Field Trips and Traveling Education ProgramsFor Schools and Other Youth Organizations

Planning Guide | 2016 – 2017

Learning and discovery are around every corner of the EcoTarium’s 55-acre grounds and three-floor museum. Whether you are a teacher, scout leader, or other youth group field trip coordinator, this Planning Guide will help you select the right program for your group’s next visit.

Groups that visit the EcoTarium enjoy our exhibits, wildlife, and grounds, and have the option to book our Education Programs. From animals and astronomy to electricity, rockets, and beyond, our Education Programs are designed to combine fun and learning for your group.

Welcome to the EcoTarium!

Teachers, you can scout out the museum’s exhibits and grounds prior to your school’s field trip. Just show your educator ID and get free General Admission.

Check out ecotarium.org/resources for the following resources:

[1] EcoTarium Field Trips and Traveling Education Programs | Planning Guide | 2016 – 2017

Teacher Information

Page 1 Teacher Information Night Journeys: Overnight Adventures Page 2 Field Trip and Onsite Education Program Pricing Traveling Education Program Pricing Reservations and Booking Accessibility Lunch and Parking

Page 3-4 Traveling and Onsite Education Programs Page 5-6 Planetarium and Theater Programs Highlighted Exhibits

Table of Contents

The EcoTarium can customize educational and professional development programs for schools through the Arthur M. Pappas Center for School Programs and the C. Jean McDonough Center for School Partnerships. For information contact our Professional Development team at profdev@ecotarium.org.

Find out how all of the EcoTarium’s Education Programs are correlated with the Massachusetts Science and Technology/Engineering Curriculum Frameworks, and where links have been made to the Common Core State Standards for Math and English Language Arts, as well as the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).

Download a chaperone guide, an EcoTarium property map, and other helpful resources.

Sign up for our e-newsletter to receive informative educator-specific emails.

Night Journeys: Overnight Adventures

Bring your students, scouts, or youth group on a unique overnight adventure. You’ll enjoy a night of special programming and exploration tailored to your choice of one of eight themes. Whether you dive into dissecting a squid or landing a probe on Mars, every overnight includes a full museum experience complete with a planetarium show and morning wildlife tour. Designed expressly for groups of children ages 6-16, overnights at the EcoTarium are educational, interactive, and fun!

PricingNight Journeys are offered to groups of 28 or more on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. Cost is $50 per person, including children and their adult chaperones. Children must be age 6 or older to participate. There is no admission discount for teachers.

Visit ecotarium.org for more information!

Reserve Today 508.929.2703 [ 2 ]

Call 508.929.2703 Tuesday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., or email reservations@ecotarium.org. Please reserve your date at least four weeks in advance. Reservations made less than four weeks from visit may be subject to restricted program options and must submit the 50% non-refundable deposit at the time of booking. To book programs during May and June, we recommend reserving early for maximum program choice.

A contract and confirmation of your reservation will be sent upon receipt of your deposit or purchase order. Your reservation cannot be confirmed without a deposit or purchase order. Deposits may be paid by check or credit card. Purchase orders are accepted for the full amount.

EcoTarium membership, promotional coupons, or library passes cannot be used toward group General Admission or program fees. Unless otherwise specified, teachers can show their educator ID for free General Admission at any time (excludes special events).

Blackout dates may apply for certain programs. Administrative charges may be assessed for special requests. No changes are accepted within two weeks of your arrival date. All fees are non-refundable.

Book Your Reservation

Planning Your Field Trip to the EcoTarium Planning Your Traveling Education Program

PricingThe cost for EcoTarium Traveling Education Programs is $300 for the first session (up to 20 students in grade PreK; up to 30 students in grades K-8), $150 for each additional session (same program, consecutive sessions) at the same location. Each program session is 45 minutes. Travel fees apply for sites more than 15 miles one-way from the museum. Additional fees apply when booking programs at non-consecutive times or when booking more than one program topic. Additional stipulations and fees may apply.

