Calling young explorers and scientists curious about nature! This summer, young naturalists join us on a journey to investigate the wildlife of the Santa Cruz Mountains and Coast. Campers spend the week exploring nearby beach, creek, and garden habitats, and learning about the wild world of animals around us. CAMP FULL JOIN THE WAITLIST For...
Are you curious about curating? Join the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History this summer to learn about the natural world by studying museum specimens, exploring outdoors, and building a museum collection of your own. Campers will build friendships while investigating nature, playing games, and creating awesome crafts! CAMP FULL JOIN THE WAITLIST For students...
Join a state-wide citizen science initiative as the Museum teams up with the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center for a tidepooling BioBlitz! Coinciding with a King Tide, assist marine biologists as they survey the flora and fauna found in the crevices of Davenport Beach. Watch the sunrise as you contribute to the California-wide...
The Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History is thrilled to be partnering with the UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute as they open the vault to bring you a month of intriguing science mysteries and behind-the-scenes research! To celebrate the end of Genome June and the opening of the Museum’s new Treasured Trees exhibit, our final...
Let’s get festive with redwood horticultural art! Celebrate the new Treasured Trees exhibit and the wonder of forestscapes by crafting an arboreal-inspired sculpture. This course will satisfy both plant and art lovers alike as you learn the science of redwood ecosystems by designing, weaving, and mounting redwood materials into a beautiful model. Create a masterpiece for your...
Are you a fossil forager, a dinosaur discoverer, or a rock wrangler? Join the Museum as we unearth the fossils, rocks, and ancient history of Santa Cruz by exploring the many surprising things you can learn from digging into the ground. Campers entering K-2nd grade will build friendships while investigating artifacts, studying fossils, playing games,...
Have you ever wondered what it takes to be able to live here in Santa Cruz? This summer, young adventurers can join us as we investigate the plants and animals that call Santa Cruz home and learn how they manage to survive and thrive here. Campers will go on walking field trips to explore nearby...
4th of July is always full of fun, fireworks, and friends! But our festivities can leave a mess on the beaches and potentially harm marine life. So, after celebrating the 4th of July, join the Museum on the 5th of July as we team up with Save Our Shores for a beach cleanup! Give back...
Have you ever noticed how places in nature around Santa Cruz are different from each other? In this camp young adventurers can join us on a journey to study the many incredible and interesting habitats you can find here. Campers will become more observant of the connections in nature around them and deepen their appreciation...
Biomimicry is an engineering concept that uses ideas from nature to create sustainable solutions. We invite kids to spend the week exploring and drawing inspiration from nature to solve design challenges and engineer their own solutions to help humans live more sustainably on Earth. The week leads up to completing an engineering project and an...
Don’t miss this special opportunity for Museum Volunteers and Members to take a private, guided tour of pristine birding habitats. Led by local birding experts, explore the wondrous wilderness of the Santa Cruz County Land Trust! The nature preserve’s habitats include sandhills, ponds, and wildflower meadows. Veteran naturalists and nature newbies are sure to be...
Join us for for a family-friendly event at Pajaro Valley Arts as part of their Off the Streets: Paint Jam event! See our herpetology collections and learn about our local environment. ¡Únase a nosotros en un evento familiar en Pajaro Valley Arts! Descubra nuestras colecciones de herpetología y aprenda sobre nuestro entorno local. These programs...
Calling young artists and scientists curious about nature! This summer, young explorers can join us on a journey to investigate symmetries, patterns, and curiosities in the natural world. Spend the week exploring nearby beach, creek, and garden habitats, and making all sorts of art inspired by what we discover. CAMP FULL JOIN THE WAITLIST For...
Calling young artists and scientists curious about nature! This summer, young explorers can join us on a journey to investigate symmetries, patterns, and curiosities in the natural world. Spend the week exploring nearby beach, creek, and garden habitats, and making all sorts of art inspired by what we discover. REGISTER For entering K-2nd grade
Do you love flipping rocks and logs and studying our invertebrate friends? This summer, young naturalists join us on a journey to investigate the animals of Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay that do not have a backbone, ranging from tiny creatures to some of the biggest in the world! Campers spend the week exploring nearby...
Calling budding artists and scientists curious about nature! Join us on a journey to investigate symmetries, patterns, and curiosities in the natural world. Spend the week exploring nearby beach, creek, and garden habitats, and making all sorts of art inspired by what we discover. Observe, explore, and appreciate the wonders of the natural world here...
Are you a green thumb or a budding botanist? Join the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History for Bodacious Botany camp this summer to learn about the natural world by studying plants, trees, and much more. Campers will build friendships while investigating nature, playing games, and creating awesome crafts! REGISTER For entering 3rd-4th grade
Are you a future scientist? We invite kids to join the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History for Experiments in Nature camp to perform experiments and studies in the fields of biology, chemistry, physics, ocean studies, and climate science. Explore nature while learning more about how scientists study the natural world that surrounds us. REGISTER For entering...
