Once you’ve selected from the programs listed below, please register online by clicking here or clicking the “Request Your Visit” button below the program.
Pre-K – 12th Grade
Conduct your own self-guided visit any time of year and discover the unique evolution and biodiversity of Southern California and the peninsula of Baja California. Topics to explore with your group include geology, paleontology, evolution, and ecology. Use our free Exhibition Educator Guides to complement your museum visit. Teachers may preview general admission exhibitions for free with valid identification.
Fee: $12 per student
Group size: 10 student minimum
Chaperones: We require a 1:8 ratio (includes teachers). Required chaperones receive free general admission. Additional chaperones are $15 per person.
Only offered during traditional school year.
Fee: $15 per student. Classes available Monday–Friday at 9:50 AM and/or 11:30 AM.
Group Size: 25 students per 80-minute class (10 student minimum). Classes may not be combined.
Chaperones: Classroom Teacher and at least three additional adults are required. Required chaperones receive free general admission. Additional chaperones are $15 per person.
5th Grade
Become F.B.I. investigators (fungus, bacteria, and invertebrates) and “break it down” with the decomposers found in the habitats of San Diego. Model the complex relationships between plants, animals, and decomposers.
5-LS1: Matter and Energy in Organisms and Ecosystems
Kindergarten – 5th Grade
Learn how the Kumeyaay Nation relied on their skills and expertise to survive in the San Diego area. Grind acorns for flour, scrape yucca leaves for fiber, and practice your skills to live, thrive, and experience what life was like in the 1300s.
5th Grade
Learn about the Earth’s most precious resource—water—and how humans affect the environment. Participate in an inquiry-based oil spill cleanup and become stewards of Balboa Park.
5-ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
5th Grade
Become a nature navigator and explore The Nat’s new Nature Trail and Balboa Park’s Desert Garden. Discover the foundation of our ecosystem: native plants and how they support wildlife and save water. We’ll practice observation skills and experience the regional biodiversity of our urban landscape. Pocket gardens, interpretive trails, and desert cacti will introduce students to the beautiful and important plants that make our home of San Diego so special.
Standards: SEP 1, 7; 5-LS2-1
Only offered during traditional school year.
Fee: Free! The program and transportation costs are fully funded by CNRA. Classes available Monday–Friday at 9:40 AM or 11 AM. (only one time slot per day)
Group Size: 35 students per 120-minute class (10 student minimum). Classes may not be combined.
Chaperones: Classroom Teacher and at least 3 additional adults are required. Required chaperones receive free general admission. Additional chaperones are $15 per person.
Only offered during traditional school year.
Fee: $14 per student. Classes available Tuesday–Thursday at 10 AM and/or 11 AM.
Group Size: 25 students per 1-hour tour (10 student minimum). Classes may not be combined.
Chaperones: We require a 1:8 ratio (includes teachers). Required chaperones receive free general admission. Additional chaperones are $15 per person.
2nd - 8th Grade
San Diego is one of the most biologically diverse counties in the United States. Observe how human settlement and population increases have impacted our region’s plant and animal inhabitants. Travel from the wetlands, coastal sage, riparian, chaparral, and mountains, down to the desert. Learn how plants and animals adapt to the various habitats of San Diego County.
2nd–8th Grade
This region has a rich fossil record. Investigate San Diego’s past by trekking through 75 million years of geologic history. Interpret Museum murals and describe how the flora, fauna, and climate have changed over millions of years. Meet the great granddaddy of your pet dog and swim in the ancient San Diego Bay. Identify types of geologic plate movement by interacting with Museum models and attempt to solve the mysteries that remain as you explore fantastic fossils found in San Diego County.