Traveling Education Program Reservations InformationA non-refundable deposit of 50% is required four weeks before the visit. The final, non-refundable payment is due two weeks before the visit.

PricingGroup rate is $8 General Admission per student and chaperone and gives full access to our museum and grounds. General Admission is free for teachers with educator ID. Minimum booking is 10 children, 5 for special needs groups. One adult chaperone is required per 10 children (1:5 for preschool groups).

Education Programs enhance your group’s experience. Programs are an additional $5 per person and last 45 minutes. These programs are described on pages 3-6. (Minimum charge is $100 per group.) All Traveling Education Programs are also offered as Onsite Programs.

The Explorer Express Train (seasonal) offers an enjoyable 12-minute ride around our property and is an additional $3 per person. (Minimum charge is $60 per group.)

School Group 1/2 Off Special! Visit us in November or January and save 50% on museum group rate General Admission (Education Program fees and train fares additional).

Field Trip Reservations InformationA non-refundable deposit of 50% is required four weeks before your visit. All students, teachers and chaperones must be included in the group reservation and paid for by one contact person. Teachers receive free General Admission to the museum but all Education Program charges are per person, including teachers. The total headcount is required two weeks before your visit. The balance is due upon arrival.

Program capacity ranges from 30 -100 students; we can discuss all options when you contact our Reservations team.

Accessibility Much of the museum and grounds is wheelchair accessible, including a car on the Explorer Express Train. We will work with you to meet your group’s specific needs. Please let us know during booking if you need free admission for a one-on-one aide.

Lunch and ParkingA first-come, first-served indoor snack area offers space for group lunches year-round. Your group can enjoy our outdoor lunch area, weather permitting, spring to fall. Food service is available during summer months only. Parking is convenient and free!

Touchable Tales PreKHow do animals find their homes, food, and friends? Learn about animals through a themed storybook reading, touchable bones and pelts, and visit with a live animal. Science Concepts and Behaviors: Animal Adaptations, Ecosystem Interactions, Using Our 5 Senses

Turtles in New England PreK-2 How do turtles survive the cold New England winter? Meet a live turtle and gather information about a turtle’s habitat and life cycle through interactive learning stations and optional themed storybook reading. Science Concepts and Behaviors: Animal Life Cycles, Describing Patterns, Reading Informational Texts

Animal Adaptations K-2, 3-5, 6-8What structures and behaviors do animals exhibit that help them survive? Observe live animals, bones and animal pelts. Draw conclusions about how structure and function influence evolutionary success. Science Concepts and Behaviors: Animal Adaptations, Biological Evolution, Examining Structure and Function

Threatened Species 3-5, 6-8Companion Program to City Science: The Science You Live ExhibitWhat happens to the animals that live in an ecosystem when humans move in? Take on a real-world conservation issue as you work with classmates to develop a parcel of land. Meet a local animal most often affected by human development and learn its conservation story. Science Concepts and Behaviors: Biological Diversity, Humans and the Environment, Ecosystem Dynamics, Building Evidence-based Arguments

Sun Angle and the Seasons 3-5, 6-8How do the relative positions of the sun and earth change over the course of the day and the course of the year? Measure these changes through hands-on activities and demonstrations and discover the reason for the seasons! (The perfect culmination of this subject is a visit to the EcoTarium to view our live, interactive planetarium program: Earth Seasons and Moon Phases.) Science Concepts and Behaviors: Earth’s Place in the Universe, Seasonal Patterns of Change, Using Models and Scientific Tools

Designing for Wind 3-5, 6-8How can you design an efficient wind turbine that converts wind energy into electricity? Build a working wind turbine, measure its performance, and learn firsthand how the design process can create better products! Science Concepts and Behaviors: Energy Transfer, Natural Resource Use, Engineering Design and Process

