Arizona Science Center and SciTech Institute will host this can’t-miss event where STEM professionals, educators, students, community members, and industry trailblazers connect for a day of inspiration and collaboration.
Field Trips & Family Outings
For unforgettable fun and learning, few things are as fabulous as a field trip! Here are Bear Essential’s 2024–25 Guides for Field Trips and Fun Family Destinations.
Educators and homeschool parents 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 Children’s Museum Tucson. At Tucson 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 and the Arizona Insect Festival 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.
Tohono Chul, 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, and Tucson Racquet & Fitness Club.
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. Valley Metro offers a free ride for educators and students 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.
2025 ARIZONA SCITECH FESTIVAL
The Arizona SciTech Festival is a multi-week, colorful showcase of more than 1,000 science, engineering, technology (STEM) and innovation events in over 50 Arizona cities featuring exhibits, hands-on activities, colorful shows, tours and discussions. Dates coming soon!
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS BALLPARK TOURS
Make the experience memorable and take a guided tour of Chase Field. Even if you’ve been to the ballpark before, you’re sure to learn and see something new! Tours are conducted year-round, for both individuals and groups.
ARIZONA INSECT FESTIVAL
The Arizona Insect Festival is back! Join us Sunday October 6, 2024 from 10 a.m.– 2 p.m., at the ENR2 building on the University of Arizona campus. This FREE family event features over 20 booths with live insects and hands-on activities. Chat with insect scientists and learn more about amazing Arizona insects!
ARIZONA STATE FAIR
We are proud to host interactive educational opportunities for public, private, charter, and home school groups. Field trips are FREE for all participants – both students and adult chaperones, and include a curriculum aligned to the Arizona Department of Education State Standards for English, Math, Science and Social Studies. Registration deadline is October 1, 2024.
BEAR ESSENTIAL NEWS & YOUNG REPORTER PROGRAM
Common Core Worksheets: Free standards-based fun sheets for classrooms to use in conjunction with the current issue of Bear Essential News.
Free Young Reporters Program: Students in grades 3–8 develop as young writers by writing news stories for Bear Essential News.
Young Reporters can attend monthly Zoom meetings and interview important people from our community.
Free Presentations: Five dynamic topics are available from a Bear editor.
BEN'S BELLS FIELD TRIP
Field Trips at Ben’s Bells studio are a terrific opportunity to engage in a fun, hands-on art activity, learn about intentional kindness and participate in a community service project, all in one trip! They’re also a great enhancement to our free Kind Campus program.
BOOKMANS ENTERTAINMENT EXCHANGE
Check out Bookmans.com for weekly family friendly events and activities. Click on the Join tab to sign up for the Kids Club or 1317 to get discounts.
CATALINA COUNCIL SCOUTING AMERICA
Catalina Council provides youth with programs and activities that allow them to try new tings, build self-confidence, learn responsible citizenship, become self-reliant, and be prepared for life. Field trip opportunities are available as well as a wide variety of curriculum that support their scouting goals. The Scouting experience is divided into programs according to age and activity.
Cub Scouts: Grades: K–5, Scouts: Grades:6–12, Venturing: 14–20 years old,
Sea Scouting: 14–20 years old.
We are committed to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion as we work towards creating a welcoming environment for all.
CENTRAL ARIZONA PROJECT
CAP offers an Arizona-specific water education program for K–5, middle and high school students that are standards-based. Visit www.cap-az.com/education/ or call 623-869-2176 for more information.
CHILDREN'S MUSEUM TUCSON
Play, discover, imagine and explore with hands-on learning through scheduled field trips and group visits or spontaneous family trips to the Museum in the historic Carnegie Library in Downtown Tucson. Exhibits encourage STEM learning, creativity, social skills building and play! Field trips include lessons that conform to Arizona State education standards. Sponsored field trips and outreach programs may be available for Title I schools.
FOX TUCSON THEATRE SCHOOL MATINEES
Bring your students to a show. Shows to entertain students in PreK–12. A Musical, Cinematic Journey through US and AZ History– grades 3–8, Around the Americas, with ¡Uno, Dos, Tres Andrés!–grades PreK–3, The Science of Pirates–grades K–5, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus—The Musical!–grades PreK–2, Stolen Moments The First 100 Years of Jazz–grades 4 and up.
FOX TUCSON THEATRE TOUR
Bring your students to get up close and personal with our beautiful and highly unique 1930’s Southwestern Art Deco theatre. Whether in lounges or lobbies, the stage or dressing rooms, each space opens an experiential window into history. We’ll explore Tucson’s past, spectacular feats of construction and restoration, the history of showbiz in the US, and the marvels of a top-notch working theatre. You may even get to meet a resident ghost or two...While you’re downtown, why not pair a theatre tour with other wonderful educational options right around the corner? The Tucson Museum of Art teaching artists can guide your students in hands-on art workshop built around the visual arts components they just saw at The Fox. You can book an Adventure Learning Program about stage acting at the Children’s Museum, do some volunteer arts and crafts at Ben’s Bells, or enjoy a scavenger hunt at the main Tucson Library.
GIRL SCOUTS OF SOUTHERN ARIZONA
Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. In Girl Scouts, girls experience adventure and create life-long memories in an all-girl environment where they earn badges, go camping, explore STEM, become leaders and work on community service projects.
GOLF N' STUFF
Enjoy three hours of unlimited Miniature Golf and Laser Tag, plus two ride tickets for Bumper Boats or Go-Karts for only $20.00 per person (including tax.) Available Monday–Friday, any three hour block of time before 5 p.m., 30 person minimum and reservation required. If your group is smaller than 30, call to get other group rates.