In collaboration with Santa Cruz Shakespeare, join us and the Children's Museum of Discovery for our two Family Days at the Grove! All ages welcome for these two amazing shows. Arrive early to take part in the fun activities and enjoy lunch before the shows in our beautiful picnic area overlooking Monterey Bay.
Jumbo July wraps up by showcasing the giants dwelling within the redwood duff. These gargantuan trees hide an equally massive array of wildlife, and none more extraordinary than the seemingly mythical Giant Salamander. There is a lot to unpack with these large legends and here is an opportunity to learn about their incredible survival abilities,...
The Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History is turning 120 years old! Author Taylor Lahey will be reading his debut book, 'Câmbio'. To celebrate, we're throwing a huge birthday party for August's First Friday! We're bringing together some of our friends from across the community for a night of games, arts and crafts, music, and...
Love nature, science, and art but don’t know where to start? Here is your opportunity to master a new skill and bring home your own environmentally-inspired masterpiece after just one class. Celebrate the opening of the new Treasured Trees exhibit, and the redwoods’ resilience to fire, by learning to work with charcoal. Taught through step-by-step...
In collaboration with Santa Cruz Shakespeare, join us and the Children's Museum of Discovery for our two Family Days at the Grove! All ages welcome for these two amazing shows. Arrive early to take part in the fun activities and enjoy lunch before the shows in our beautiful picnic area overlooking Monterey Bay.
For one night only, meet the creative genius behind the internationally acclaimed children's book, Câmbio. During this intimate evening, join celebrated author Taylor Lahey as he shares the rich story behind crafting his historical fiction. What started as a research trip to Brazil evolved into an experience with a city's time-tested sustainability program. Taylor's work...
Come enjoy our collection of shells, sea sponges, and more! We'll learn about marine life and will make a shell print that you can take home. ¡Venga a disfrutar de nuestra colección de conchas, esponjas marinas y más! Aprenderemos sobre la vida marina y haremos una impresión de conchas que podrá llevar a casa.
Go outside and learn to paint gouache and watercolor landscapes while surrounded by nature as inspiration! This open-air art workshop will teach the techniques necessary to capture environmental perspectives through the creative use of negative space, layering, various stroke techniques, and more. Using the Museum's exclusive access to various vistas as reference, participants will be...
In collaboration with the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, adventure through exclusive areas as you partake in a redwood forest exploration. Guided by an expert ecologist, prepare to trailblaze into the unknown as you explore unique redwood forest ecosystems, survey wildfire scars, and, if you’re lucky, you might even discover an albino redwood! Open...
Join us for a family-friendly event at Pajaro Valley Arts! We will be learning about shells and performing a shell print, which you'll be able to take home with you. Venga a un evento familiar en Pajaro Valley Arts! Aprenderemos sobre las conchas y realizaremos una impresión de conchas, que podrá llevarse a casa.
In collaboration with the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, adventure through exclusive areas as you partake in a redwood forest exploration. Guided by an expert ecologist, prepare to trailblaze into the unknown as you explore unique redwood forest ecosystems, survey wildfire scars, and, if you’re lucky, you might even discover an albino redwood! Open...
Capture the beauty of redwoods on canvas using the forests as inspiration. In celebration of the new Treasured Trees exhibit, adventure into the redwoods of the Byrne-Milliron Forest and learn to paint with oils using nature as a living reference. This open-air art workshop will teach the techniques necessary to capture environmental perspectives through the...
Looking for the purr-fect way to spend your Friday night? You otter swing by to celebrate Safari September! The Museum is thrilled to partner with the Cheetah Conservation Fund and Sea Otter Savvy to showcase these marvelous mammals all month long. Join us for a hare-raising adventure as wildlife photographers display their images of endangered species...
Join the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History for a collaborative workshop connecting local educators with tribal leaders and scholars. This workshop aims to deepen knowledge, clarify terminology, and provide a space for dialogue about incorporating a native perspective into K-12 curriculum. Teachers will have the opportunity to work side-by-side with colleagues and tribal representatives...
Join us to celebrate California Biodiversity Day with a hands-on park beautification project! Discover the beauty of native wildflowers and help support local ecosystems. Participants will go on a native plant walk, learn about California flowers and pollinators, and the conservation efforts to restore fragile coastal landscapes through sustainable gardening. After the plant walk, participants...
Join us for a hands-on, in-person workshop in partnership with the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History. This training is required for new participating teachers, grades 6th-12th. REGISTER Attendees will: Receive a 5-lesson curriculum aligned with NGSS and Common Core Get hands-on training in Pacific mole crab data collection and analysis → includes a classroom...
Go outside and learn to paint gouache and watercolor landscapes while surrounded by nature as inspiration. This open-air art workshop will teach the techniques necessary to capture environmental perspectives through the creative use of negative space, layering, various stroke techniques, and more. Using the Museum's exclusive access to various vistas as reference, participants will be...
We are coming together as a community to steward Tyrrell Park through the City’s Adopt-A-Park program. At the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History, you gain new wisdom about local ecology, native plants, and sustainable gardening while connecting with nature outdoors. It’s time to get your hands dirty! Join us and volunteer in the Museum’s...
