School Field Trips

Field Trips to the Ocean Explorium are
Educational and Fun!

A field trip to the Explorium is a fun and dynamic way to bring students and ocean sciences together while introducing or summarizing material the teachers cover during the school year.

A field trip to the Ocean Explorium consists of two main components: hands-on activities that allow students to fully understand the concepts being presented and Science on a Sphere®, a three-dimensional globe floating in space which takes students on a visual journey around planet Earth and beyond—highlighting important scientific issues on a global scale.

Each program lasts approximately two hours and can accommodate up to 50 students. The applicable Massachusetts State Curriculum Frameworks and a more detailed description of the important scientific concepts and key terms for each program are detailed on the links below each field trip.

Costs and reservations >>

Learn More
If you would like to know more about Student Field Trips, Science on a Sphere or would like to book a field trip, please contact Abbey Spargo at (508) 994-5400 or aspargo@oceanexplorium.org.

Admission
Admission to the Ocean Explorium exhibits is not included in the field trip programs. If you'd like to tour the exhibits, costs for admission are $4 for children and $6 for adults.

MCAS Science Review
Help students prepare for the MCAS in a fun and exciting way by taking them on a field trip to see the Science on a Sphere® at the Ocean Explorium. Key grade applicable MCAS concepts will be reviewd for 5th, 8th and 10th grades. Highlights from grade-specific field trips listed below will be summarized, and the major elements will be reviewed.
Massachusetts State Frameworks, grades 3-5 >>
Massachusetts State Frameworks, grades 6-8 >>
Massachusetts State Frameworks, grades 9-12 >>

Water – Elementary and Middle School
Make a splash investigating water in our world. Come explore water as a crucial component for life on our planet and recognize the importance of water conservation. Water’s essentiality, unique properties, cycle and structure will be investigated through combined hands on activities and an SOS experience.
Massachusetts State Frameworks, grades 3-5 >>
Massachusetts State Frameworks, grades 6-8 >>

Forces that shape the Earth Part I: Earth’s History – Elementary and Middle School
What does the ocean floor really look like? Discover the ocean floor as never seen before—a dynamic and varying landscape. Remove the water from the globe and find out what is hidden underneath, while visualizing the Earth as an ever-changing planet. Gain an appreciation for the Earth’s changes through geological time by studying the movement of the plates and Earth’s changing surface.
Massachusetts State Frameworks, grades 3-5 >>
Massachusetts State Frameworks, grades 6-8 >>

Forces that shape the Earth Part 2: Earth’s Materials - Elementary and Middle School
Did you ever wonder how the sand on the beach got there, or what it is made of? Explore Earth’s structure, and the materials that comprise it. Investigate rocks, soil and the processes that lead to their formation. Also, gain a better appreciation for the processes that shape the Earth, such as erosion and volcanic activity.
Massachusetts State Frameworks, grades 3-5 >>
Massachusetts State Frameworks, grades 6-8 >>

The Earth in the Solar System – Elementary and Middle School
The Earth is unlike any other planet in our solar system. Earth’s unique characteristics have allowed it to sustain life for billions of years. Come explore Earth in relation to the other planets of our solar system. Gain an understanding of the Earth’s structure, gravity, orbit, tilt and the role that these properties have on the planet dynamics, such as tides and seasonal cycles.
Massachusetts State Frameworks, grades 3-5 >>
Massachusetts State Frameworks, grades 6-8 >>

Weather – Elementary and Middle School
How does a heat wave in Africa affect Massachusetts? Imagine knowing what the weather in India or Australia is right now! Discover the conditions that give rise to global weather patterns and the climate of the Earth by exploring the world’s ocean currents, wind patterns and heat transfer.
Massachusetts State Frameworks, grades 3-5 >>
Massachusetts State Frameworks, grades 6-8 >>

Energy and Living Things – Elementary, Middle School or High School
Want more energy? Turn up the sundial! The sun powers our planet and all the living things that call Earth home. Explore how photosynthetic organisms harvest the sun’s energy and how that energy flows through Earth’s ecosystems. Learn how light energy is transferred into chemical energy that is passed through food chains and is used to sustain life.
Massachusetts State Frameworks, grades 3-5 >>
Massachusetts State Frameworks, grades 6-8 >>
Massachusetts State Frameworks, grades 9-12 >>

Earth’s Processes and Cycles – Middle School and High School
How much carbon, nitrates or phosphates are too much? Examine the Earth’s natural processes and cycles (carbon, phosphorus and nitrogen) and understand how the recycling of nutrients and minerals contribute to life on Earth! Interpret how human activities, such as global warming and nutrient loading, can alter the path of these cycles.
Massachusetts State Frameworks, grades 6-8 >>
Massachusetts State Frameworks, grades 9-12 >>

Ecological Relationships – Middle School and High School
Why should you care if the polar bears are endangered or if the coral reefs bleach? Biodiversity contributes to the sustainability of our planet. Population dynamics and species interactions help us understand the health of the major ecosystems. Gain knowledge of how natural interactions sustain life and how human impacts are changing the landscape we know and depend upon.
Massachusetts State Frameworks, grades 6-8 >>
Massachusetts State Frameworks, grades 9-12 >>

MCAS Science Review
Offering MCAS Review
Teachers—prepare your students for the MCAS with a field trip to the Ocean Explorium. Our interactive Science on a Sphere® (SOS) coupled with hands-on activities reinforce key concepts on the test for grades 5, 8 and 10. Each field trip will include highlights from the grade-specific field trips listed above and key grade applicable MCAS concepts will be reviewed.

Curricula
The Ocean Explorium offers a variety of education tools free to teachers and students interested in the ocean, the sciences and related disciplines.

Contact Abbey Spargo at aspargo@oceanexplorium.org or 508-994-5400 to learn more.