Visitor
    Information
 

  Events &
    Calendar
 

  Education
 

  Members &
    Volunteers
 

  Resources
 

  Site Index

Weekend Tidepool Walks

CMA's Education staff will conduct tours of the Point Fermin Marine Life Refuge/State Marine Park during weekend low tides. Attend an informative slide show in the John M. Olguin Auditorium, then come along on a naturalist-led ramble on the rocks. Life ranging from sea anemones to mussels, sea stars, crabs and tidepool fishes are revealed. Outdoor clothing and sneakers advised. Fee: $1. Reservations required for groups. Slide presentation in Spanish on selected dates.

May
17 Sat. 8:30am - 10:00 am

August
31 Sun. 3:00pm - 4:30pm

Tidepool Walks in Spanish

Are you or do you know a Spanish speaker that is interested in tidepools? On selected days we'll provide on overview of tidepool animals and a guided walk to the tidepools of the Point Fermin Marine Life Refuge, all in Spanish.
Hablas Espanol? Esta clase de la costa rocosa, ensenara sobre los animales de las posas de marea tendra una caminata guiada por Point Fermin Marine Life Refug. Fee $1. Instructor: CMA Educator Alfonso Montiel.

Check back for the next date!

FRIENDS Members Rocky Shore Lab and Tidepool Walk

Saturday, March 15 from 9:30am - 11:30am
Investigate tidepool organisms up close in the classroom laboratory with microscopes and touch specimans before a guided adventure to the Point Fermin State Marine Park tidepools.
This is a FREE event for FRIENDS members only. For reservations or information on FRIENDS memberships, call 310-548-8396

Catalina Above and Below (all ages)

Sunday, June 8, 2008 Boat departs from Ports O’ Call Village, San Pedro 6am - 6pm
Under 18 must be accompanied by an adult
Start your weekend off right with a revitalizing nature-filled trip to Catalina Island. On this all-day voyage, you will join CMA staff aboard the 93-foot First String as they bait, study and release fascinating sea creatures. Explore the secluded isthmus of Catalina Island. We never know exactly what we will see or find on this most popular of CMA boat trips. For details contact Larry Fukuhara at 310-548-7562 x 223.
Fee: $95 per person ($85 Friends members).

Salt Marsh Open House (all ages)

Sunday, July 20 from 3 - 4:30pm
Saturday, August 2nd from 3:30 - 4:30pm
Saturday, September 20 from 12noon - 2pm
Visit the Salinas de San Pedro salt marsh habitat with lunch, binoculars and your sketch pad or journal. Observe birds, raccoon tracks, native vegetation and discover the residents of the marsh with guidance from Sea Ranger naturalists and CMA Education staff. Examine plant and animal specimens from the CMA collections. Free activity.

What's Caught in My Net? (all ages)

Check back for the next date!
With the CMA Education staff, take part in a beach seine, tow for plankton and sift sand to see what is living along the shore. Afterward, in the lab, examine animals that make the seashore their home.
Fee: $13 ($12 FRIENDS members).

From the Library: Computer Training and Research

Computer 101 (adults)
Check back for the next date!
The Library staff is offering these two hour sessions to familiarize you in the basic use of computers. Space is limited to 6 participants for all the following sessions. For reservations call our librarian, Cecily Thomas at 310-548-7562 x220. Free activity Cecily Thomas

• Computer, Internet and the Web 101
Check back for the next date!
This workshop will familiarize you with the basic components of a computer and its functions and explain the Internet, the Web, email and how to get a free account.

• Online Searching 101
Check back for the next date!
Learn useful tips on how to evaluate Internet resources and use search engines such as Google and Yahoo! Useful tips and easy-to-follow exercises will help acquaint you with these valuable resources.

• Marine Sciences Pathfinder—Marine Mammals
Check back for the next date!
This workshop will showcase useful online reference resources, marine mammal information and specimens from our collection. Learn how to evaluate these sites to distinguish good information from unreliable sources, plus strategies on how to search for information.

S.E.A. Club - Science Education Afternoons

Students can join our Education staff for a series of hands-on after-school marine science adventures. Observe animal behavior; examine rocky shore animals during a hike along the tidepools; explore the wonders of mud at the salt marsh; get up-close with microscopes; take part in a fish dissection. Each session runs for four consecutive Monday meetings, from 3:30 to 5:30 pm. See schedule below for dates and age groups. Series fee: $30 ($27 CMA FRIENDS members). SEA Club T-shirt included. Financial assistance available.* Register.

