Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History

Venture into outer space and explore the planets and stars! Learn what it takes to be an astronaut by building an astronaut suit and practicing astro-exercises. Design a rocket for blast-off, hear stories about constellations and discover what it would be like to live on other planets.

Become a paleontologist and explore the world of dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures. Examine “dinosaur bones” to piece together a skeleton, excavate fossils, and investigate clues to discover how dinosaurs once lived. Step outside into your yard and marvel at dinosaurs' modern descendants: birds!

Calling all super marine scientists! Swim as fast as a shark, hide like a halibut, and snap like a pistol shrimp. Use your super senses and compare them to animals with excellent detection skills. Study the marine world as you investigate how ocean superstar animals adapt, survive, and thrive in the ocean.

Discover the incredibly diverse world of insects, arachnids, and bugs. Meet hunting spiders, beetle farmers, and roly-poly garbage collectors. Have an insect party and try to sing like a cricket, dance like a bee, and drink like a butterfly. Watch how some mini-beasts change their forms throughout their life cycle!

Ever notice how some animals are not afraid of the dark? See how glowing animals create their own light to see in the deep dark oceans or caves. Discover how shrimp survive the extreme temperatures of hydrothermal vents. Study different types of creatures to explore how these animals adapt, survive, and thrive in extreme environments.

Dig into some dirt and discover how much life is in one teaspoon of soil. Go on a bug hunt and learn about the differences between an insect and a non-insect. Explore how dirt is made by learning the rock cycle. Become a nature detective as you investigate footprints, poop, and other signs of a visitor.

Discover the squishy, squirty, and slimy wonders of the animal world. Explore some of the gross goodness that helps animals navigate their surroundings. Experiment in making gross mayhem and participate in the Great Loogie Contest. Closely examine scat, snails, and worms. Build an earthworm habitat and create a composting bin to see how earthworms change our trash into earthy goodness!

Become a marine scientist as you learn about the different animals that call the kelp forest home, such as the Southern Sea Otter, sea urchins, and California’s state fish: the Garibaldi. Learn how kelp is used in common household products and create a kelp forest model. Understand the importance of kelp forests and how we can protect them for future generations

Gear up and get your suits on as you venture onto the moon. Discover what is on the Moon and learn what it takes to build a rocket to get there. Try landing a lunar module onto the Moon’s surface.

Discover characteristics of invertebrates and fish as you fine tune your knowledge of the Sea Center’s live aquatic collections. Go on a behind the scenes tour inside SBMNH’s Collections and Research Center. Examine the unique abilities and adaptations marine creatures have to survive in challenging marine habitats.

Would you like to go to Wizarding School? Take a potions class and learn chemistry, study the stars, make a broom fly using static electricity, and study magical creatures. Then use all of your wizarding science skills to face a challenge that makes the O.W.L. exam look easy.

Develop your paleontology skills by finding and excavating fossils of land and sea. Discover how fossils are created in nature. Build dinosaur models and examine them to learn how these dinosaurs looked, moved, and lived.

Look into the night sky and discover which stars or constellations can be seen at this time of year. Dissect a telescope to see how lenses work together to make faraway objects observable.

Discover the differences between moths and butterflies. Create beautiful models of a butterfly and a moth to take home. Learn about the different species of butterflies. Study how these flying beauties undergo metamorphosis, use camouflage, and migrate during the seasons. Explore (virtually) the Butterfly Pavilion with the instructor.

The Channel Islands are only a ferry ride away, but a world apart. Learn about the habitats and ecosystems that make each island one of a kind. Study the animals and plants on the islands that are found nowhere else in the world. Learn about the Native people who called the islands home. Dive into the ocean surrounding the islands to understand the importance of marine protected areas.

Get the scoop on dirt! Explore bacteria, fungi and rich food webs in our soils. Explore how dirt is formed as you study the rock cycle. Discover how insects play a role in soil health. Use your nature detective skills to find out who or what has been in the dirt.

Would you like to go to Wizarding School? Take a potions class and learn chemistry, study the stars, make a broom fly using static electricity, and study magical creatures. Then use all of your wizarding science skills to face a challenge that makes the O.W.L. exam look easy.

Take a close look at some treasured marine animals such as sea otters, blue whales, polar bears, sea turtles and more. Understand what makes these animals so unique through scientific activities and fun crafts. Find out why these animals are endangered and what important conservation work is being done to protect their species.

Take wizarding to the next level. Learn the secrets of turning copper to gold, levitating a train, and morphing flat shapes into 3D objects. Discover the world of dragon animals in their habitats. Create crazy ciphers and clever contraptions worthy of a magical wizard.

Imagine you are stranded on an inhospitable planet. How would you adapt to survive? Build a space station. Create a solar machine. Learn about adapting to a hostile environment through role playing games. Explore how astronauts study the planet surface by simulating astro-tools.

Spend the week immersing yourself in island life. Discover how islands form. Think like a paleontologist while you study prehistoric island creatures. Explore how wildlife and humans survive in the unique ecology of islands. Learn about the Native people who called the Channel Islands home. Find out about the important conservation work being done on the Channel Islands and in the Santa Barbara Channel.

Take wizarding to the next level. Learn the secrets of turning copper to gold, levitating a train, and morphing flat shapes into 3D objects. Discover the world of dragon animals in their habitats. Create crazy ciphers and clever contraptions worthy of a magical wizard.

Look into the night sky, a dark ocean, or dimly lit room to learn about the properties of light using reflections and refraction. Explore how amazing species utilize light to survive and thrive in various ecosystems. Model the role of flashy animals and explore the properties of bioluminescence and fluorescence. Explore how animals see things humans cannot.