Outreach

Let us come to you!

The Great Valley Museum Traveling Teacher Program offers a variety of science programs from chemistry, biology, geology, earth science to history in your classroom. The programs allow students to discover critical thinking, engineering, observation, and problem solving skills through experiments and hands-on activities.

Overview

• All programs include hands-on and interactive activities
• Each presentation is 60 to 90 minutes
• Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)

Requirements

• Maximum of 30 students for each presentation
• Up to four 60 minute presentations per day
• Minimum of 2 presentations per day for cities outside of Modesto
• Signed Outreach Program Agreement before first scheduled program
• Classroom teachers must be present at all times during the presentations
• When scheduling more than one presentation per day, set up must be in one room and have the multipe class come to them.

Fees

• Program fees are listed as member and non-member
• Mileage fee additonal for all programs
• Invoice is sent out at the end of the month that the program takes place
• Payments cannot be taken by the traveling teacher
• Programs cancelled 2 business days prior to the scheduled date will be charged the full cost of the program.
• To schedule a program, please email Eden Chung at chunge@yosemite.edu or call 209.575.6674.
  • Please provide school name and address, program, grade level, # of students, dates and times.
• Annual school memberships are avilable for $250 and offer a 25% discount off all programs, in-preson musuem tours and group planetaium shows.

2024-2025 Programs

Animal Adventure
Grade: K-6th
Time: 60 minutes
Price: $150/$200
NGSS: From Molecules to Organisms
Discover and learn about the skin type, characteristics, body structure, behavior, and habitat of reptiles, amphibians, insects, mammals, and more! This program includes live animals.

Astronomy
Grade: 3-8th
Time: 60 minutes
Price: $150/$200
NGSS: Earth’s Place in the Universe
Participate in an amazing intergalactic cosmic tour through models, demos and hands-on lecture-labs. Our tour begins with our own Milky Way Galaxy, Solar System of Planets and gravity forces in the universe. We will review eclipses, eight moon phases, create meteor craters, and witness the first lunar landing in human history. Our journey ends with different types of stars, constellations, star clocks, and how to find and navigate by the North Star.

Chemical Reaction
Grade: 3-6th
Time: 90 minutes
Price: $150/$200
NGSS: Matter and It’s Interactions
Chemical reaction is at the heart of every biological process in the universe. Students will administer experiments with different chemicals and determine if a chemical reaction took place by observing the change in temperature, color, odor, and production of gas.

Crime Lab Chemistry
Grade: 3-6th
Time: 60 minutes
Price: $120/$160
NGSS: Engineering Design
Who stole Lana Lava’s sweater?! Who is the culprit that left the ransom note?
Students will become forensic detectives and scientists to solve a crime. Students will use the scientific method of observation, hypothesis, prediction, test/experiment, and conclusion.

Eggs are Everywhere
Grade: K-2nd
Time: 60 minutes
Price: $120/$160
NGSS: From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes
Discover the life cycles of oviparous animals. Students will identify eggs of fish, insects, birds, and reptiles and learn different parts of an egg.

Electricity
Grade: 3-6th
Time: 60 minutes
Price: $150/$200
NGSS: Energy
Build a series and parallel circuit! Students will build circuits using wires, batteries, motors, sockets, propellers, and light bulbs and discover what materials are electrical conductors and insulators.

Eye Dissection
Grade: 3-6th
Time: 60 minutes
Price: $240/$320
NGSS: Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes
Explore the structure and function of different parts of the eye. Students will dissect a cow eye and uncover the anatomy behind sight.

Five Senses
Grade: K–1st
Time: 60 minutes
Price: $120/$160
NGSS: From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes
Explore and discover properties of different objects using your five senses!

Flower Dissection
Grade: 1–3rd
Time: 60 minutes
Price: $120/$160
NGSS: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
Flowers play an important role in the reproduction process of a plant. Students will dissect a flower and learn the function of each part of a flower.