Grades K-2
May 5, 12, 19 and June 2
September 15, 22, 29 and October 6

Grades 3-6
June 9, 16, 23 and 30

Discovery Lab/Exploration Center

In 2004 our expansion grand opening included a new Exploration Center which helps CMA visitors explore the habitats and organisms of the Cabrillo Beach Coastal Park through hands-on interactive exhibits and activities and like our Aquatic Nursery and Virginia Reid Moore Marine Research Library, are open to the public Tuesday -Friday from 12-5 and weekends from 10am - 5pm. We have also reintroduced free afterschool Discovery Lab programs:
Investigate the ocean through music, art, literature and science investigation. Each Wednesday afternoon from 3 - 5pm a different discipline is used to make ocean discoveries in the Exploration Center, where visitors informally learn more about the coastal habitats along the shore.
1st Wednesday: artists create their own masterpieces.
2nd Wednesday: investigates the ocean with stories.
3rd Wednesday: explores scientific experiments.
4th Wednesday: musicians are invited to celebrate the ocean.
The Exploration Center and Discovery Lab programs are FREE and open to visitors of all ages.

Educator Workshops:

“Watershed Wonders: It All Flows to Me”

Check back for the next date!
Incorporate the watershed into your curriculum while addressing science and social science standards through engaging experiences for your students. Educators will be provided with a resource kit of materials and will learn about field trip options. Sponsored by the Water Replenishment District and the Boeing foundation. For teachers 4th - 8th grade. Free.

To register for this workshop, please call the aquarium at (310) 548 7562.

“What's the Catch?”

Check back for the next date!
Guide your students and their families to safe fishing practices. Learn about fish contamination issues, fish physiology and the role of different fish in the ecosystem. Lessons on catching and cooking fish will be included and tied to the curriculum. A set of resource materials, including comic books, will be provided for each educator. This workshop is designed for educators from 3rd - 8th grade. Free.

To register for this workshop, please call the aquarium at (310) 548 7562

. Key to the Sea Educator Workshop

Check back for the next date!
This free educator workshop provides the materials and curriculum for K - 5th grade teachers who want to bring their class to the Key to the Sea Program available at a number of local marine education facilities and on Cabrillo Beach as part of an enhanced self-guided visit to CMA. For more information about this collaborative watershed marine education effort, check out Key to the Sea at www.healthebay.org/key2sea.

Walk Cabrillo (all ages)

Sunday, August 17, 2008 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Join the Education staff for an easy walk exploring the Cabrillo Beach Coastal Park's habitats surrounding CMA; we'll visit the tidepools, sandy beach and salt marsh, and learn about the natural history of these environments. You'll also get a look at the accessible trail to the tidepools, the waters of the inner beach and we'll keep an eye out for visiting migratory birds. Examine fossils, native plants and beach wrack. Meet in the CMA courtyard. Fee: $3 ($2 FRIENDS members). Registration page.

Native Garden Workday/Beach Cleanup (all ages)

Join the education staff and volunteers in maintaining the Cabrillo Coastal Native Plant Garden with weeding and planting while you learn more about coastal sage scrub and its plant and animal inhabitants and join others in a beach cleanup. Registration is REQUIRED, please contact our volunteer coordinator, Randi Abrams-Gonzalez at 310/548-8398, email: randi.abrams-gonzalez@lacity.org. Usually the first Saturday of each month, on: June 7, July 5, August 2, September 6 2008 from 8-10 am. Meet by the marine lab/classroom. A FREE activity, your assistance is appreciated!

Care for the Coast/Beach Cleanup (all ages)

Thursday, July 5 from 7:30 – 10:30am
Special Beach Cleanup following July 4th festivities. Starts with a tidepool walk and then cleaning the beach.
Fee: Free Meet at the aquarium.

Sea Ranger Training (grades 5 through adult)

Four consecutive Thursdays from 4-6 pm, May, 22, 29, June 5 and 12
CMA's Sea Ranger naturalist program provides volunteers for interpretation and monitoring of the salt marsh (Salinas de San Pedro), Point Fermin Marine Life Refuge tidepools, the Cabrillo Fishing Pier and Cabrillo Beach Coastal Park. Training sessions take place quarterly on four consecutive Thursdays from 4-6 pm, plus one weekend day to be determined. May, 22, 29, June 5 and 12. Pre-registration is required. Materials fee: $30. Financial assistance is available. Instructors: CMA Education staff. For more information call 310-548-7562 x217 or 219. (Sponsored by Royal Caribbean/Celebrity Cruises Ocean Fund).

