Great Lakes Aquarium offers classroom programs, assemblies, and residencies.  Contact the education department at 740-2007 for more information or to sign up for your Great Lakes Aquarium Outreach experience!

                         Classroom Programming

(All classroom programs last approximately 1 hour.)

Grades K-3

A Bony Bunch(K-1)

Do fish have backbones?  Do insects have skeletons? These questions and others will be answered as live animals and props are used to discuss the difference between those animals that have backbones (vertebrates) and those that do not (invertebrates). 

Class includes live animal.  (SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">  o:p>

Incredible Journey (2^nd-3^rd)

What goes up must come down, and water is no exception!  Lake Superior is our backdrop as we learn about water resources, water forms, and water stewardship.  Your students will actually become a water drop and go on an incredible water-cycle journey!

Creepy Crawlies (K-3 ^rd)

Do bugs bug you?  Do you shudder at the thought of a slithering snake?  Students will learn more about animals that creep and crawl and find that they aren’t quite so scary!  In fact, many of these are quite beneficial to humans, and play an important role in our ecosystem.  Students will get to meet some of these creatures close up and learn about the invaluable role they play in ecological processes. 

Class includes live animal.  (Animal options: fox snake, ball python, walking sticks, worms, hissing cockroaches)

Keeping the Lights (K-3^rd)

Step into the past with your students, to the days when Lake Superior lighthouses were run by keepers and their families.  Learn about life at the lighthouse, including the regular tasks of keeping the light burning, polishing brass, and tending gardens.  Fishing and games were also part of lighthouse life.  Students will visit with a keeper or keeper’s wife.

Grades 4-6

What’s a Watershed?

Ever wonder where that water flowing down the street after a heavy rain is going?  Where does all our water go?  In this class students will learn what a watershed is, the drainage patterns of a watershed, how pollution affects those “living downstream”, and how watersheds can be protected and conserved. 

Hereptology: Slime and Scales (4^th-6 ^th)

Whether they love ‘em or hate ‘em, most students are utterly fascinated with reptiles and amphibians!  Students will learn characteristics of reptiles and amphibians, see how they have adapted to various habitats, learn about their life cycles and the about the reptiles and amphibians native to the Great Lakes region, get to experience hands-on activities and props including snake skins, turtle shells, and a live reptile or amphibian.   

Class includes live animal.  (Animal options: fox snake, ball python, gray tree frog, American toad)

Stories in Stone—Lake Superior Geology (4^th-5^th)

Can rocks tell a story?  If you know what to listen for, stones can tell many stories.  What are they made of and how did they form?  How can you tell them apart?  Student will examine and learn to identify local rocks.  They will classify the types of rocks and study some of the geologic forces that shaped the Lake Superior region.  Students will even get to participate in a “geo-theater” presentation on the formation of Lake Superior!

Wet and Wild Wetlands (5^th-6^th)

Listening to the first frogs of the spring. Scanning tall grasses for a duck’s nest. Swatting mosquitoes. Eating cranberries and wild rice. Drinking fresh, clean water. All of these activities depend on wetlands. Wetlands are wild, wet, muddy, stinky, and absolutely fabulous places!  Your students will learn the four different kinds of wetlands, and the function, value, and conservation of these unique habitats. 

                                                        Grades 7-12

Water’s Weird (6^th-8^th)

Welcome to the H2Olympics! How many drops of water can you fit on a penny?  Can water defy gravity?  How many paper clips can float on the surface of a glass of water?  Students will test these questions and more as they learn about many amazing physical properties of water:  surface tension, cohesion, adhesion, capillary action, and more. 

Organizing Arthropods (7^th-12^th)

Students will learn about Arthropods, the small things that run the world, in this very interactive program.  We will discuss characteristics of three families of arthropods:  insects, arachnids, and crustaceans.  Your students will take a hands-on approach learning how to classify, organize, and create a dichotomous key to identify these animals.  

Class includes live animal. (animal options:  hissing cockroaches, walking sticks, crayfish)

The Great Lakes Aquarium brings you a high-energy, hour-long interactive assembly featuring fish and fish habitats. Students will actively participate in skits and activities related to Habitat needs, aquatic Ecology, Adaptations, and animal Diversity.  This program includes student dress-ups, a visit with the Sturgeon General, shopping with Habitat Hank, and much, much, more! 

Our Great Lake Superior (K-6^th)

Experience our 60-minute assembly program with a full cast of characters that educates and entertains your students.  Enthralled students will learn about the history of Lake Superior, the animals of the lake and the diverse human history of the Lake Superior region.