Field Trips

T is for Turtle: Toddlers (20 Minutes)

Using senses and letter recognition, practice school readiness skills while learning about turtles through hands-on exploration and movement.

ELDS: ALP.1, ALP.3, CD.1

Turtle Talk: Pre-K – Kindergarten (30 Minutes)

Use models and movement to compare and contrast sea turtles, land turtles, and aquatic turtles. Brainstorm ways to help turtles thrive and discuss how we can all play a part in keeping our oceans clean.

ELDS and SOLs: ALP.1, ALP.3, CD.1, K.1, K.7, K.11

Mini Movers: Toddler– Kindergarten (30 Minutes)

Get your students moving while they learn about animal locomotion and why some animals don’t need to move to survive.

ELDS and SOLs: CD1.1, CD4.1, K.1, K.7

Water Wizards: Kindergarten (50 Minutes)

Use the scientific method to investigate the magic of water. Pour, stir, and build to examine the properties of water through experiments.

SOLs: K.1, K.4, K.11

Circle of Life: A Look into Animal Life Cycles: Kindergarten (50 Minutes)

Journey through animal life cycles with fun interactives and colorful visuals. Learn how living things grow and reproduce in the circle of life.

SOLs: K.7, K.10

Live Animal Encounters: Toddler– Kindergarten (20 Minutes)

Meet some of the Virginia Aquarium’s reptiles, amphibians, and mammals and learn about life history, conservation and animal care.

Water Wizards: Grades 1 – 3 (50 Minutes)

Use the scientific method to investigate the magic of water. Pour, stir, and build to examine the properties of water through experiments.

SOLs: 1.1, 1.5, 1.8, 2.1, 2.8, 3.1, 3.3

Sea Turtle Egg to Adult: Grades 1 - 2 (50 Minutes)

Learn how life begins and the dangers that threaten sea turtle survival. Play a game to explore its life cycle from nest to adult and brainstorm ways to help sea turtles survive.

SOLs: 1.5, 2.4, 2.5, 3.4

Circle of Life: A Look into Animal Life Cycles: Grades 1 – 3 (50 Minutes)

Journey through animal life cycles with fun interactives and colorful visuals. Learn how living things grow and reproduce in the circle of life.

SOLs: 1.5, 2.4 3.4

Life in the Chesapeake Bay: Grades 1 – 4 (50 Minutes)

Dive into hands-on activities to explore the Chesapeake Bay and the roles organisms play in estuarine habitats. Examine oysters, plankton, food webs, and water to understand why the Bay is such an important natural resource.

SOLs: 1.5, 1.8, 2.5, 2.8, 3.4, 3.5, 3.8, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.8

Out in the Ocean: Grades 3 – 4 (50 Minutes)

Go on an adventure through the zones of the ocean to discover what it takes to survive from the surface to the bottom. Engage in hands-on activities to learn how ocean properties, animal adaptations, and ocean geology change with depth.

SOLs: 3.1, 3.4, 3.5, 3.8, 4.1, 4.2, 4.7

Wandering Through Wetlands: Grades 4 – 6 (50 Minutes)

Explore the value of wetlands to keeping our watersheds healthy. Students will use models to learn about the environments and processes that impact the health of the Chesapeake Bay.

SOLs: 4.1, 4.8, 6.1, 6.8, 6.9

NEW: Fossil Forensics: Grades 5-8 (50 Minutes)

Embark on an exciting adventure to uncover the secrets of the past with Fossil Forensics! This hands-on, interactive program takes students on a thrilling journey through time to by solving puzzles that will help with the discovery of a mystery fossil. Combining science, exploration, and problem-solving, this immersive experience is designed for students who are investigating geology, plate tectonics and the fascinating world of fossils.

SOLs: 5.8, LS.11b, BIO.7, ES.5, ES.7, ES.9

Bay Watch: Grades 6 – 7 (50 Minutes)

Get an in-depth look at the Chesapeake Bay and the organisms that make it a unique ecosystem. At activity stations, investigate factors that impact watersheds and the organisms that live there.

Sols: 6.1, 6.6, 6.8, 6.9, LS.1, LS.5, LS.6, LS.7, LS.8, LS.9

Inside the Squid: Grades 6 – 12 (50 Minutes)

Investigate the classification of squid by looking its defining characteristics and compare it to other invertebrate phyla. Dissect squid to see what it has in common with other mollusks and discover its unique adaptations.

SOLs: LS.1, LS. 3, BIO.1, BIO.6

Behind the Scenes: Grades 7 – 12 (45 Minutes)

Visit behind-the-scenes to get a glimpse of public aquarium operations, animal care, and different career paths in the Aquarium industry.

NEW – Invertebrates: Grades 3 – 4 (50 Minutes)

At interactive stations, compare and contrast different invertebrates to discover their unique adaptations and the niches they occupy.

SOLs: 3.1, 3.4, 4.1, 4.3

NEW – Marine Mysteries: Grades 7 –12 (50 Minutes)

Sharpen your detective skills while solving marine mysteries to learn about adaptations and other unique aspects of marine life and the ocean.

SOLs: LS.1, LS.3, LS.7, LS.8, BIO.1 BIO.6

Live Animal Encounters: Grades 1– 12 (30 Minutes)

Meet some of the Virginia Aquarium’s reptiles, amphibians, and mammals and learn about life history, conservation and animal care.

Circle of Life: A Look into Animal Life Cycles: Grades Kindergarten – 3 (50 Minutes)

Journey through animal life cycles with fun interactives and colorful visuals. Learn how living things grow and reproduce in the circle of life.

SOLs: K.7, K.10, 1.5, 2.4 3.4

Out in the Ocean Assembly: Grades 3 – 4 (50 Minutes)

Go on an adventure through the zones of the ocean to discover what it takes to survive from the surface to the bottom. Engage in hands-on activities to learn how ocean properties, animal adaptations, and ocean geology change with depth.

SOLs: 3.1, 3.4, 3.5, 3.8, 4.1, 4.2, 4.7

Amazing Adaptations Assembly: Grades 1 – 4 (50 Minutes)

Discover how creatures use their adaptations to survive in different habitats. Engage in role play and examine biofacts to explore how changing seasons and environmental factors shape some amazing adaptations.

SOLs: 1.5, 2.5, 3.4, 4.2