otter and fish food is prepared! Note: Because of the limited access to non-public areas, this class is limited to 15 participants per session. All participants must wear close-toed shoes. | 3 - 12 | 1 Hour Class | No | 6.1.2.1.1, 6.1.2.1.2, 6.1.2.1.3, 6.1.2.1.4 |
| Lake Superior - Ecology Discover the adaptations and migrations that enable life in Lake Superior to thrive. On a quest for a glimpse at life in the lake, students will take on the roles of the biotic life in a demonstration of diel vertical migration. Then, students collect and analyze live plankton samples from the Duluth Harbor. (Activities may be adapted during the winter.) | 3 - 12 | 1 Hour Class | Yes | 6.1.3.4.1.7, 7.1.1.1.1, 7.1.1.1.2, 7.1.1.2.3, 3.4.1.1.1, 7.1.1.2.4, 7.4.2.1.2, 7.4.2.2.2, 8.1.3.4.2, 8.2.1.2.1, 8.2.1.2.4 |
| Lake Superior - Limnology Students explore properties required to sustain life in Lake Superior while connecting dots between the physical, chemical, and biological components of the lake. The lake comes to life as students conduct experiments on lake turnover, build models of human influences on trophic states, and become living members of the lake in a theatrical production of nutrient cycling during diurnal migration. | 6 - 12 | 1 Hour Class | Yes | 3.1.1.2.1, 4.2.1.2.2, 5.1.3.4.1, 5.3.1.2.2, 5.4.2.1.1, 6.2.1.2.1, 6.2.1.2.3, 7.1.1.2.3, 8.3.2.3.2, 9.4.2.1.1, |
| Conservation on the Brain: Using Cognitive Science in Conservation Practices Great Lakes Aquarium uses operant conditioning techniques to train resident animals. Students try their hand at using these techniques to ‘train’ one another. After gaining a better understanding of how animals learn, students generate solutions to real conservation issues. | 9-12 | 1 Hour Class | Yes | 9.1.2.2.1, 9.1.3.1.3 |