AT THE MUSEUM
Self-guided visits to the Museum are temporarily unavailable.
Information on cost, scheduling, and more HERE.
HOOTS AND HOWLS: PERKINS WILDLIFE CENTER AND WOODS GARDEN—Presented by KeyBank | LEVEL: PreK–5th
Join a Museum educator as we explore Ohio's native animals. Discover the wildlife that inhabits our great state and meet some of our animal ambassadors. Plus, learn about the serious business of animal enrichment and investigate the native habitats found in your own backyard!
Download the Teacher Guide to Hoots and Howls
3 LS – Behavior, Growth, and Changes
4 LS – Earth’s Living History
5 LS – Interactions Within Ecosystems
NEIGHBORHOOD WILDLIFE: LIVE ANIMALS | LEVEL: K–12th
Live animal programs offer an up-close look at native Ohio species while providing an exciting and memorable learning experience. Each program is customized based on the grade level of your group. Students may investigate types of animals, adaptations, or animal roles within an ecosystem as part of the lesson.
Save time after your program to take your group outside to meet the rest of our animal ambassadors in the Ralph Perkins II Wildlife Center & Woods Garden—Presented by KeyBank.
Download the Teacher Guide to Neighborhood Wildlife
3 LS – Behavior, Growth, and Changes
4 LS – Earth’s Living History
5 LS – Interactions Within Ecosystems
DINO DETECTIVES: IDENTIFYING FOSSILS | LEVEL: 2nd–5th
Calling all junior paleontologists! We need your help to identify the latest fossilized find. Become part of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History team, working together to uncover clues from the Cretaceous Period. By comparing your evidence with existing fossil records and known facts about modern wildlife, you’ll soon discover who this animal is and what its habitat was like more than 75 million years ago.
Download the Teacher Guide to Dino Detectives
3 LS – Behavior, Growth, and Changes
4 LS – Earth’s Living History
4 ESS – Earth’s Surface
EXPLORING OHIO'S INDIGENOUS CULTURES | LEVEL: 3rd–5th
In this inquiry-based program, students will use real museum artifacts and replicas to tell the stories of the four main eras of Indigenous people who populated Ohio before the arrival of European settlers in 1650. This hands-on, group-based program will allow 3rd–5th graders to gain important insight into the earliest peoples who populated our state.
Download the Teacher Guide to Ohio's Indigenous Cultures
3 HIST – Heritage
3 GEOG – Places and Regions, Human Systems
4 HIST – Heritage
5 HIST – Early Civilizations
PLANETARIUM
The newly renovated Nathan and Fannye Shafran Planetarium features high-definition imagery. Updated educational programs offer an interactive, out-of-this-world learning experience.
• Total planetarium capacity is 95 people, including students, teachers, and chaperones.
• All topics include views of the current night sky.
• All programs are 60 minutes unless otherwise noted.
Information on cost, scheduling, and more NOW.
THE SOLAR SYSTEM: A PLANETARY TOUR | LEVEL: 3rd–8th
Immerse yourself in the Solar System and discover what makes it go round. We will talk about the formation of the Sun, planets, and moons -- gravity, energy, and motions included.
Download the Teacher Guide to The Solar System
3 PS – Matter and Forms of Energy
4 ESS – Earth’s Surface
5 ESS – Cycles and Patterns in the Solar System
NATIVE AMERICAN SKY STORIES: TALES OF THE EARTH, MOON, AND STARS | LEVEL: 4th–5th
Learn about North American Native American groups by studying their lifestyles, customs, and artistic traditions. Compare and contrast how they filled their basic needs in various environments and how the environments influenced their lifestyles.
Download the Teacher Guide to Native American Sky Stories
4 SS: HIST – Heritage
5 SS: GEOG – Human Systems
REASONS FOR THE SEASONS: WHY DO WE HAVE SEASONS ON EARTH? | LEVEL: 5th–7th
Find out the real reasons that we have seasons (it isn’t the varying distance of the Earth from the Sun). We’ll see seasonal changes of the skies from Cleveland, with additional views from other parts of the globe.
Download the Teacher Guide to Reasons for the Seasons
5 ESS – Cycles and Patterns in the Solar System
STARS FROM BEGINNING TO END: HOW STARS ARE BORN, LIVE, AND DIE! | LEVEL: 5th–12th
Follow the cycle of a star’s life from its birth in a nebula to its final end. Discover red giants, white dwarfs, supernovae, and black holes.
Download the Teacher Guide to Stars from Beginning to End
5 ESS – Cycles and Patterns in the Solar System
TARGET MOON: FORMATION, PHASES, AND TIDES! | LEVEL: 5th–12th
We’ll focus on all things lunar: the origin of the Moon, its ancient battered surface, and its tidal effects on Earth. Follow the Moon’s monthly path across the sky and learn why its shape appears to change.
Download the Teacher Guide to Target Moon
5 ESS – Cycles and Patterns in the Solar System
ECLIPSE EXTRAVAGANZA | LEVEL: K–8th
Okay kids, lights out. On Monday, April 8th, 2024, the city of Cleveland will witness its first total solar eclipse in more than two hundred years. Now is the perfect time to start preparing for this extraordinary event, and the Cleveland Museum of Natural History has you covered. Why do eclipses happen, and are they really all that rare? What is it like to experience twilight in the middle of the afternoon? Most importantly, how do you stay safe while observing the Sun? We’ll answer these questions and more as we investigate the clockwork regularity of the cosmos in this limited-time field trip at the Nathan & Fannye Shafran Planetarium.
Runs September 1, 2023 to April 8, 2024. Classroom kits with eclipse glasses will be provided.
3 PS – Matter and Forms of Energy
4 ESS – Earth’s Surface
5 ESS – Cycles and Patterns in the Solar System
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