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Calling all Homeschool Students! Join us for a fun and educational day of learning at the Aquarium during one of our Homeschool Programs. The Oregon Coast Aquarium is a living classroom for all learners and offers a unique opportunity to discover the wildlife and ecosystems of the Oregon coast.
See below for details regarding our two 2025 dates and events below.
Join us Wednesday, March 5th for a fun and educational day of learning at the Aquarium! We will be hosting several Educational Programs (registration required) for homeschool students throughout the day as well as a variety of open-access activities (no pre-registration required).
| Time | Program | Location |
|---|---|---|
|
10:00 – 5:00 |
Welcome & Information Table |
Lobby |
|
10:00 – 12:00 |
Mindful Birding |
Nature Play Area |
|
10:30 – 11:30 |
Behind the Scenes Tour (Grades 9-12)* |
Lobby |
|
11:00 – 11:30 |
Storytime |
Gleason Event Room |
|
11:30 – 12:30 |
Get A Grip! (Grades K-2)* |
Classroom |
|
12:00 – 12:15 |
Ambassador Animal Presentation |
Gleason Event Room |
|
12:00 – 2:00 |
Animal Care 101 |
Nature Play Area |
|
1:30 – 2:30 |
Plankton Investigation (Grades 3-5)* |
Gleason Event Room |
|
2:30 – 3:30 |
Designing Animal Enrichment (Grades 6-8)* |
Gleason Event Room |
|
3:30 – 3:45 |
Ambassador Animal Presentation |
Gleason Event Room |
*registration required
Spaces are limited.
Learn more about our available programs!
10:30 am – Behind the Scenes Tour
This tour takes students behind-the-scenes to discover all about the science of animal care, training and water quality. How does the Aquarium care for a swarm of stinging jellies, and dozens of toothy sharks? Travel behind-the-scenes with us to explore the science behind caring for over 15,000 animals every day and discover what career possibilities await you.
11:30 pm – Get A Grip!
How do tidepool animals thrive in Oregon’s wild waves? Discover how through a hands-on investigation of these creatures and their amazing features which help them survive. Compare and contrast these features with familiar objects to learn how nature inspires human inventions!
1:30 pm – Plankton Investigation
Discover the world of plankton! Use scientific tools to collect microscopic life from the Yaquina Bay and examine the external structures of plankton. Use scientific reasoning to complete the lifecycle of a local mystery plankton. Make predictions, investigate, and discover!
2:30 pm – Designing Animal Enrichment
Explore the many ways zoos and aquariums help keep their animals mentally and physically healthy through animal enrichment. Meet our striped skunks Jackson and Palmer and learn about their unique needs. Then get hands-on with the engineering design process and create an actual enrichment item they can use!
No problem!
Don’t want to register for a program? Drop by a keeper talk, animal cart, challenge yourself to become a Jr. Aquarist, join us for Marine StoryTime, or many other non-registration activities throughout the day.
Check out our full schedule of registration and non-registration events above, or check out our Plan Your Visit page for animal feed times and more!
Not able to join us on March 5? Our next Homeschool day is November 6–check back closer to the event date for updates and to register!
Have you heard about our
Homeschool Discount?
Take advantage of our school group discount rate and use the field trip booking form for your next visit!
