Students learn about purple sea urchins during a Discovery Lab class.

School Programs

Welcome Educators to Birch Aquarium at Scripps’ school programs webpages. We are dedicated to our threefold mission: to provide ocean science education, to interpret Scripps research, and to promote conservation. Our school programs are structured to provide interactive, inquiry-based science programming infused with current Scripps Oceanography research.

This year we offer the added convenience of online registration for booking your program. Click on any “Register Online” button or link present on each of our web pages to get to your personalized store-locator page. Choose your school name and use the password we have provided for your organization. If you do not know the password, please call 858-534-7336. If this is the first time your school will be visiting Birch Aquarium, click on ‘Apply Now’ to create your school profile. In addition, you can always reach us by phone 858 534-7336 or by email birchaquariumprograms@ucsd.edu

Save the date! Visit us on September 28, 5 to 7 pm for our Teacher Appreciation Night and Open House.  It’s an excellent time to get aquainted with our staff, select programs that are best for your needs, and learn about all the valuable resources available to you from Birch Aquarium at Scripps.

Homeschool Day, October 7 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Building on our success of last year's homeschool event, we've set aside October 7 exclusively for our homeschool audience. We'll provide a morning-long customized program that includes free-flow, station-based learning with parent and aquarium instructor interactions. Sign up online under the quick link "Special Programs." If this is your first time to sign in to our reservation system, click on "Apply Now."

Contact us through e-mail at birchaquariumprograms@ucsd.edu or by calling 858-534-7336 Monday through Saturday between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.