We've got a lot to offer.
Many programs are available for booking this fall, with more exciting experiences returning in the spring. Click on the links for each program to confirm availability. Book your program today!
Virtual Heart
Grades 3 - 8
Virtual Science Academy
Available for bookings now!
2022 VSA Heart Science Standards
Get your students' pulse going with this live dissection experience. Your class will participate in interactive experiments and discussion, as well as guide the dissection of a real sheep heart.
Virtual Lung
Grades 3 - 8
Virtual Science Academy
Available for bookings now!
2022 VSA Lung Science Standards
Take your classes' breath away as they get to peer inside the respiratory system. Explore lung anatomy while observing a sheep lung dissection and participate in activities, then make observations to learn how the respiratory system works.
Virtual Art Station: Titan
Grades 1 - 8
Virtual Science Academy
Available for bookings now!
2022 VSA Titan Science Standards
Blast off to new discoveries with this live program that merges space science and scientific illustration! Titan is Saturn's largest moon and one of the most fascinating places in our solar system. Students and teachers will learn how to capture their own Titan investigations using scientifically accurate illustrations, just as other great scientists have done throughout history.
Virtual New Me
Grades 5 - 6
Virtual Science Academy
Available for bookings now!
2022 VSA New Me Science Standards
Explore the physical, emotional and chemical changes to the human body during a sensitive, respectful, co-ed discussion led by a professional educator. Ask honest questions and get honest answers. This class is now only offered as a Distance Learning course.
Virtual You've Got Guts
Grades 3 - 8
Virtual Science Academy
Currently unavailable. Sign up for our mailing list to stay up to date on our offerings.
Are your students hungry for new learning? Explore the cells and organs of our digestive system, a.k.a. your guts, from saliva to bile and rugae to villi. Learn how your guts work with other body systems to break down food to be used as building materials and to provide a raw energy source for all living cells in the body.
Virtual Sculpt-a-saurus
Grades 2 - 5
Virtual Science Academy
Currently unavailable. Sign up for our mailing list to stay up to date on our offerings.
Science and art collide to bring the past to life! Your students will take a journey of discovery and creation as they use real fossil evidence to sculpt their very own dinosaurs. This fun class blends live virtual instruction from a Museum educator with mixed digital media, kinesthetic activities, and two-way interactivity. Students piece together clues that teach them about dinosaurs and show them how scientists and artists work together to understand the deep past. Sculpt-a-saurus introduces learners to scientific methodology as well as paleontology, fossilization, erosion, adaptation, and climate.
Scientists in Action: An Ode to Toads
Grades 4 - 12
Scientists In Action
Thursday, April 6, 2023
9 a.m., 10 a.m., 11 a.m., and 1 p.m. All times are Mountain Time.
Created for grades 4-12, but all are welcome.
Would you, could you, help a toad? For the Denver Zoo, the answer to this question is a resounding “yes!” The Boreal Toad, native to the mountains of the American West, is endangered in both Colorado and Wyoming. In turn, we think it will be TOADALLY cool to see how Denver Zoo field conservation & animal care teams are collaborating with Colorado Parks & Wildlife to restore this important species within its high-elevation habitat. Students get to ask specialists questions directly as we discuss the conservation of this quiet, yet extremely valuable species, along with actions we can take to be good neighbors to wildlife. Hop to it and register today!
Scientists in Action: Visualizing Animal Acoustics
Grades 4 - 12
Scientists In Action
Thursday, May 11, 2023
9 a.m., 10 a.m., 11 a.m., and 1 p.m. All times are Mountain Time.
Created for grades 4-12, but all are welcome.
Have you ever wondered what bats say to one another? How listening to bird songs can tell us the health of an ecosystem? In this exciting visit to Bluff Lake Nature Center, a natural space tucked quietly in the bustle of Denver, we take a listen…but not using our ears. Scientists studying the fauna of this local lake use technology to not only listen in on Chiropteran conversations or Avian acapellas, but create visual representations of what animals are saying. Combining ecology and technology, this trip shows us just how wild the world may be in our very own backyard.
