We've got a lot to offer.
Many programs are available for booking this fall, with more exciting experiences returning in the spring. Click on the links for each program to confirm availability. Book your program today!
Astrotots to the Moon!
Virtual Science Academy
Recommended for ages 3-5
Countdown to lunar exploration and fun! Put on your helmet and buckle up as we blast off together for an adventure that takes us to Earth’s moon and back, all powered by our rocket-fueled imaginations. Students will have a chance to practice their science skills as they travel virtually with our professional Museum educators.
Virtual Heart
Grades 3 - 8
Virtual Science Academy
Available for bookings now!
2022 VSA Heart Science Standards
Get your students' pulse going with this live dissection experience. Your class will participate in interactive experiments and discussion, as well as guide the dissection of a real sheep heart.
Virtual Lung
Grades 3 - 8
Virtual Science Academy
Available for bookings now!
2022 VSA Lung Science Standards
Take your classes' breath away as they get to peer inside the respiratory system. Explore lung anatomy while observing a sheep lung dissection and participate in activities, then make observations to learn how the respiratory system works.
Virtual Art Station: Titan
Grades 1 - 8
Virtual Science Academy
Available for bookings now!
2022 VSA Titan Science Standards
Blast off to new discoveries with this live program that merges space science and scientific illustration! Titan is Saturn's largest moon and one of the most fascinating places in our solar system. Students and teachers will learn how to capture their own Titan investigations using scientifically accurate illustrations, just as other great scientists have done throughout history.
Virtual New Me
Grades 5 - 6
Virtual Science Academy
Available for bookings now!
2022 VSA New Me Science Standards
Explore the physical, emotional and chemical changes to the human body during a sensitive, respectful, co-ed discussion led by a professional educator. Ask honest questions and get honest answers. This class is now only offered as a Distance Learning course.
Scientists in Action: Discovering Teen Rex
Grades 4 - 12
Scientists In Action
Date: Thursday, September 26, 2024
Time: 9 a.m., 10 a.m., 11 a.m., and 1 p.m. Mountain Time
Created for grades 4-12, but all are welcome.
Who gets to find and excavate dinosaurs? Kids sometimes, it turns out! While hiking through the badlands of North Dakota, three pre-teens discovered a rarity in the world of paleontology: the astounding bones of an adolescent Tyrannosaurus Rex, now aptly named “Teen Rex.” Join the Denver Museum of Nature & Science for a chance to talk with the scientists currently preparing and studying the incredible find. Student questions and curiosity will run wild during this rex-ellent virtual learning opportunity, register your class today!
Scientists in Action: Brilliant Bats and What They Do
Grades 4 - 12
Scientists In Action
Date: Thursday, October 24, 2024
Time: 9 a.m., 10 a.m., 11 a.m., and 1 p.m. Mountain Time
Created for grades 4-12, but all are welcome.
From vampires to witchcraft, bats sometimes get a bad rap. But is their spooky reputation deserved? Register your class to chat about bat anatomy and physiology with Andie Carrillo, Zoology Preparator for the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, who works with the order Chiroptera...inside and out. Why are bats important to their ecosystems? How do we study bats and other animals at the Museum? Hang around (or upside down) and you just might have your mind changed by these incredible flying mammals. Register your class today for this behind-the-scenes virtual field trip!
Scientists in Action: Mighty Mutations and Dazzling DNA
Grades 4 - 12
Scientists In Action
Date: Thursday, November 21, 2024
Times: 9:00am, 10:00am, 11:00am, 1:00pm Mountain Time
Created for grades 4-12, but all are welcome.
Did you know that you share over 60% of your genetic makeup with a banana? And compared to other humans, you have 99.9% identical genes? It makes you wonder: if humans are separated from one another by a mere .01%, how can we still be so different? And what exactly do these different genes control? Join Dr. Bridget Chalifour, genomics scientist at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, to learn more about the incredible nature of genetics, mutations, and all the ways they make us unique. Register your classes today and get ready to talk DNA!
Scientists in Action: Bizarre Beasts and Dinosaurs from Madagascar
Grades 4 - 12
Scientists In Action
Date: Thursday, December 12, 2024
Time: 9 a.m., 10 a.m., 11 a.m., and 1 p.m. Mountain Time
Created for grades 4-12, but all are welcome.
When you think of animal life in Madagascar, is the first thing that comes to mind fossils? If you said “no” and instead thought of dancing lemurs or adorable tenrecs, you might not be alone. But while the country is rich in its biodiversity today, it has a rich history of biodiversity in the past as well – the prehistoric past, in fact! Join the Denver Museum of Nature & Science to talk with some of the scientists studying Madagascar's former inhabitants: basketball-sized armored frogs, mammals with Swiss-cheese skulls, dome-headed dinosaurs, and much more. What do these amazing creatures tell us about the dino days? And what kind of international science community is built as humans study these fascinating fossils?