Lights & Rainbows
Grade: K–2nd
Time: 60 minutes
Price: $120/$160
NGSS: Waves and their Applications in Tech for Info transfer
How do we get white light? Students will investigate the properties of light, rainbow formation, primary colors, and secondary colors through hands on activities.

Magical Magnets
Grade: 1-3rd
Time: 60 minutes
Price: $120/$160
NGSS: Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions
Earth is a giant magnet surrounded by an invisible magnetic force. What properties allow the earth to become a giant magnet? Students will engage in hands on activities and learn about the magnetic properties through hypothesis, observation, and experiment.

Motion & Machines
Grade: 2–4th
Time: 60 minutes
Price: $120/$160
NGSS: Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions
Everything in the universe moves! Students will learn the key concepts of physics including force, gravity, friction, inertia, and momentum. Students will then apply this knowledge to work with a wheel and axle, lever, pulley, inclined plane, screw and wedge.

Oceans
Grade: 1–4th
Time: 60 minutes
Price: $120/$160
NGSS: Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity
About 70% of the earth’s surface is covered in water and the ocean holds about 96% of all Earth’s water. Uncover and explore the animals and plants found in the vast ocean habitat.

Owl Pellets
Grade: 3-6th
Time: 60 minutes
Price: $240/$320
NGSS: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
Learn about owls and the relationship to their prey. Students will dissect owl pellets and identify the bones of their prey.

Rainforest
Grade: 1–3rd
Time: 60 minutes
Price: $120/$160
NGSS: Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity
Imagine the beautiful colors and sounds of plants and animals of the rainforest. What sort of colors do you see and what animals do you hear? Discover the animals and plants found in the rainforest among the layers of the rainforest.

Rocks & Minerals
Grade: 2-6th
Time: 60 minutes
Price: $120/$160
NGSS: Earth’s Place in the Universe
Learn about the rock cycle, how rocks and minerals are formed, and everyday uses for rocks. Students will discover the characteristics and properties of sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rocks.

Scat n’ Tracks
Grade: K-3th
Time: 60 minutes
Price: $120/$160
NGSS: Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity
How can you tell which animal lives in the area? By discovering their scat and tracks! Evidence of life is all around us. Students will observe animal’s footprints, scat, habitat, bite marks, and etc.

Science or Magic?
Grade: 3-6th
Time: 60 minutes
Price: $150/$200
NGSS: Engineering Design
Abracadabra! No wait, its science! Students will conduct experiments to determine whether the experiments are science or magic. Students will learn about polymer, chemical reaction, refraction, and surface tension.

Squid Dissection
Grade: 3-6th
Time: 60 minutes
Price: $240/$320
NGSS: Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes
Squids are one of the most fascinating invertebrates living in the ocean. Learn about what they eat, how they move, and their behavior. Students will dissect a squid and identify the body parts and its function.

Volcanoes
Grade: 3-6th
Time: 60 minutes
Price: $120/$160
NGSS: Earth’s System
Volcanoes are openings in the Earth’s surface located where tectonic plates meet. Students will explore different types of volcanoes, how they are formed, and create their own volcanoes.

Weather, Clouds, & Water
Grade: K–5th
Time: 60 minutes
Price: $120/$160
NGSS: Earth’s Systems
What are the signs of rain? How do we know a storm is brewing? Students will learn how to predict oncoming weather and use instruments to measure different types of weather.

Web of Life
Grade: 3-6th
Time: 60 minutes
Price: $120/$160
NGSS: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
The sun plays a vital role in supporting all plant and animal life. Students will understand the ecological balance of the food chain and the important role of each producer and consumer. They will explore the hierarchy of species, human impact on ecosystems, natural selection, and adaptations.

Yokuts & Miwoks, Native Californians
Grade: 3-6th
Time: 60 minutes
Price: $120/$160
History: 3.1, 3.2, 4.2
The California Native Americans had a unique way of life that was very different from the one we live today. Discover their way of life and culture through artifacts, realia, and photos. Students will get a taste of their way of life by using various tools used by the Yokuts and Miwoks.