Virtual Workshop Series: Inspiring Wonder - Using the 8 Science and Engineering Principles
Grades 4 - 8
Come learn how you can use the NGSS Science and Engineering Practices to transform your classroom from one in which students learn about science into one in which they figure out science. Increase your students' engagement and build their science skills all while stimulating curiosity and inspiring wonder.
This workshop series is designed to be as flexible as possible in order to provide educators who are physically or otherwise separated from our museum with the opportunity to collaborate with peers all over the state and access the Denver Museum of Nature and Science’s training and teacher resources
Anyone who wants to attend this series of workshops is most welcome.
Free Summer Preview Webinar- Sequence Matters- Sense Making By Design with Pat Brown
Grades 6 - 12
K-12 TPD
Wednesday, April 12, 2023
4:30–5:30 p.m. MT (3:30pm PT) (5:30pm CST) (6:30 pm ET)
Interested in A Taste of Our Upcoming Summer Course? Learn why sequence matters! Join renowned science educator and author Patrick Brown for a fun and interactive preview workshop. Walk away with some new ideas after we walk through an example activity and take time to deconstruct the magic behind the method.
See practical evidence-based strategies for bringing conceptual coherence for learners to your lessons and labs. You do not need to register for the summer course in order to find this webinar helpful.
Blended Course: Sense-Making By Design For Secondary Teachers
Grades 6 - 12
In-Person Portion
Weds-Fri June 21-23, 2023 ( 8am-3:30 pm), October 7 , 2023 (8am- 3:30pm)
Asynchronous On-Line Portion
September 4 -Oct 15 Complete Four Classroom Implementation Assignments & A Weekly Discussion Forum (approx 2 hrs per week of work for 6 weeks)
Learn why the sequence of your lessons and labs matters! Join renowned science educator and author Patrick Brown for a fun and interactive course about bringing conceptual coherence for learners to your lessons and labs.
The session is designed as a complete guided tour for novice teachers, classroom veterans, curriculum specialists, methods course instructors, and informal science educators
Topics include:
- What you need to do. An overview of an effective instructional model called “Explore Before Explain” with considerations about planning and designing effectively
- How to do it. Ready-to-teach lessons to cover a variety of science topics. Detailed examples show how specific aspects of all three dimensions of the NGSS can translate into your classroom.
- What to do next. Reflection questions will spark thinking throughout the sequencing process and help you to develop the knowledge necessary to adapt these concepts to your curriculum and students’ needs.
Interact with supportive peers as you develop your own practice of science instruction that promotes engagement as well as deep, long-lasting understanding for your students.
Demystifying STEM: An introduction to fun and practical approaches to engineering
Grades K - 5
Dates and times:
June 14 (Wednesday) 8:00am - 4:00pm
June 15 (Thursday) 8:00am - 4:00pm
June 16 (Friday) 8:00am - 12:00pm
You don't need to be a scientist or an engineer to teach STEM. You just need a little curiosity!
In collaboration with the University of Colorado Boulder’s TeachEngineering, Demystifying STEM is your entry point into engaging and ready to implement STEM teaching practices tailored specifically for the elementary school classroom. Come learn how teaching STEM can go hand-in-hand with teaching literacy, and how inquiry-based lessons can help give your students a head start towards developing 21st century skills.
Register now to receive a 50% early bird discount!
Peaks & Pikas: Climate Change in Mountain Ecosystems
Grades K - 12
Date and Time:
Onsite Orientation: June 28th 8:30-noon
In Mountains: July 7-9
A Natural History Immersion Experience in Indian Peaks Wilderness
For practicing K-12 teachers
- Family & Friends Welcome (must be 12 or older)
- 3 days and 2 nights in the field
- Wildflowers, Tundra, Wildlife, Stargazing
- Citizen Science Projects
Archive: 2020-2021 Tools @ Tea Time Program
K-12 TPD
Teachers! Grab your afternoon tea and log in for an end-of-the day boost, with tips and resources from the Museum Teacher Professional Development Team and an opportunity to share strategies with other teachers about remote and hybrid learning.
