The Traveling Science Trunk

Funded by a grant from the LeBurta Atherton Foundation, the Aquarium of the Pacific has created a traveling trunk program, concentrating on marine mammals, sharks, and watersheds, for use in your school.

The traveling trunk program is filled with hands-on activities, books, photographs, games 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 everything about sharks, watersheds, or marine mammals.

See below and to the right for curriculum material and more information.

Marine Mammals Program
Grades K-5

The Out of the Box Science: Marine Mammals traveling trunk is a fun and easy way for grades K – 5 teachers to bring seals, sea lions, otters, and whales to their students. 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.

SCIENCE STANDARDS: Download Marine Mammals Curriculum PDF (6.8 mb)

Sharks
Grades K-5

The Out of the Box Science: Sharks traveling trunk is a fun and easy way for grades K – 5 teachers to bring sharks to their students. By educating young people on the fascinating lives of these creatures and the importance they play in the ocean, we can help protect and conserve sharks all over the world!

Sharks are ocean predators with a bad reputation. Thanks to dramatized TV shows and movies like “Jaws,” people tend to have the wrong impression about sharks. Sharks are indeed strong and intelligent hunters, but they are not man-eaters, as is often portrayed. In fact, most sharks are no larger than six feet and feed on small fish and invertebrates, not humans!

Due to their scary reputations, humans threaten shark populations by overfishing, polluting their habitats, accidentally capturing them in drift nets, and hunting them for trophies. Because sharks mature slowly and bear few young, they are particularly vulnerable to human threats. Some species of sharks have declined by as much as 80 percent. Students will discover the real truth about sharks and how to help protect them in the Aquarium of the Pacific’s Out of the Box Science: Sharks traveling trunk program.

SCIENCE STANDARDS: Download Sharks Curriculum PDF (6.3 mb)

Watershed Program
Grades K-5

The Out of the Box Science: Watershed traveling trunk program is a fun and easy way for grades K – 5 teachers to introduce to students where water comes from, the importance of watersheds, and current conservation issues. At the Aquarium of the Pacific, we recognize the need to address the potential loss of important marine species and the benefits of educating Southern California school children about the current issues facing watersheds.

Watersheds provide the water we drink, cook with, bathe with and play in. They help provide the air we breathe, the crops we grow, the food we eat and the parks we play in. Unfortunately, over the years, the state of California has lost 90% of its original watershed habitats. By educating young people on the everyday role watersheds play in their lives and in the ocean, we can help protect and conserve watersheds all over the world!

SCIENCE STANDARDS: Download Watershed Curriculum PDF (8.6 mb)