The 2015/2016 Season includes ANNIE (Sept. 29-Oct. 4) THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (Oct. 21-Nov. 1), RIVERDANCE (Jan. 5-10), 42nd STREET (March 30-April. 3), And CHICAGO (April 22-24). All events at UA Centennial Hall.
Field Trips & Family Outings
For unforgettable fun and learning, few things are as fabulous as a field trip! Here are Bear Essential’s 2023–24 Guides for Field Trips and Fun Family Destinations.
Educators are always looking for creative ways to keep their students excited and engaged while learning. Taking a classroom or combined classrooms on a field trip is a perfect way to lead the students on a fun adventure that can be full of animals, marine life, history, art, farming, nature, government, STEM and STEAM. Field trips give students a chance to get away from tablets and screens and do hands-on activities.
For some students a field trip might be their first adventure traveling on a bus to another city without their parents. This helps a child with a feeling of independence. Learning about dinosaurs in a classroom is one thing, but going to a museum to see actual dinosaur skeletons up-close or digging for fossils helps students to connect the dots about what they have learned in the classroom and put it together with what they can see, touch and explore during a field trip.
In Tucson students can learn more about art, music, culture, nature, animals, history and geology with field trips to various places around the Old Pueblo. The Fox Tucson Theatre offers free tours where students will learn history of the theatre, see the unique architecture of the venue or attend a school matinee. Hands-on learning happens at the Mini Time Machine Museum and Children’s Museum Tucson. At Tucson Museum of Art and the UA Museum of Art special exhibits and collections educate students about history, culture, art techniques and more with self-guided or docent-led tours.
Are your students interested in learning about animals, reptiles, wildlife and bugs? The Humane Society of Southern Arizona, Reid Park Zoo, Tucson Reptile & Amphibian Show, Arizona Insect Festival and International Wildlife Museum has animals and critters of various species. These educational field trips have hands-on activities (some with a petting zoo) and give insight of how to care for, protect and understand domestic pets, exotic reptiles, wildlife and bugs from Arizona and around the world.
Camp Cooper, Tohono Chul, Presidio Museum, The Tucson Gem & Mineral Show and The Tucson Rodeo Parade Museum are great places to learn about history, culture, nature and geology.
If you are looking for a field trip that keeps kids active and has hands-on activities, you might want to check out Golf N’ Stuff, Rock Solid Climbing + Fitness, Tucson Parks & Rec Kidco, Wild Katz Children’s Adventure Playground or the Crayola Experience in Chandler.
Apple Annie’s in Wilcox has a 600,000-stalk corn maze that is a great adventure for students or scout groups. For city kids who want to learn more about what it’s like to work on a farm, Shamrock Farms has educational tours that teach about farm-to-table.
In The Phoenix area a field trip to the Phoenix Zoo or Sea Life Arizona is a fun way to learn about animals and marine life. The Arizona Museum of Natural History, Mesa Grande Cultural Park and Sky Harbor International Airport provide historical displays, exhibits and activities.
Matinees are available at East Valley Children’s Theatre with discounted rates for classrooms. Want to learn about trains and fire engines? A visit to Hall of Flame and McCormick–Stillman Railroad Park teaches the history about firefighting and transportation. And speaking about transportation, Valley Metro offers a free ride to your field trip destination.
Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona, Girl Scouts–Arizona Cactus-Pine, Boy Scouts of America–Catalina Council and Boy Scouts of America–Grand Canyon Council all have programs for students. Scouts learn skills, earn badges, awards, go on field trips, go camping and help their local community.
If you want to stay in your classroom, the Central Arizona Project (CAP) offers educators lessons plans and Bear Essential News provides free classroom presentations. Choose from five topics that cover reading, writing and journalism skills and students in grades 3–8 can sign up to be Young Reporters and write for Bear Essential News.
Visit www.bearessentialnews.com and click on Teacher Grants & Field Trip Funding under the teacher tab to see a list of places that help with field trips, classroom projects and teacher resources.