HUMAN SOCIETY OF SOUTHERN ARIZONA
The Humane Society of Southern Arizona children’s programs will give your child a new perspective on caring for animals, preventing animal cruelty, understanding animal behavior, and more. We use a variety of activities that stress an appreciation of our environment and preservation of our natural world; classroom activities, creative and artistic exercises, hands-on animal care, great games, and character building lessons.
During the school year we offer in-school education, camps during school breaks, reading to shelter pets, HIP Youth Internships, Hand in Paw Kid’s Club events including Humane Heroes, and birthday parties.
PINSPIRATION TUCSON
Our popular D.I.Y. Craft Studio offers the latest in Field Trips for up to 50 kids. The Jackson-Pollock inspired Splatter Room is a creative hit for all, 8-10 students at a time. Looking for a fundraiser for your school or charity? Book a Craft Night Fundraiser with us and 15% of all sales go back to your school. Options: Craft any projects of your choice, make a family or school inspired craft, pick a collaborative craft for all school attendees to participate in of make messy masterpieces in the Jackson-Pollock-inspired Splatter Room. Call for info. Accepting reservations now where Community meets Creativity!
REID PARK ZOO
Reid Park Zoo is pleased to provide Title 1 schools with either a free Zoo to You Outreach at your school or Zoo Adventure Program while grant funding lasts. A field trip to the Reid Park Zoo is just one of the fun ways to ignite your students’ interest in wildlife, conservation, and science! Teachers can reserve a Bio Bag filled with hands-on artifact activities and print Activity packets.
ROCK SOLID CLIMBING + FITNESS
Rock Solid Climbing is about making fitness fun for everyone. Whether you are an expert or scaling your first wall, Rock Solid Climbing is here for you. We have climbs for every ability level and our coaches are eager to help get you started. Come with friends and family, bring your classmates on a field trip or host your birthday with us.
SCHOOL VISITS PROGRAM AT THE TUCSON GEM AND MINERAL SHOW
Watch for the application link for the School Visits Program on our website in October. Friday, February 14, 2025 school classes are invited to attend the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show®. Registration begins Nov. 1, 2024, for more information visit www.tgms.org or call 520-322-5773 or email [email protected].
Only after registering for the free School Visits Program, eligible persons from your school–students, including chaperones and bus drivers will be admitted without charge.
SHAMROCK FARMS~~FARM TOURS
Shamrock Farms offers a fun and educational field trip through its working dairy farm that will show your students their pure, fresh farm-to-table story. View the cows being milked, let your students play on Roxie’s Outdoor Adventure on your hour-long guided tour. Shamrock Farms is happy to offer in-person tours as well as our recently launched virtual tours. Please visit shamrockfarmstour.com today to reserve an in-person or virtual tour!
TOHONO CHUL
Tohono Chul offers fun–filled walks and activities for school trips, and friends or family outings. Make a reservation to take one of our four school tours: Ethnobotany–relationships between plants and people, Desert Digs–nest, webs and holes where desert creatures dwell, Clever Plants–amazing adaptions that allow plants to thrive in our desert, or calling all Bs–diverse pollinators who set–up the coming of new generations of plants. Visit on your own and uncover desert gems with our art and gardens mobile scavenger hunts or stop by our docents and their eco–sttions that illustrate connections between nature and culture.
TUCSON MUSEUM OF ART
The Museum offers a variety of programs for students to learn about art, history and culture. Whether it is a docent-led tour complete with hands-on art project or a self-guided tour of a special exhibition and a selection of the permanent collection, students will have the opportunity to explore one of Tucson’s treasures. Grades: K-12
TUCSON PARKS & REC KIDCO AFTERSCHOOL
Our KIDCO afterschool recreational program is held at local elementary schools and recreation centers. We offer safe and structured activities for youth currently enrolled in K-5 grades. Planned activities may include sports, games, nutrition, fitness, arts and crafts, performing arts and special events.
TUCSON RACQUET & FITNESS CLUB
Tucson Racquet and Fitness Club is a family destination focused on health and fun! Our family memberships offer a variety of activities to choose from–tennis, basketball, volleyball, swimming and more–so there is sure to be something for everyone. With a 24/7 facility, we’re sure it will fit in your schedule no matter what it looks like. Spend quality time with your family while improving everyone’s health in a way that you’ll love!
TUCSON REPTILE & AMPHIBIAN SHOW & SALE
60,000 square feet of reptiles and amphibians from around the world. Petting zoo with tortoises, alligators, snakes and other reptiles. Captive bred reptiles for sale. Cost: Adults: $15; Ages 6–12: $5; Ages 5 and under are Free. Admission is cash only at the door. Parking is $8.
TUCSON RODEO PARADE MUSEUM
The Tucson Rodeo Parade Museum includes four buildings filled with historic wagons and artifacts. On the site of the first municipal airport in the United States, one can discover where many of the terms used today originated. A large train exhibit represents Tucson of 1880, when the first train arrived in Tucson. See Tucson’s first fire wagon, Tucson’s jail wagon, stage coaches and the famous Maxamillian Coach!
WILDLIFE WORLD ZOO, AQUARIUM
Your field trip will complement any biology curriculum at any grade level. Students can feed Lory parrots, learn about animal ambassadors and see some display natural behaviors during a Wildlife Encounter Show. Meet baby animals in our children’s play area and petting zoo! Cost: $8/student, $25/adult, one adult admission free with every 10 paid students (10 student min).
