Join your friends at the Museum as we put the “pal” in paleontology at this Pleistocene Pop-Up family fun festival all about fossils! Meet geologists, paleontologists, naturalists, and artists for an afternoon of family-friendly fun, activity stations, fossil interactives, and so much more. Featured programs throughout the day include a fossil identification station, a Rockin’...
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...
Every year, October 15th is National Fossil Day. But why limit the fun to just a day? At the Museum, we’re turning it into a month-long celebration of fossils with a Pleistocene Pop-Up exhibit and events! Our Fossil Frenzy First Friday will showcase paleontologists, geologists, and scientific illustrators with a fossil focus. Bring your mystery...
For Safari September’s grand finale, travel back in time to learn the mysteries of the prehistoric American Cheetah! Discover how this extinct top predator once dominated ancient North America and why it no longer exists. Using cutting-edge paleogenomics research, uncover how scientists use prehistoric data to inform future conservation efforts. After the presentation, Dr. Josh...
This Safari September lecture is all about advocacy through art! Join celebrated artists and naturalists as they share the impact their masterpieces have on conservation education, international endangered species policies, and how they translate conservation science to the canvas. As a behind-the-scenes bonus, they will debut their newest works of art before and after their...
Safari September is off to a ROARing start, as we learn the conservation biology of big cats and other wildlife! Through the lens of nature photography, join award-winning documentarians and photographers as they share their stories and images that showcase their passion for wildlife conservation. REGISTRATION Class Size: 60 participants Materials: Light refreshments...
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...
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 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...
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...
Looking for a GNEISS way to spend your weekend? Well, you won't want to take this special event for GRANITE! Join geologists from University of California, Santa Cruz to share your mineralogical marvels and have them identified inside the Museum's galleries. Price: This special event is Free with Admission. $5 Adults | $3 Students and...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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
Summer is in full swing, and the Museum is inviting your entire family to celebrate the sunny season with us! Soak up the sun with family-friendly festivities, food, and fun. Kids of all ages will enjoy an afternoon of live music, arts and crafts, sweet treats, live animals, and so much more! This event runs...
The mission of the Sempervirens Fund is to ensure the gigantic coast redwood forests in the Santa Cruz Mountains thrive for generations to come. But what does land stewardship mean and how does it relate to the conservation of an endangered tree? Learn how the Sempervirens Fund protects redwood forests in the Santa Cruz mountains,...
As part of this Jumbo July special, join an esteemed artist as you learn the science and art behind the most massive mollusk around! Featuring beautiful scientific illustration displays, this program is perfect for aspiring artists and marine biologists alike. Taught by a professional illustrator and naturalist, this workshop will begin with a scientific presentation...
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...
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...
As part of this redwood exhibit special, learn from a featured scientific illustrator on how to capture the intricate beauty of forest ecosystems. Using the rare artistic medium, Dura-Lar, learn specialized stenciling and color pencils techniques with step-by-step instruction by a master naturalist and artist. By layering reference materials under the Dura-Lar, participants will learn...
The Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History is thrilled to be partnering with the Sempervirens Fund to offer Jumbo July, a series highlighting enormous trees, forest-dwelling giants, and our collaborative exhibit: Treasured Trees: The Story of Coast Redwoods. While California might be famous for coast redwoods, get your passport ready as this Jumbo July lecture...
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
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...
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. Learn the basics of chalk pastel and colored pencil with step-by-step instruction by a master scientific illustrator. After a nature walk to gain knowledge...
Jumbo July is off to a blazing start, as we learn the science behind redwood trees fireproof capabilities. This hot topic will showcase the unique adaptations of redwood trees, how wildfires transform forest ecology, and how the ecosystems are able to bounce back. REGISTER Instructor: Brian Woodward - Sempervirens’ Land & Stewardship Committee and Forest...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