Scientists in Action: Looking for Life in Our Universe
Grades 4 - 12
Scientists In Action
Date: Thursday, January 23, 2025
Time: 9 a.m., 10 a.m., 11 a.m., and 1 p.m. Mountain Time
Created for grades 4-12, but all are welcome.
We all love a good extraterrestrial story, whether they are friend or foe, darling or dangerous, humanoid or humongous... but what do we actually know about the potential for alien life and what do astrobiologists look for? Join space science curator Dr. Ka Chun Yu as we virtually visit both our home planet and the far reaches of our galaxy to explore what life could be like in other parts of our universe. Spoiler alert: they likely won’t have shiny spacesuits or laser guns. Student questions will help guide this virtual field trip that is guaranteed to be outta’ this world.
Registration opens soon!!
Rocky Mountain Mind, Brain & Education Conference
Grades K - 12
Join us for the 4th Annual Rocky Mountain Mind, Brain & Education Conference hosted by Denver Museum of Nature & Science in partnership with researchED. This conference brings together K–12 educators and university researchers with a common interest in applying research-based methods from psychology and neuroscience to their practice.
Date: Saturday, November 9th, 2024
Time: 8:00am to 4:30pm
Archive: 2020-2021 Tools @ Tea Time Program
K-12 TPD
Teachers! Grab your afternoon tea and log in for an end-of-the day boost, with tips and resources from the Museum Teacher Professional Development Team and an opportunity to share strategies with other teachers about remote and hybrid learning.
2024 SCFD EdNight
Grades PreK - 12
Tuesday, September 17, 2024
6:00pm to 9:00pm
21+ Adults only
Educators, you're invited to enjoy a FREE night out at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science brought to you by the SCFD Collaborative. Enjoy our special exhibit: The Power of Poison, get in the groove with our live DJ, check out a Planetarium or Infinity Theater show, and learn how all of the various SCFD Collaborative member organizations can serve you and your students! Free food and a cash bar provided. Plus ones are highly encouraged.
Museum 101
Specially designed for Preservice Teachers, these in-depth two-part sessions provide our future teachers of science and social studies the opportunity to:
- Participate in an inquiry-based activity that involves evidence gathering in one of the museum exhibition halls AND
- Explore the Museum’s unique resources and programs for students and teachers that can support both curriculum and teacher professional development.
Contact us at [email protected] to schedule.
Wild Senses
Wonder Workshops
Must be ages 4-7 years old
We will transform your room into a natural wonderland ready to be explored. Young learners take on animal behaviors to experience the natural world around them, as animals would. Kids smell out their food like a squirrel, hunt in the dark like a raccoon, and use infrared detection to see prey like a snake. An adventurous Museum educator will guide your explorers as they discover adaptation and senses firsthand through animals’ wild senses. This program will amaze and delight your animals—er, kids—with pretend play and fun, educational activities.
Mission To Mars
Grades 3 - 5
Wonder Workshops
Blast off on a journey of discovery and make room for a space station orbiting Mars, transporting your classroom of young astronauts. This transformation will challenge your group to use teamwork, critical thinking, and creativity to solve problems and design the future of space travel. Your Mars mission takes science to a new stratosphere! Junior astronauts will be left feeling inspired by human ingenuity and the universe around them.
Body Systems in Motion
Grades 4 - 8
Wonder Workshops
Body Systems in Motion Lesson Plan
Get your body systems up and running while racing against the clock to complete challenges about your own body. The entire group will work together to bring their avatar to life.
Invisible Forces: A Physics Challenge
Grades 4 - 8
Wonder Workshops
Our apologies but this workshop is unavailable until further notice.
Race against the clock and use the invisible forces all around us to uncover mysterious codes and secrets. Your classroom will become a physics laboratory, where students will build, experiment, complete hands-on challenges, and reveal the physics behind sound waves, air pressure, and electricity. Let the adventure begin!
Built to Fly
Grades 2 - 5
Curiosity Kits
Available for bookings now!
Discover the marvels of natural engineering! Explore the secrets of nature’s best fliers as your students build gliders and experiment with wing structures inspired by insects, birds, and bats. Imaginations will soar as your students learn about flight through this hands-on design challenge. A maximum of 105 students can be accommodated over three days.
Lost Worlds of Colorado
Grades 2 - 5
Curiosity Kits
From tropical rainforests to saltwater shores—surprise, discovery, and creativity await! Dig into Colorado’s past using the scientific process as paleontologists and geologists do. Analyze evidence and iconic discoveries, and create simulations of Colorado’s lost worlds where dinosaurs once roamed.
Powered By Nature
Grades 4 - 8
Curiosity Kits
Harness the power of Colorado’s natural resources in this hands-on game of geographic discovery and real-world ingenuity. Teams will be challenged to power cities across Colorado while balancing energy needs with environmental impacts and cost. Colorado’s future is in the hands of your students!
Preview the program here:
Wildlife Exhibits
On Permanent Display
Animals big and small come to life in exquisitely detailed dioramas that transport you around the world.
