Teacher Resources

Resources for Your Field Trip or Your Classroom

Our educators and volunteers are passionate about our incredible Oregon Coast and the amazing wildlife who share it with us. We offer a variety of programs and resources to meet your needs from self-guided tour materials to teacher workshops.

Questions? Contact our Teacher Programs Manager

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Teacher Workshops

Come learn at the coast! Whether you want to learn more about opportunities for your students or are looking to learn more yourself, our teacher workshops and open houses offer something for every teacher!

Estuary Investigations: Amplify your Nature Journaling with Scientific Tools

October 18, 2026

Back by popular demand!

Join the Oregon Coast Aquarium and the Yakona Nature Preserve and Learning Center as we explore student-driven investigations that combine nature journaling with scientific tools.

Discover simple ways your students can use scientific tools to dive deeper while nature journaling to develop strong data reasoning and critical thinking skills!
Build your own quadrat and transect to take back to your classroom to use with your students!
Work together with other teachers to design investigations for your students.

Fall Educator Open House

November 14, 2026

Have a question about planning a field trip? Wondering about having our educators come to visit your class? Curious about collaboration opportunities or educator workshops? Drop by our free Educator Open House on Saturday, November 14, 2026 to learn more about the many different education opportunities with the Aquarium.

As part of the Open House we will have hands-on explorative tables for several of our educational programs to help you experience what the program would be like for your students. Educators will be there all day to chat and answer questions. Each of our on-site programs is designed with specific grades in mind, but can be adapted to meet your needs.

Aquarium Entry is FREE for all Oregon teachers (a valid school ID will be asked for at Admissions).

We will also be offering two opportunities to preview our Behind the Scenes Tour and Career Exploration program. Tours are free but space is limited. Be sure to reserve your space now!

Classroom Curriculum

EXPLORING NATURE’S FAMILIES

Recommended for Grades 1-2

This place-based educational program was developed by the Cascade Head Biosphere Collaborative and the Oregon Coast Aquarium. “Exploring Nature’s Families” is uniquely designed for younger learners and invites them to explore the interdependence and biodiversity of estuaries through the lens of three families and how they find food and safety in the estuary. Through the 6-part video series, students will be immersed in the landscape, traversing through forests, wetlands, ultimately out to sea as they uncover clues to what make the estuary such an amazing home. This video series is a learning journey paired with interactive activities, providing the tools needed for a complete lesson plan. This program will provide hands-on opportunities for learning and exploration about the biodiversity of life in the estuary, the relationships between parents and their young, our own role and responsibility as living beings who are also dependent on the estuary, and more. Activities will invite students to use critical thinking and collaborative group work to answer real questions and generate ideas.

To access the Exploring Nature’s Families Video Series, click here.

To access the Exploring Nature’s Families Teacher’s Guide and Classroom Lessons, click here.

Exploring Oregon’s Rocky Shores

Recommended for Grades 3-5

Learn about the unique species that call our rocky shores home and their adaptations for surviving in their ever-changing habitat! During this interactive unit your students will gain an understanding and appreciation for these amazing coastal creatures, both in the classroom and at the beach. The curriculum packet includes:

Information about the biology, ecology, current issues, and human dimensions of tidepool ecosystems

To access the Teacher’s Guide to Exploring Oregon’s Rocky Shores, click here.

Raindrop to sea

Recommended for Grades 5-6

This place-based education program was developed by the Cascade Head Biosphere Collaborative , Oregon Coast Aquarium, and the Lincoln County School District. “Raindrop to Sea” explores the inner workings of the water cycle, providing students insight into weather, watersheds, and life in the wetlands. Resources include nine videos which guide students through a watershed in the awe-inspiring Cascade Head Biosphere Collaborative on the Central Oregon Coast. Led by two engaging Youth Correspondents as hosts, students will be immersed in the landscape, traversing through forests, wetlands, and ultimately out to sea as they track a raindrop through the never-ending water cycle. This video series is a learning journey paired with interactive curriculum activities, providing the tools needed for a complete lesson plan.

To access the Raindrop to Sea Video Series, click here.

To access the Raindrop to Sea Teacher’s Guide with Classroom Activities, click here.

Diving into Oregon's Kelp Forests

Recommended for Grades 6-8

Though invisible to people without the aid of a boat or SCUBA gear, kelp forests are a dominant ecosystem along much of Oregon’s coastline. These “underwater forests” provide food and shelter to thousands of species, and resources that people use every day. A series of hands-on investigations will help your students answer the following questions:

This curriculum packet includes step-by-step guidance for introductory and wrap-up activities, three hands-on student investigations, background information, and additional resources.

To access the Teacher’s Guide to Diving into Oregon’s Kelp Forests, click here

It's Your Coast

Recommended for Grades 6-7

This program focuses on the characteristics that make the Oregon Coast special and unique, and ways that people can build their relationship with coastal places, organisms, and ecosystems. Using a place-based education approach, we aim to improve students’ connection to the Oregon Coast by using visual aids (e.g., maps, photos, technology) and various aspects of place as educational tools.

This program follows a broad and open-ended framework, providing structure for students to investigate their surroundings using many different experiential learning approaches, including journaling, field-based activities, observation, and reflection.

To access the Teacher’s Guide to It’s Your Coast, click here

Accompanying resources:

Coast COnnections

Recommended for Grades K-8

The Oregon Coast Aquarium and Lincoln County School District (LCSD) have a long-standing Ocean Literacy Partnership with the goal of making our students the best-prepared oceanic sciences students in the country. To support that goal, Oregon Coast Aquarium and Lincoln County School District are creating a new education framework that will make local environments and communities the context for learning. Each grade level will be organized around one Focus Ecosystem, with both classroom and field-based investigations, based on the Next Generation Science Standards and local issues. This framework is currently under development. For more information about these programs or other opportunities for teachers, contact education@aquarium.org.

Adopt an Animal

Any Grade

Adopting an animal is a great way to help your students build connections with our very own Oregon wildlife and foster a heart for marine conservation. Our classroom adoption package includes additional educational resources and content centered around your adopted animal to use in your classroom.

Collaborate With Us!

Interested in collaborating with the Aquarium to design a project for your students? We would love to work with you to design a project that engages your students in authentic STEAM challenges around marine science and conservation with real world applications here at the Aquarium and on the Oregon Coast!

For more information about these programs or other opportunities for teachers, contact our Teacher Programs Manager.

Teacher Resources

Resources for Your Field Trip or Your Classroom

Teacher Workshops

Estuary Investigations: Amplify your Nature Journaling with Scientific Tools

Fall Educator Open House

Classroom Curriculum

EXPLORING NATURE’S FAMILIES

Exploring Oregon’s Rocky Shores

Raindrop to sea

Diving into Oregon's Kelp Forests

It's Your Coast

Coast COnnections

Adopt an Animal

Collaborate With Us!

Contact Us

Subscribe to E-Newsletter

About Oregon Coast Aquarium

Teacher Resources

Resources for Your Field Trip or Your Classroom

Teacher Workshops

Estuary Investigations: Amplify your Nature Journaling with Scientific Tools

Fall Educator Open House

Educator Newsletter

Classroom Curriculum

EXPLORING NATURE’S FAMILIES

Exploring Oregon’s Rocky Shores

Raindrop to sea

Diving into Oregon's Kelp Forests

It's Your Coast

Coast COnnections

Adopt an Animal

Collaborate With Us!

Contact Us

Subscribe to E-Newsletter

About Oregon Coast Aquarium