Rocket Launch! 3-5, 6-8, HSDoes a rocket’s shape affect its flight? Use engineering, math and physics to design and build rocket prototypes. Test your design outside or in a gymnasium using an air powered rocket launcher to launch your paper rockets up to 40’ in the air! Science Concepts and Behaviors: Newton’s Laws of Motion, Energy and Forces, Engineering Design and Process

Traveling and Onsite Education Programs

[ 3 ] EcoTarium Field Trips and Traveling Education Programs | Planning Guide | 2016 – 2017

Programs available September 1, 2016 - June 21, 2017

Build Your World PreK-3What properties make a structure stand or a bridge span? Discover your inner engineer as you manipulate materials in a real-life building design challenge. Science Concepts and Behaviors: Motion and Stability, Engineering Design and Process

The Art of Science Observation K-2, 3-5, 6-8 What’s the difference between an observation and an inference? How can drawings, models, or graphs help us learn more about natural history? Compare ideas and practice arguing from evidence in this engaging, in-depth look at fascinating elements from our collection that are normally kept behind the scenes! Themes: Sea and Shore (K-2), Rocks and Minerals (3-5), Scientific Models Through Time (6-8, HS) Science Concepts and Behaviors: Asking Questions, Constructing Explanations, Building Evidence-based Arguments

Animal Tracks and Signs K-2, 3-5 What is living wild on the EcoTarium grounds? After an indoor, hands-on learning session with real biofacts, go outdoors and search high and low for animal evidence. Science Concepts and Behaviors: Biological Diversity, Ecosystem Interactions, Habitat Exploration

Wide World of Insects K-2, 3-5, 6-8 Available May – June and September – OctoberHow do entomologists study insects that live in different habitats? Experience a real-world science expedition when you head outside to collect insects and other invertebrates using scientific tools and methods. Science Concepts and Behaviors: Animal Life Cycles, Ecosystem Interactions, Earth and Human Activity, Using Scientific Tools

Pond Ecosystems K-2, 3-5, 6-8, HSAvailable March – June and September – NovemberWhat life forms live in our pond? Is this ecosystem healthy? Answer these questions and more after visiting our pond habitat and using authentic scientific tools to collect and observe microscopic organisms. Science Concepts and Behaviors: Animal Life Cycles, Food Webs, Measuring and Modeling Data

Understanding Weather 2, 3-5, 6-8 Companion Program to The Arctic Next Door: Mount Washington ExhibitWhy does the weather change from day to day and season to season? How are weather and climate different? What variables affect the weather? Experience the forces driving weather through interactive demonstrations, careful observation, and scientific analysis. Science Concepts and Behaviors: Earth’s Systems, Matter and Its Interactions, Observing and Analyzing Data

Invisible Forces: Electricity and Magnetism 3-5, 6-8What causes static electricity? What makes a magnet? How is lightning formed? Why do the lights go on and off with the flick of a switch? How is current electricity generated? Are magnetic and electrical forces related? Explore the answers to these questions, and more, through hands-on demonstrations and interactive experiments. Science Concepts and Behaviors: Forces and Motion, Forms of Energy, Matter and Its Interactions, Observing and Analyzing Data

City Hot Zones 3-5, 6-8, HSAvailable January 2017 / Companion Program to City Science: The Science You Live ExhibitHow can people make changes in their homes, neighborhoods, and cities to keep them cooler during the summer months? Do building materials matter in a world where climate is shifting? Put your decision-making skills to the test in this real-world design challenge. Evaluate your design prototype using infrared technology.

Reserve Today 508.929.2703 [ 4 ]

Onsite Education Programs Programs available September 1, 2016 – June 21, 2017 unless otherwise specified

Science Concepts and Behaviors: Matter and Its Interactions, Earth and Human Activity, Engineering Design and Process, Observing and Analyzing Data

One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure PreK-2Join Sesame Street’s Big Bird and Elmo to learn about the night sky with Hu Hu Zhu, a Muppet from ZhimaJie, the Chinese co-production of Sesame Street. Together, they learn about the stars and the sun, our closest star. Take an imaginary trip to the moon where they learn that the moon is very different from Earth, including the effect of forces on motion of objects in low gravity. An Adler Planetarium production produced by Sky-Skan, Inc.