Museum 101
Specially designed for Preservice Teachers, these in-depth two-part sessions provide our future teachers of science and social studies the opportunity to:
- Participate in an inquiry-based activity that involves evidence gathering in one of the museum exhibition halls AND
- Explore the Museum’s unique resources and programs for students and teachers that can support both curriculum and teacher professional development.
Contact us at [email protected] to schedule.
Built to Fly
Grades 2 - 5
Curiosity Kits
Available for bookings now!
Discover the marvels of natural engineering! Explore the secrets of nature’s best fliers as your students build gliders and experiment with wing structures inspired by insects, birds, and bats. Imaginations will soar as your students learn about flight through this hands-on design challenge. A maximum of 105 students can be accommodated over three days.
Lost Worlds of Colorado
Grades 2 - 5
Curiosity Kits
From tropical rainforests to saltwater shores—surprise, discovery, and creativity await! Dig into Colorado’s past using the scientific process as paleontologists and geologists do. Analyze evidence and iconic discoveries, and create simulations of Colorado’s lost worlds where dinosaurs once roamed.
Powered By Nature
Grades 4 - 8
Curiosity Kits
Harness the power of Colorado’s natural resources in this hands-on game of geographic discovery and real-world ingenuity. Teams will be challenged to power cities across Colorado while balancing energy needs with environmental impacts and cost. Colorado’s future is in the hands of your students!
Preview the program here:
Invisible Forces: A Physics Challenge
Grades 4 - 8
Wonder Workshops
Race against the clock and use the invisible forces all around us to uncover mysterious codes and secrets. Your classroom will become a physics laboratory, where students will build, experiment, complete hands-on challenges, and reveal the physics behind sound waves, air pressure, and electricity. Let the adventure begin!
Mission To Mars
Grades 3 - 6
Wonder Workshops
Blast off on a journey of discovery and make room for a space station orbiting Mars, transporting your classroom of young astronauts. This transformation will challenge your group to use teamwork, critical thinking, and creativity to solve problems and design the future of space travel. Your Mars mission takes science to a new stratosphere! Junior astronauts will be left feeling inspired by human ingenuity and the universe around them.
Wild Senses
Grades PreK - 2
Wonder Workshops
We will transform your room into a natural wonderland ready to be explored. Young learners take on animal behaviors to experience the natural world around them, as animals would. Kids smell out their food like a squirrel, hunt in the dark like a raccoon, and use infrared detection to see prey like a snake. An adventurous Museum educator will guide your explorers as they discover adaptation and senses firsthand through animals’ wild senses. This program will amaze and delight your animals—er, kids—with pretend play and fun, educational activities.
Body Systems in Motion
Grades 4 - 8
Wonder Workshops
Get your body systems up and running while racing against the clock to complete challenges about your own body. The entire group will work together to bring their avatar to life.
Ocean Odyssey 3D
Runtime: 45 minutes
Five hundred million years ago, life left the ocean and populated the land. Today, the great ocean currents are the arteries and veins of Earth. Our climates, coastlines, ecosystems and economies are tied to the perpetual movement of water between continents. Learn more about one particularly fascinating flow — a massive oceanic river that stretches the length of Australia’s east coast – and discover how the ocean is our existence with "Ocean Odyssey.” This film takes you on a migrating journey through the life of a three-month-old baby whale from the warm tropics to the ice flows of Antarctica.
Serengeti 3D
Runtime: 45 minutes
Prepare to be awed by how nature works in one of the world’s greatest ecosystems. In the Serengeti, home to most of Africa’s iconic animals, life happens on an unprecedented scale. Lose yourself in how nature orchestrates a perfect symphony in which every species has a very distinct role to play in a larger story — the balance of an entire ecosystem. You’ll see this complex and at times cacophonous ecosystem through the eyes of the youngest members of our animal cast as they imitate their parents and learn about the mighty roles they will play.