CREATIVE JUICE
Let your creative juice flow, as step-by-step, our instructor helps you create a painted masterpiece! Fundraising events cost $35 per person, with $10 donated back to the cause (20-person minimum). You choose the painting, or for $50, one can be specially designed. For students or families ready for a dose of art, take part in our Workshops for Kids or our Kids & Family Classes. Adult classes are offered, too!
HUGHES FEDERAL CREDIT UNION
Field trip to a local financial institution. Learn about savings and good money management. Free classroom presentations and curriculum on financial education for youth, parents and teachers. Hughes was named a top 10 finance resource for teens by BadCredit.org in 10/14.
MUSEUM OF THE HORSE SOLDIER & TRAIL DUST TOWN
The Museum of the Horse Soldier offers a unique opportunity to discover and explore military history through exciting displays fea- turing many rare and one-of-a-kind artifacts. Trail Dust Town is a wild trip through the Old West, featuring amusement rides, stunt shows and more! Ages: All ages
PIMA ANIMAL CARE CENTER, OUTREACH PROGRAM
Tour PACC-Learn about homeless pets in Pima County and what you can do to help. Dog Bite Safety/Responsible Pet Ownership presentations are also available in your classroom or meeting.
PIMA COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
Call 791-4010 or email us at askalibrarian@pima.gov
Recommended books, online encyclopedias, learning puzzles and games, and more!
SKATE COUNTRY PRIVATE PARTY FIELD TRIPS
Skate Country, the best skating facility in Arizona! Safe, affordable and fun, our field trips allow you to be in control of all music and programming. We tailor your party to fit your needs and your kids will love it! Ages: All.
TUCSON JCC
School Days Out
When school is out for the day, you can spend your day at Camp J 365! Each school day out offers a field trip, special programming at The J, including sports, art, swim (seasonal), and more. Lunch provided unless otherwise noted. Visit Tucsonjcc.org for more information.
Select Days: 9am – 4pm
Fall Camp: Robotics at The J - NEW! Learn to build a robot! S.Y.STEM Coalition will host an intro-to-robotics camp at The J. Designed by local professionals this camp will teach students practical engineering and design principles. For pricing and registration visit tucsonjcc.org.
Monday – Friday, October 12 - 16
Morning Session, 9 am – Noon Afternoon Session, 1 – 4 pm
Winter Camp J – Grades K - 9
When school closes for winter break, grab your sweater and enjoy the cool times at Winter Camp J!
December 21 - 31 Grades K- 9
UA BIOSPHERE 2
Bring your class to experience Biosphere 2 —Where Science Lives! Find out why Time Life Books called it “one of the 50 must–see wonders of the world.” Guided tours take students inside the world’s largest living science center dedicated to exploring the environment and our planet’s future. For middle school students, consider adding a hands-on, standards-based activity to enrich environmental science lessons.
UA LABORATORY OF TREE RING RESEARCH
We offer a diverse variety of science field classes – on the UA Campus at the Bryant Bannister Tree Ring Building, at Tumamoc Hill, and at field sites in the Catalina Mountains - where students learn that science is a dynamic process of gathering and evaluating information. This outreach program is innovative in that schoolchildren become the scientists, not just learn about scientific concepts. We want to make science accessible and relevant to the general public.
Your students will learn about tree rings, the science of dendrochronology. They will have the opportunity to practice math and graphing skills using cross-dating techniques,observe the effects of water (rainfall) on growth cycles, or learn how history affects life and health today.
We also offer portable classroom visits if you are unable to visit the UA Campus, with hands-on demonstrations designed age-appropriate for all groups.
For details visit our web site: ltrr.arizona.edu/outreach
VANTAGE BOWLING CENTERS FIELD TRIP
School, homeschool and daycare teachers love having their group outings with us! Enjoy music, light shows and a safe environment. We have lightweight bowling balls, small bowling shoes and lane bumpers. Cost: 1.5 hours $3/ person, 2 hours $4/person (each plus tax). For $1.50/person add a slice of cheese pizza & a drink (plus tax). Transportation available for groups of 40 or more for an additional $1/ person. Ages: 12 and under.