* Sea Rangers: download the current schedule of Sea Ranger activities: 

*May 2008 Schedule

*Sea Ranger Training Flier

Tales Between the Tides: Eggs Along the Shore

Check back for the next date!
Children age 2.5 - 4 years old and their parents
Discover different types of eggs and all the amazing baby animals found along the shore. Bring your favorite adult, make a project, hear stories and discover the wonders of Spring. Presented just for children age 2.5 - 4 years old and their parents.
Fee: $15 per family ($14 CMA FRIENDS members) Call for reservations 310-548-7562 as space is limited. Registration page.
Instructors: CMA Education staff.

Sunday Seashore Story Studio (all ages)

Explore stories of the sea and shore in these storytelling workshops. Sing a song, use a puppet, join along! Aquarium storytime adventures that include making a project to take home.
Sundays, June 22 1-2pm, July 13 11-12noon, August 10 3:30-4:30pm, September 14 1-2pm. Free and open to all ages!

Ocean in Art: Gyotaku (Age 10 through adult)

Check back for the next date!
Create one-of-a-kind gifts as you practice the art of Gyotaku fish printing. Fee includes brushes, paint and paper. Bring fabric or clothes to print on during this studio workshop.
Fee: $18 ($16 CMA FRIENDS members). Pre-registration is required

Sleep With The Fishes (grades 3-6)

Check back for the next date!
Grab your sleeping bag - it's a sleepover at CMA! Explore animal behavior after dark with CMA Education staff. Watch films in the auditorium and learn about the nocturnal marine environment. Breakfast is included. Reservations are required. Fee: $35 ($32 FRIENDS members).

Fishing With Uncle Larry (all ages)

Check back for the next date!
Join CMA's Programs Director Larry Fukuhara for a morning of fishing on Cabrillo Pier. Meet at the aquarium at 9:00am for registration, then it's over to the nearby pier. Larry will assist in rigging tackle, fishing technique, etiquette and fish identification. Bring your own fishing gear! If you don't have any, hand-lines will be provided. Open to all - children 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult. This is a free program; however reservations are required. Contact Larry Fukuhara, 310-548-7562 x223.
Fee: FREE (reservations required)

Laboratory Research Workshop (all ages)

Saturday March 29, 2008 from 2 - 4:00 pm
Join the lab where we grow young sea animals and young scientists! The workshop focuses on basic lab skills, microscopy, scientific writing and jobs research. Contact Kierston Darrow, 310-548-7562 x204.
Fee: FREE (reservations recommended)

Voyages

L. A. Harbor Above and Below

Join us on the water for a CMA hands-on floating lab experience on board the Algalita Marine Research Foundation Vessel Alguita. We'll net and observe plankton, trawl the bottom and use a benthic mud grab, look for whales, sea lions and sea birds, and take in the sights of the one of the worlds busiest harbors. Be sure to check back to find out the next date so you can join our three-hour "tour". Pre-registration required. Fee: $30 ($27 FRIENDS members). Instructors: CMA Education staff.

Channel Islands Adventure: Anacapa Island

Click here to download the Anacapa Island trip flier
Sunday, May 4, 2008 9:30am - 4pm.
Discover the wonder of the Channel Islands as you join CMA’s Education staff on an adventure to Anacapa Island, part of the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. During the crossing watch for marine birds and mammals, then join a guided walk and even go snorkeling as you greet spring on Anacapa Island. The trip leaves from Oxnard. Reservations are required.
Fee: $45 per person, $30 under age 12 ($41 FRIENDS members).

Channel Islands Adventure: Santa Rosa Island

Saturday, June 15, 2008 from 8am - 5pm
Discover the wonder of the Channel Islands as you join CMA’s Education staff on an adventure to Santa Rosa Island, home to a Torrey Pine Grove, pristine white sandy beaches and rich human history. The 2.5 - 3 hour crossing will provide an opportunity to view marine mammals and sea birds. Staff will guide walks or you can relax on your own before returning to the mainland. The trip leaves from Ventura. Reservations are required.
Fee: $67 per person ($61 Friends members), $60 under age 12.

Channel Islands Adventure: San Miguel Island, the Landing of Cabrillo

Saturday, September 6, 2008 7:30am - 6:00pm
Join CMA's education staff and Director Emeritus John Olguin on an adventure to San Miguel Island, the most remote of the Channel Islands chain. Under the direction of Olguin, watch a reenactment of the landing of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, "Discoverer of California," climb a trail of steps to visit the Cabrillo Memorial for a sweeping view of Cuyler Harbor, and explore the pristine sandy shore, dunes and natural history of the island. Time permitting, speedy hikers might even be able to make it to the Caliche forest! We'll be on the lookout for marine mammals, seabirds and other sea life as we make our way back to the mainland. This trip is usually booked in September, the first Saturday after Labor Day. Board the boat in Ventura at 7:30 am and return at approximately 6 pm. Fee: $100 ($91 CMA FRIENDS members) Pre-registration required. Note: Moderate physical agility is required of passengers to board skiffs for the shore landing.