T. REX 3D
Grades 5 - 12
Runtime: 45 minutes
Experience the ultimate G.O.A.T. — Greatest of All Tyrants — as it roars to life on the giant screen in the film "T. REX." For over a century, the T. rex has reigned as the undisputed king of the dinosaurs. With state-of-the-art CGI and cutting-edge paleontological insights, this movie offers an unprecedented journey into the world of the T. rex and its fellow Cretaceous carnivores. This movie features scientists from the Denver Museum of Nature & Science unearthing a teenage T. rex. Don’t miss the chance to see the real-world fossil now on display in our temporary experience “Discovering Teen Rex.”
Blue Whales: Return of the Giants 3D
Grades PreK - 12
Runtime: 45 minutes
Take part in a breathtaking journey with “Blue Whales: Return of the Giants 3D.” In this giant screen film narrated by English actor Andy Serkis, you will explore the world of the magnificent blue whale, a species rebounding from the brink of extinction. Following two scientific expeditions — one to find a missing population of blue whales off the exotic Seychelles Islands, the other to chronicle whale families in Mexico’s stunning Gulf of California — this is an inspirational story that transforms our understanding of the largest animal ever to have lived. Joined by a cast of supporting characters, from dolphins and sperm whales to sea lions and orcas, don’t miss your opportunity to see the blue whale’s star moment on the giant screen!
"Blue Whales: Return of the Giants 3D" is produced and distributed by Oceanic Films, HHMI Tangled Bank Studios and SK Films.
Cities of the Future 3D
Grades PreK - 12
Runtime: 45 minutes
“Cities of the Future” invites you to step into an exciting new world of innovation and exploration to address the challenges of a rapidly changing planet. Discover the thrilling technological breakthroughs — electric autonomous vehicles and aerial highways, solar energy beamed down from space to power entire cities and smart buildings and greener infrastructure to keep us cool — that engineers are working on right now and meet a team of middle school students competing in the Future City Competition. Narrated by award-winning actor John Krasinski, this film will energize kids and adults of all ages to think about engineering as a meaningful way to help others and leave a positive mark on the world.
“Cities of the Future” is an exciting giant screen experience from MacGillivray Freeman Films and the American Society of Civil Engineers, the award-winning team that brought you “Dream Big: Engineering Our World.”
UnEarth Colorado: Discovering Teen Rex
Grades 2 - 5
Field Trip Adventures
Now accepting bookings for programs!
Dig up Colorado’s prehistoric past! Use real prehistoric evidence found in fossil analysis to become a junior paleontologist. This immersive experience allows students to interact with authentic prehistoric specimens and gather clues from ancient plants and animals. Then, embark on an extraordinary journey into the Museum's special exhibition "Discovering Teen Rex" to witness Museum paleontologists excavating a rare juvenile T. rex fossil, which is only one of four found worldwide.
Amazing Animal Adaptations
Grades 2 - 5
Field Trip Adventures
Now accepting bookings for programs!
In this fun, interactive adventure, your students will use a keepsake trading card game to explore how animals use specialized senses and parts of their body to adapt to their environment. This adventure includes investigation time in the Wildlife Halls and adaptation bingo throughout the Museum.
Heart Lab
Grades 3 - 5
Field Trip Adventures
Now accepting bookings for programs!
Explore the human body and the parts and function of the circulatory system using hands-on investigations and small-group dissections of real sheep hearts.
Lung Lab
Grades 3 - 5
Field Trip Adventures
Now accepting bookings for programs!
Explore the human body and the parts and function of the respiratory system using hands-on investigations and small-group dissections of real sheep lungs.
Unraveling Mummies: Modern Technology, Dissection, and Ancient Egypt
Grades 6 - 8
Field Trip Adventures
Now accepting bookings for programs!
In our Unraveling Mummies Field Trip Adventure, students use CT imaging and dissections of a real sheep heart to dig into the culture, anatomy, and mummification & burial practices exercised by ancient Egyptians.
The Bear Necessities
Grades PreK - 1
Field Trip Adventures
Now accepting bookings for programs!
In this facilitated studio program, your students will be immersed in a Colorado habitat as they become black bears and search for food, water, and shelter. Also, explore the Bears & Sea Mammals diorama halls using an exhibit guide that is designed to connect your class with the exhibition and learn through play in the Discovery Zone.
Dinosaur Detectives
Grades PreK - 1
Field Trip Adventures
Now accepting bookings for programs!
Become a paleontologist in this studio program. Your students will uncover clues from the past in order to imagine what it was like when Colorado’s state dinosaur, Stegosaurus, roamed the land.
Design Your Own Adventure
Grades K - 8
Design Your Own
Feeling creative? This option allows you to plan your own adventure at the Museum. Curate your trip to meet your group's needs with temporary exhibitions and Planetarium shows. Permanent exhibitions and Museum entry are free for PreK-12 school and youth groups.