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6th-12th Grade Sleepovers

Using the Aquarium as our classroom, sleepover programs we provide a unique learning experience guided by friendly and knowledgeable education staff. Choose one of the three 6th-12th grade programs.

Ocean of Opportunity
So what do you want to be when you grow up? How about a job feeding sea otters or SCUBA diving for research? Find out what it takes to enter the field of marine biology through hands-on activities and behind-the-scenes observations at the Aquarium.
Students Will:
  • Get hands-on experiences building a miniature version of an aquarium.
  • Touch animal artifacts and participate in Discovery Chats.
  • Touch invertebrates at our tidepools and sharks in Shark Lagoon.
  • Join in a Behind-the-Scenes tour, including our dive locker.
  • Play career-related games in our Ocean Theater
  • Investigate scientific tools used in marine careers
  • Watch a 4-D Movie in our Ocean Theater.

Sample Schedule
(tentative and subject to change)

Evening Programming
5:00 p.m. Check-in
5:30 p.m. Welcome: review sleepover topic & Aquarium safety and rules
6:00 p.m. Dinner
6:30 p.m. Exhibit Presentation
7:00 p.m. Behind-the-Scenes tour: aquarist/ diver/ life support/ water quality
7:20 p.m. Ray pool and Wetland Exhibit: conservation biology/ researcher
7:40 p.m. Food Prep & Northern Gallery: mammologist/ animal training
8:20 p.m. Education Classrooms: aquacology activity
9:00 p.m. Ocean Theater: Career Smarts game/ snack
9:30 p.m. Ocean Theater: 4D Movie & Bedtime Rules
10:30 p.m. Lights Out
Morning Programming
6:00 a.m. Wake up!
6:30 a.m. Breakfast served/ T-Shirts
7:00-7:15 a.m. Wrap-up and Goodbyes
The Reef that Never Sleeps
From the colorful coral reef to the plankton rich waters off our coast, your students will discover the ingenious ways animals make use of their habitats.
Students Will:
  • Collect plankton from Rainbow Harbor and view it under a microscope.
  • Touch animal artifacts and participate in Discovery Chats.
  • Participate in a Shark Chat then touch sharks in Shark Lagoon.
  • Join in a Behind-the-Scenes Tour.
  • Explore our galleries after dark with help from an Aquarium Educator.
  • Watch a 4-D Movie in our Ocean Theater.

Sample Schedule
(tentative and subject to change)

Evening Programming
5:00 p.m. Check-in
5:30 p.m. Welcome: review sleepover topic & Aquarium safety and rules
6:00 p.m. Dinner
6:30 p.m. Exhibit Presentation
7:00 p.m. Plankton tow & lab Investigation
8:00 p.m. Tropical Gallery Tour & Coral Chat
8:20 p.m. Behind-the-Scenes tour
8:45 p.m. Marine Life Theater: shark biology and adaptations
9:00 p.m. Shark Lagoon: touch & measure sharks
9:15 p.m. Ocean Theater: 4D Movie & Bedtime Rules
10:15 p.m. Lights Out
Morning Programming
6:00 a.m. Wake up!
6:30 a.m. Breakfast served/ T-Shirts
7:00-7:15 a.m. Wrap-up and Goodbyes
THEME: South Pacific to Southern California. SCIENCE STANDARDS: 6th: 5a-e; 7b. 7th: 1b, d; 2a; 5a; 7a. 8th: 6a
Sensational Sea Life
Explore our thriving southern California waters, as we take a close look at plankton, our tiniest residents, to the largest animals on the planet, the blue whale. Learn about our unique marine food web while doing hands-on activities, using interactive displays, touching live animals, and exploring behind the scenes.
Students Will:
  • Collect plankton from Rainbow Harbor and view it under a microscope.
  • Dissect a Squid or Mackerel.
  • Participate in a Behind-the-Scenes Tour.
  • Touch invertebrates at our Tidepools and sharks in Shark Lagoon.
  • Investigate our watershed interactive display.
  • Participate in a Whale Chat with animal artifacts.
  • Wake up with a guided tour of one of our galleries.

Sample Schedule
(tentative and subject to change)

Evening Programming
5:00 p.m. Check-in
5:30 p.m. Welcome: review sleepover topic amp;& Aquarium safety and rules
6:00 p.m. Dinner
6:30 p.m. Education Classroom: plankton exploration
7:00 p.m. Watershed and Wetlands: introduction & demonstration
7:30 p.m. Marine Life Theater: Shark Chat
7:45 p.m. Shark Lagoon: touch sharks and rays!
8:15 p.m. Behind-the-scenes and Tropical Pacific tour
9:00 p.m. Flippers Fins and Flukes activity/ snack time
9:30 p.m. Bed Time Rules /Safety walks/ get ready for bed
10:15 p.m. Lights out
Morning Programming
6:00 a.m. Wake up!
6:30 a.m. Breakfast served/ T-Shirts
7:00 a.m. Guided tour of inside galleries
7:45 a.m. Goodbyes!
THEME: Southern California Sea Life