Students participate in one of Birch Aquarium's school programs
Grades 4 to 6
Plankton Planet
Enjoy a program of planktonic proportions! Through a series of hands-on lab activities, students will discover the critical role these tiny organisms play in supplying the planet with oxygen, absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and providing food for all in the sea as the basis of the marine food chain.
All About Fish 
Discover fish inside and out! Students will explore the important role dissection plays in scientific investigation. Through external examination and internal dissection of Pacific mackerel, students will determine which adaptations allow fish to survive in their marine environments.
Fish Diversity Fins, gills, and scales, oh my! Become a fish adaptation “expert” as students learn how fish have diversified into various habitats throughout the ocean. An external investigation of fish shape, color, and unique characteristics will provide the clues to identify where fish live and how they survive.
Kelp 101 Discover the largest and fastest growing plant in the sea, giant kelp, as well as its importance to marine organisms and humans. Students will explore how organisms in the kelp forest community depend on one another, experiment with kelp products, and investigate common food and household products containing kelp.
Earth Rocks! And it rolls! Students will explore the nature of earthquakes, how scientists pinpoint an earthquake’s epicenter, and how engineers design earthquake-proof structures through a combination of hands-on activities and cutting-edge technology.
Inside Molluscs What do squid, mussels, and snails have in common? They’re all molluscs!
Through scientific observations and squid dissection, students discover the special characteristics of the phylum Mollusca, as well as the adaptations that squid use to eat, move, and protect themselves from predators.
Hanging By A Thread Is it true what they say about safety in numbers? Discover the rich diversity of animals that make their home in the mussel clumps of the rocky shore. By dissecting a mussel clump, students will learn about the major invertebrate phyla in the ocean, how these animals are classified based on their unique characteristics and how they depend on one another for survival.
Aquarium Explorations
Water Works Are you ready to get wet and wild? Through hands-on investigation and interactions at Wonders of Water play stations, students will explore water’s unique properties, discover the power of water in motion, and learn what it means to conserve this precious resource.
Shark Survivor¬How do sharks survive challenges of nature and those presented by humans? The aquarium’s live shark displays provide an ideal living classroom for students to explore the challenges sharks face and how they have adapted to survive for more than 400 million years. Students will tour shark exhibits to observe live shark behavior and adaptations and use hands-on models to discover sharks’ unique design
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