Field Trip Add-ons
Field Trip Add-ons
Super-charge your field trip experience with a Field Trip Add-on! From hands-on science labs to educational IMAX, there’s an option for nearly every subject and learner!
Hands-on Labs
These 60 minute lab programs are fee-based and take place in designated classroom spaces at 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m., and 12:30 p.m. Please see pricing options at the bottom of this page. Minimum of 20 students required to reserve a hands-on lab. Hands-on lab programs are available Sept. 9, 2026 through June 4, 2027.
- Advanced Down the Drain Grades 7-12 Students will explore potential careers in the water industry by becoming civil engineers and environmental technicians. Working to protect our waterways they will design different types of storm drain grates to keep trash out of the Bay’s watershed. Learn More
- Advanced Physics of Roller Coasters Grades 9-12 Calculate the thrills and excitement of a roller coaster prototype! Use advanced physics concepts to create a scale model of a roller coaster and compare it to real world thrill rides. Learn More
- Chemicals of Innovation Grade 5 Investigate chemical properties and conservation of matter in this lab featuring the elements of life. Students experiment with chemical reactions to prove (or disprove!) their hypotheses. Learn More
- Chemistry of Plastination Grades 8-12 More than just anatomy, Body Worlds Decoded is also a display of advanced chemical processes. Students investigate and experiment with some of the chemistry behind the preservation process of Body Worlds. Learn More
- DNA and Genetics Grades 6-8 Investigate the wonders of DNA and genetics as students examine their own cells under a microscope, and then go on to extract their own DNA which they can see with the naked eye! This lab was created in partnership with the Stanford Department of Genetics Learn More
- Down the Drain Grades 3-7 Students will discover how to use science and their own ideas to protect Earth’s natural resources in this environment focused lab. By designing and constructing different types of storm drain grates they will iterate to keep trash out of the Bay’s watershed from San Jose to the Pacific Ocean. Learn More
- Engineering for Earthquakes Grades 4-8 Construct seismically sound structures to survive “The Big One.” Students work as teams to practice structural design and the engineering process as they learn how to protect against one of California’s greatest natural threats: earthquakes. Learn More
- Make it Matter Grade 2 only Play with the building blocks of the universe: matter! Students explore and experiment with the properties of matter using everyday chemicals and compounds. Learn More
- Physics of Roller Coasters Grades 2-8 Students from grades 2 to 8 will experience science and engineering through our hands-on Physics of Roller Coaster labs. Click here to find out more details for each grade level. Learn More
- Simplicity of Electricity Grades 4-8 Students from grades 4 to 8 will tinker with circuits to learn about electricity. Click here to find out more details for specific grade levels. Learn More
Educational IMAX Films
Some of the below titles will be available in 20-25 minute format, at 10:15 a.m., 11 a.m., and 11:45 a.m. Please see pricing options at the bottom of this page.
- “T. REX” For over a hundred years dinosaurs have inspired and thrilled audiences, commanding blockbuster status in museums and at the box office. But among them towers a king — a tyrant lizard king. With leaps in CGI wizardry and revolutions in tyrannosaur paleontology over the past twenty-five years, the time has come to revisit rex in the world’s prestigious museum cinemas.
- “Jane Goodall’s Reasons for Hope” Drawing on decades of work by the world’s most famous living ethologist and environmentalist, Jane Goodall-Reasons for Hope, is an uplifting journey around the globe to highlight good news stories that will inspire people to make a difference in the world around them.
- “Blue Whales” Dive beneath the waves off the exotic Seychelles Islands on a high-risk mission to find a missing population of blue whales not seen in 50 years, and visit the stunning Gulf of California to explore the important role these remarkable animals play in the health of our oceans.
45-minute Educational IMAX Films
Some of the below titles will be available in the full length 45-minute format, at 12:30 p.m., 1:30 p.m., and 2:30 p.m.
- Horse Power The modern world was built on horseback. Embark on an epic and heartwarming journey across the globe celebrating the extraordinary abilities of horses and their inseparable bond with humanity. Watch Trailer
- Lost Wolves of Yellowstone Lost Wolves of Yellowstone unearths one of the most daring wildlife experiments in American history—the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park after a 50-year absence. Told through long-lost 16mm archival footage, the film captures the tense early days of the project as a small group of Canadian wolves, held in acclimation pens, prepared to reclaim a wilderness that had nearly forgotten them. As biologists fought legal battles and public outrage outside the park gates, the wolves faced their own fight for survival within. What unfolds is a visceral, real-time portrait of ecological rebirth, political resistance, and the untamed spirit of nature given one final chance to return home. Watch Trailer
- Penguins: A Love Story When you think of penguins, Antarctica probably comes to mind. But did you know these charismatic birds also thrive in surprising places like sunny Africa and Australia? At Boulder Beach in South Africa, watch a heartwarming love story unfold between two African penguins as they navigate life beyond the shore. Then, journey to coastal Australia, where two colonies of the world’s smallest (and most adorable) penguins are adapting to a changing world, forging unexpected friendships along the way. Watch Trailer
- Shark Kingdom Dive deep with some of the ocean’s most powerful predators in this immersive underwater adventure. Watch Trailer
- Space: The New Frontier Narrated by Star Trek’s Chris Pine.An entire generation came of age with the indescribable awe of landing on the Moon, and the ensuing Golden Age of Space has changed our world forever. More than 50 years later, a new era has quietly dawned on us, with new hope for humanity as a spacefaring species. Watch Trailer
- Wild Rescue Experience the inspiring journey of animals given a second chance at a wild life in this giant screen adventure. Based on the work at the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network, this uplifting film follows the dedicated teams who rescue, rehabilitate, and release injured and orphaned wild animals. With breathtaking cinematography and heartwarming moments, Wild Rescue reminds us that every creature deserves a second chance—and that hope is worth fighting for. Watch Trailer
Pricing for Field Trip Add-ons
Title I Schools*
IMAX educational film: $10 per student, $6 per chaperone. Price includes admission.
Hands-on Lab + Admission Combo: $10 per student; minimum of 20 and maximum of 32 students required. Price includes admission.
Hands-on Lab + IMAX + Admission combo: $15 per student; minimum of 20 and maximum of 32 students required. Price includes admission.
Non-Title I Schools
IMAX educational film: $17 per student, $6 per chaperone. Price includes admission.
Hands-on Lab + Admission Combo: $18 per student; minimum of 20 and maximum of 32 students required. Price includes admission.
Hands-on Lab + IMAX + Admission Combo: $25 per student; minimum of 20 and maximum of 32 students required. Price includes admission.
Finished Planning Your Field Trip?
Hands-on Labs are offered at 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m., and 12:30 p.m. on school field trip operating days from Sept. 9, 2026 - June 4, 2027
*If 40% or more of the students in your program meet the federal guidelines for free or reduced-price lunch, your program is eligible for this subsidy.
A $100 deposit is required for all field trip bookings. This deposit will be applied toward your total cost of field trip booking.
Canceling a lab within three weeks of the scheduled date will result in forfeiture of your deposit, unless cancelation was due to a public health directive.
To reserve a lab program or IMAX film, please indicate your interest when reserving your field trip date. A Group Reservations Specialist will call within five business days to confirm and finalize your booking, including times for any hands-on labs or IMAX films requested.