Science Concepts and Behaviors: Earth in the Solar System, Forces and Motion

The Zula Patrol: Under the Weather PreK-2Take a rollercoaster ride across the solar system with characters from the public television series, The Zula Patrol. Learn about the basic characteristics of the first four planets, and in particular, how their differences generate different weather patterns from the ones we experience on Earth. The Zula Patrol series and dome show were created by Zula USA, LLC. Science Concepts and Behaviors: Earth and Space Science, Weather and Natural Hazards

Secret of the Cardboard Rocket PreK-2, 3Climb aboard a homemade rocket with two young explorers for an imaginative tour through our solar system. With a wise old astronomy book as their guide, they travel through space dodging through Saturn’s rings, cruising through an asteroid belt, and discovering what makes Earth unique among the planets. Animated production by Clark Planetarium.

Back to the Moon for Good 3-5, 6-8, HSThe challenge: land a robotic spacecraft on the Moon, navigate 500 meters, and send video, images and data back to Earth. This full dome, animated program chronicles international teams competing for the Google Lunar XPRIZE, a global competition designed to spark imagination and inspire a renewed commitment to space exploration. Science Concepts and Behaviors: Earth in the Solar System, Engineering and Technology Design

Planetarium and Theater Programs

[ 5 ] EcoTarium Field Trips and Traveling Education Programs | Planning Guide | 2016 – 2017

Programs available year round

Shown in the Alden Digital Planetarium: A National Geographic Theater Participants experience life on earth to the farthest reaches of space in these full-dome film programs. Students are encouraged to bring their questions for a grade-appropriate discussion with a Museum Educator following each show.

Science Concepts and Behaviors: Earth and Space Science, Weather and Natural Hazards

Asteroid: Mission Extreme 3-5, 6-8, HSSet off on an epic journey to discover how asteroids are both a danger and an opportunity. Explore what it would take for astronauts to reach an asteroid and how such an adventure could benefit humankind. Co-Produced by National Geographic Studios and SkySkan. Science Concepts and Behaviors: Universe and Its Stars, Earth in the Solar System, Engineering and Technology Design

Passport to the Universe 3-5, 6-8, HSExperience the immense distances from Earth to the edge of the observable universe and discover how stars are born in the heart of the Orion Nebula. The journey ends with a trip home through a black hole in this immersive voyage. Developed by the American Museum of Natural History in collaboration with NASA. Science Concepts and Behaviors: Universe and its Stars, Earth in the Solar System

Mysteries of the Unseen World 3-5, 6-8, HSSet off on an extraordinary journey! The film uses innovative high-speed and time-lapse photography, electron microscopy, and nanotechnology to transport audiences to an enthralling secret world of nature, events, and breathtaking phenomena not visible to the naked eye. Presented by National Geographic Entertainment and Day’s End Pictures. (Not full-dome. This program complements our hands-on Education Program: Pond Ecosystems.) Science Concepts and Behaviors: Structure of Matter, Wave Properties, Technology and Engineering

Nature Explore® Outdoor Exhibit: Connecting Children with NatureOur interactive outdoor exhibit features several play areas, each offering unique and innovative outdoor experiences designed to engage children through various activities. Nature Explore® draws on field-tested, research-based principles to support whole-child development and learning, aiding in the development of critical thinking and problem solving skills. Nature Explore® is a collaborative program of Arbor Day Foundation and Dimensions Educational Research Foundation.

The Arctic Next Door: Mount WashingtonExplore some of New England’s wildest weather patterns and the geology of the White Mountains. Experience hurricane winds, track local weather, find out how the mountain was created, experiment with wind, fog, and other meteorological phenomenon – and even take a virtual trip up the mountain. A companion Education Program, Understanding Weather (page 4), is available for this exhibit.

