School Programs
Homeschools
Welcome, Homeschool Teachers, Parents, and Students!
The Aquarium of the Pacific believes homeschool children should have the same benefits as classroom-schooled children when it comes to field trip opportunities. We therefore would like to invite homeschool groups to book educational programs with the Aquarium of the Pacific. Our 50-minute interactive, engaging, multi-media classes are adaptable to a range of student ages and are as fun as they are educational. These classes run Monday though Friday and are available to homeschool groups at the group rate of $8.00 per child (summer and fall, includes admission) or $9.50 (spring, includes admission). We also provide homeschool groups the self-guided group rate of $6.00 or $7.50.
Program participation requires a minimum of 10 for group admission, a minimum of 20 for school programs, as well as advance booking with the Aquarium’s Guest Support Center. Call (562) 951-1630 for more details, or explore the classes in our school programs section of this website.
Homeschool Day
The Aquarium of the Pacific would like to invite Homeschool networks, students, parents, and teachers to the Aquarium for our 2nd Annual Homeschool Days on September 12th and 13th. Homeschool groups will receive the group rate of $6 per participant. While the Aquarium will be open to the general public, no classroom-based school trips will be booked during these days. Ocean related activities, biofacts, and our education staff will be stationed throughout the Aquarium from 9am-noon, although you are welcome to explore the Aquarium through the afternoon. These engaging learning stations will allow students of all ages to experiment, investigate, and discover marine habitats and concepts. We hope that you will take this opportunity to come and see what the Aquarium of the Pacific has to offer.
Program participation requires advance booking with the Aquarium’s Guest Support Center. Call (562)951-1630 for more details.
Not able to attend Homeschool Days? Consider visiting us another day for a field trip and receive the same group rate. All you need is a minimum of 10 for group admission, or 20 for a school programs. Advance booking with the Aquarium’s Guest Support Center is required. Call (562)951-1630 for more details.
The Aquarium of the Pacific would like to say thank you to all of the Homeschoolers that were able to attend our first ever Homeschool Day, November 10, 2006. We are delighted to report that 2,700 homeschool students and parents attended this special day.
We appreciate the overwhelmingly positive response and constructive feedback that we have received in regards to the event. While we are excited and encouraged by the response to Homeschool Day, we have learned some valuable lessons from the experience. Learning that such a large homeschool audience exists in Southern California, we are encouraged to offer more opportunities, perhaps during a week in September, in order to provide more homeschool families an opportunity to have a more personal experience at the Aquarium.
We are aware that crowding was an issue last year. There was an oversight on our part in picking the day for this event, and we apologize. It was our sincere intention to offer this day as a special day for homeschoolers. As a response to this situation we are looking toward selecting less crowded days for our future homeschool events. While we are not able to close the Aquarium to the general public, we will be more selective in our choice of days to allow extraordinary experiences for all homeschool families.
Furthermore, we will also be making changes to the ticketing system so that we may streamline the check-in and reservation process. By opening up new times, and training our staff, we will serve you better.
We would also like all homeschool groups to know that they are extended all of the benefits given to traditional schools. This includes the opportunity for any group of 10 or more to book a field trip to the Aquarium of the Pacific on any weekday for the reduced school rate. More information on what our Aquarium has to offer can be found on our website in the Education section.
Thank you again for giving us the opportunity to share our love of the ocean with you and your families. We hope to see you again soon.
Sincerely,
The Education Department at the Aquarium of the Pacific
2007 Boeing Teacher Open House
Another opportunity for homeschool groups to learn about the Aquarium of the Pacific is our Teacher Open House. All homeschool teachers are invited to meet the education staff, see classroom and theater program demonstrations, visit the galleries, and enter our raffle drawing. This is a great opportunity to see what the Aquarium of the Pacific has to offer you and your students.
Program participation requires advance booking with the Aquarium’s Guest Support Center. Call (562) 951-1630 for more details.