Aquarium of the Pacific | Education | School Programs | Marine Mammals!

School Programs

Marine Mammals!

Out of the Box Science: Marine Mammals!

The Out of the Box Science: Marine Mammals! traveling trunk program is filled with hands-on activities, books, photographs, biofacts, puppets and easy lesson plans for grades K – 5.  Teachers will find that bringing this educational tool into their classrooms will add a new and engaging way for students to discover marine mammals and their behavior, as well as investigate their different habitats and current conservation issues. 

Funded by a grant from the LeBurta Atherton Foundation, the Aquarium of the Pacific has created a traveling trunk program, concentrating on marine mammals for use in your school.  By educating young people on the fascinating lives of these animals and the importance they play in the ocean, we can help protect and conserve marine mammals all over the world!

From cute and fuzzy sea otters to the largest animal on the planet, the blue whale, marine mammals are everywhere in our oceans!  Marine mammals are fascinating creatures that have captivated scientists for centuries.  Because they live in cold waters, migrate long distances and can be so huge, most of our knowledge about marine mammals has only been discovered in the last half century!  Which marine mammal can hold their breath the longest?  Which marine mammal has no blubber?  Which marine mammal is the fastest swimmer?  Students will discover the answers to these questions and more in the Aquarium of the Pacific’s Out of the Box Science: Marine Mammals! traveling trunk program.

Program Information

  • WHEN: Trunk can be reserved year-round for one-month intervals.
  • COST: $100 refundable deposit upon return of the trunk.
  • AGES: Grades K-5
  • RSVP: (562) 951-1630

California State Standards:

Grade K

  • Science - 2a, b, c; 4b, c, d, e
    • English-Language Arts:
    • Reading - 1.1, 1.3, 1.18, 3.1
    • Writing - 1.1, 1.3, 1.4
    • Written & Oral Language Conventions - 1.1. 1.2
    • Listening & Speaking - 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 2.1
    • Mathematics:
    • Algebra & Functions - 1.1
    • Number Sense - 1.2
    • Measurement & Geometry - 1.1, 2.1, 2.2
    • Statistics, Data Analysis & Probability - 1.1
  • Visual Arts - 1.2, 2.2, 2.6, 2.7, 4.2, 4.3
  • Physical Education - 1.10, 1.1, 1.2, 3.1, 5.2, 5.4.

Grade 1

  • Science - 2a, c, d; 4a, b, d
    • English-Language Arts:
    • Reading - 1.1, 1.3. 1.11, 2.3, 2.7
    • Writing - 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.1
    • Written & Oral Language Conventions - 1.1, 1.6, 1.7
    • Listening & Speaking - 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5
    • Mathematics:
    • Number Sense - 1.1
    • Measurement & Geometry - 1.1, 2.2, 2.4
    • Statistics, Data Analysis & Probability - 1.1, 1.2
  • Visual Arts - 2.1, 4.2
  • Physical Education - 1.1, 3.1, 5.1

Grade 2

  • Science - 2a, c, d; 4c, e
    • English-Language Arts:
    • Reading - 2.1, 2.2, 2.7, 2.8
    • Writing - 1.1, 1.2, 1.3
    • Written & Oral Language Conventions - 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.7
    • Listening & Speaking - 1.1, 1.2., 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.9, 2.2

      • Mathematics:
    • Number Sense - 1.1
    • Measurement & Geometry - 1.1, 2.1
    • Statistics, Data Analysis & Probability - 1.1

      Visual Arts - 3.1, 4.1

      Physical Education - 1.1, 2.1, 5.3, 5.7

Grade 3

  • Science - 3a, b, c, d; 4c; 5c, d, e
    • English-Language Arts:
    • Reading - 1.7, 2.1, 2.3, 2.6, 3.1
    • Writing - 1.1a, 1.1b, 1.2, 1.3
    • Written & Oral Language Conventions - 1.1, 1.2, 1.4
    • Listening & Speaking - 1.1, 1.3, 1.7, 1.8
    • Mathematics:
    • Measurement & Geometry - 1.1, 2.5
  • Physical Education - 1.1, 2.1, 5.6

Grade 4

  • Science - 2a, b, c; 3a, b, c; 6b, e
    • English-Language Arts:
    • Reading - 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 3.1
    • Writing - 1.1, 1.2, 1.2a, 1.2b, 1.2c, 1.2d, 1.2e, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 2.3, 2.3a, 2.3b, 2.3c
    • Written & Oral Language Conventions - 1.1, 1.2, 1.3
    • Listening & Speaking - 1.1, 1.2, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 2.2a, 2.2b, 2.2c
  • Visual Arts - 2.3
  • Physical Education - 1.2, 1.3, 5.4

Grade 5

  • Science - 2a, b, c, f, g; 6a, f, g
    • English-Language Arts:
    • Reading - 1.4, 2.1, 2.2
    • Writing - 1.1a, 1.1b, 1.1c, 1.2, 1.2a, 1.2b, 1.2c, 1.3, 2.1a, 2.3a, 2.3b, 2.3c
    • Written & Oral Language Conventions - 1.1, 1.2, 1.4
    • Listening & Speaking - 1.1, 1.4, 1.5, 2.2a, 2.2b, 2.2c
  • Visual Arts - 5.3