City Science: The Science You LiveCity Science, the EcoTarium’s newest exhibit opening Janurary 2017, dramatically transforms the museum’s Middle Level into hands-on investigations of urban science. The 2,500-square-foot exhibit reveals the science that we don’t often notice: the biodiversity, engineering, ecology and other science stories happening right on our streets and in our neighborhoods. As visitors explore the exhibit, they experience firsthand that the way we design and build our cities has many impacts – on people, animals, civic life, and the larger environment.

The exhibit includes seven theme areas, each focused around STEAM-based skills and subjects delivered through interactive components designed for multiple age levels.

Visitors are immersed into the science all around us through a variety of activities, from custom-designed computer challenges, live animal interactions, hands-on design activities, games and more. Companion Education Programs, Threatened Species (page 3) and City Hot Zones (page 4), are available for booking.

Visit ecotarium.org for current exhibit information.

Reserve Today 508.929.2703 [ 6 ]

Programs available year round

Live, Interactive Planetarium Programs

Don’t Miss these Exhibits, Included with General Admission!Space Images Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA

For the following three programs, our Museum Educators are the guides and the planetarium is your “spacecraft,” as you visit stars, planets, and the moon – using a fully navigable digital model of the solar system. Content may be customized to your class for an additional fee.

Our Solar System: Grand Tour of the Planets K-2, 3-5, 6-8Become a passenger on this live tour of our Solar System. Stunning graphics and flybys of all eight planets precede student generated questions. Topics covered include what makes a planet a “real” planet or a dwarf planet, planetary moons, and where you can find the Asteroid and Kuiper Belts. Science Concepts and Behaviors: Universe and its Stars, Earth’s Place in the Solar System, Using Models and Scientific Tools

Earth Seasons and Moon Phases 3-5, 6-8Travel through space and time to learn about the relationships between the Earth, the Moon, and the Sun. Question how the Earth and the Moon were formed, find out where they exist in the solar system, and learn why the moon has phases and the Earth has seasons. Science Concepts and Behaviors: Universe and its Stars, Earth’s Place in the Solar System, Using Models and Scientific Tools

Stars and Constellations 3-5, 6-8, HSInvestigate the mysteries of the night sky and the motion of celestial bodies. Learn about the role of gravity in the life cycles of stars, discover what a star is, and find out why some constellations are only visible in certain seasons. Science Concepts and Behaviors: Universe and its Stars, Earth’s Place in the Solar System, Using Models and Scientific Tools

Astronaut Image Credit: National Geographic Studios and SkySkan

We extend a special thank you to the following for their generous support of educational programs at the EcoTarium. A full listing of all donors appears in the EcoTarium Annual Report. Education and professional development programs are organized through the Arthur M. Pappas Center for School Programs and the C. Jean McDonough Center for School Partnerships.

0916CP1M

George I. Alden Trust through the Worcester Educational Development Foundation

Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC)Creativity Grant

Elkanah B. Atkinson Community and Education Fund of Greater Worcester Community Foundation

Booth Family Educational EcoTarium Endowment Fund

Rosemary Davis Memorial Fund of Greater Worcester Community Foundation

Thanks to Our Supporters

Dr. Phyllis Pollack and Dr. W. Peter Metz

Lester and Joan Sadowsky Scholarship EcoTarium Endowment Fund

Stoddard Charitable Trust through the Worcester Educational Development Foundation

UNUM

Mark and Barbara Wetzel Scholarship EcoTarium Endowment Fund

Worcester Educational Development Foundation

Yawkey Foundation

®

222 Harrington Way | Worcester, MA 01604

508.929.2700 ecotarium.org

The Ruth H. and Warren A. Ellsworth Foundation

J. Irving England and Jane L. England Charitable Trust

Greater Worcester Community Foundation

Hyde/Dexter-Russell Charitable Foundation

MathWorks, Inc.

Massachusetts Cultural Council

National Geographic

The Schwartz Charitable Foundation