Science at the Seashore

Extended Workshops

Tales Between the Tides (3-5 years)

Session 1 - Monday, June 30 and Wednesday, July 2, 10-11:30am
Session 2 - Tuesday, July 1 and Thursday, July 3, 10-11:30am
Session 3 - Tuesday, August 26 and Thursday, August 28, 10-11:30am
Session 4 - Wednesday, August 27 and Friday, August 29,10-11:30am
Get excited about nature as we explore the ocean at "see" level. We'll hear and tell stories, scamper like crabs, touch sea animals, make a take-home project and explore the many wonders in the sea, in the Aquarium, and in our marine lab. Choose from one, two or all two-day sessions, each day focusing on a different theme. Fee: $26 ($24 FRIENDS members). Instructors: CMA Education staff. Registration page.

Galloping Snails & Other Fishy Tales (Grades 1-2)

Monday - Friday, July 14 - July 18, 2008, 9 am-12 noon
Monday - Friday, August 4 - August 8, 2008, 9 am-12 noon
Watch snails gallop and other fascinating seashore animal behavior through shoreline exploration and laboratory activities. Make ocean art, sea storybooks and other projects as records of your discoveries. Two sessions are offered . Fee: $85 ($77 FRIENDS members), includes a Science at the Seashore T-shirt. Instructors: CMA Educationstaff. Registration page.

Crab Shells & Native Tales (Grades 3-4)

Monday - Friday, July 7 - July 11, 2008, 9 am-12 noon
Monday - Friday, August 18 - August 22, 2008, 9 am-12 noon
Observe animal behavior as you hold hermit crabs, go crab fishing, feed barnacles, and more! Discover the marvelous mud at the salt marsh and how native peoples have used the ocean. Two sessions are offered. Fee: $85 ($77 FRIENDS members), includes a Science at the Seashore T-shirt. Instructors: CMA Education staff. Registration page.

Sea Science Sleuths (Grades 3-6)

Mondays, July 14, 21, 28, August 4, 11, and 18 from 1 - 4 pm
Investigate mysteries of the seashore. Topics include what lives under the dock, how do we get the right food for all the animals, wonders of slime, how does bioluminescence work and more. Sign up for one or all sessions. . Fee: $12 per session or $60 for all six. (FRIENDS members $11 per session or $54 for all six) Instructors: CMA Education staff. Registration page

Ichthyology & Other Slimy Words (Grades 5-6)

Monday through Friday, July 21 - July 25, 2008, 9 am-12 noon
Monday through Friday, August 11 - August 15, 2008, 9 am-12 noon
Explore the inner and outer workings of sharks and other fish through dissection and fish printing. Examine the coastal environment and its fascinating inhabitants as we go fishing, use a beach seine, and other activities. Gain an understanding of deep-sea fish, bioluminescence and oceanography. Two sessions offered. Fee: $85 ($77 FRIENDS members), includes a Science at the Seashore T-shirt. Instructors: CMA Education staff. Registration page.

Wet Tech (Grades 7-9)

Monday through Friday, August 11- August 15, 2008, 1-4pm
Collect specimens from the shore, tow for plankton and find a universe in miniature by studying your finds through our microscopes. Apply technology to ocean studies including building a hydrophone and testing a ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle). Fee: $85 ($77 FRIENDS members), includes a Science at the Seashore T-shirt. Instructors: CMA Education staff. Registration page.

Marine Sci Hi (Grades 9-12)

Monday - Friday, July 21- July 25, 2008. 1-4 pm.
Explore oceanography with a high school approach. Learn basic research methods, study animal behavior, and conduct a mini-research project. Fee: $85 ($77 FRIENDS members), includes a Science at the Seashore T-shirt. Instructors: CMA Education staff. Registration page.

Winter Seafari (Grades 3-6)

Explore the seashore during winter break! Go crab fishing, create ocean projects, learn about migratory animals, effects of winter storms and more. Monday - Friday, December 31, 2007 - January 4, 2008. 1-4 pm. Fee: $68 ($61 FRIENDS members), includes a Science at the Seashore T-shirt. Instructors: CMA Education staff. Registration page.

| Visitor Information | Events & Calendar | Education | Members & Volunteers | Resources | Site Index |