Amazing Animal Adaptations: Bugs
Grades 2 - 5
Field Trip Adventures
Now accepting bookings for programs!
In this fun, interactive adventure, your students will participate in a facilitated program highlighting adaptations of animals in six different habitats using Museum collections and visit the Museum’s special exhibition, Bugs. Your students will explore how animals, many of which are featured in the temporary exhibition, use specialized senses and parts of their body to adapt to their environment.
UnEarth Colorado
Grades 2 - 5
Field Trip Adventures
Now accepting bookings for programs!
Dig up Colorado’s prehistoric past! Use real prehistoric evidence found in fossil analysis to become a junior paleontologist. This immersive experience allows students to interact with authentic prehistoric specimens and gather clues from ancient plants and animals.
Heart Lab
Grades 3 - 5
Field Trip Adventures
Now accepting bookings for programs!
Explore the human body and the parts and function of the circulatory system using hands-on investigations and small-group dissections of real sheep hearts.
Lung Lab
Grades 3 - 5
Field Trip Adventures
Now accepting bookings for programs!
Explore the human body and the parts and function of the respiratory system using hands-on investigations and small-group dissections of real sheep lungs.
Unraveling Mummies: Modern Technology, Dissection, and Ancient Egypt
Grades 6 - 8
Field Trip Adventures
Now accepting bookings for programs!
In our Unraveling Mummies Field Trip Adventure, students use CT imaging and dissections of a real sheep heart to dig into the culture, anatomy, and mummification & burial practices exercised by ancient Egyptians.
The Bear Necessities
Grades PreK - 1
Field Trip Adventures
Now accepting bookings for programs!
In this facilitated studio program, your students will be immersed in a Colorado habitat as they become black bears and search for food, water, and shelter. Also, explore the Bears & Sea Mammals diorama halls using an exhibit guide that is designed to connect your class with the exhibition and learn through play in the Discovery Zone.
Dinosaur Detectives
Grades PreK - 1
Field Trip Adventures
Now accepting bookings for programs!
Become a paleontologist in this studio program. Your students will uncover clues from the past in order to imagine what it was like when Colorado’s state dinosaur, Stegosaurus, roamed the land.
Design Your Own Adventure
Grades K - 8
Design Your Own
Feeling creative? This option allows you to plan your own adventure at the Museum. Curate your trip to meet your group's needs with temporary exhibitions and Planetarium shows. Permanent exhibitions and Museum entry are free for PreK-12 school and youth groups.
A Conversation with Astronauts Kjell Lindgren & Jessica Watkins
Grades 9 - 12
Have you ever been curious about what living and working in space is really like? What does a day look like on the International Space Station (ISS)? What does it take to be an astronaut? Come to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science as we welcome two of Colorado's favorite astronauts and hear about their career paths and their recent mission: 170 days in space as part of Crew-4 and ISS Expeditions 67/68. Submit your students' questions ahead of time to learn more about the life of an astronaut.
Tuesday, April 11, 2023, Noon - 1:00 p.m. in the Museum's Ricketson Auditorium.
Registration for this FREE in-person event opens March 21st at 10. a.m. To make a reservation, call 303-370-6000.
This event is for students 9th-12th grade.
Registration is limited to a minimum of 5 students per school and a maximum 35 students per school. Registration is on a first come, first served basis.
The ratio of students to chaperones for this event is 10:1. (Exceptions can be made for groups with special needs).
Please keep in mind that seating is limited for this in-person event. We ask that you do not register if you are uncertain that you will be able to attend. Need support for transportation to the museum? Learn more about our bus fuel fund.
Groups must plan to arrive at the museum no later than 11:00 am. Guests are more than welcome to arrive prior to the event and stay and enjoy the Museum after the event!
This is an in-person student event.