While all 60 of our educational field trips are excellent, it's our
Top 10 Overnights that have made us famous. There's just something about waking up
below the decks of a historic tall ship or anchored in a quiet cove on Catalina Island or
in a cabin by a babbling mountain stream that helps combine standards-based
curriculum with the building of life-long memories.
The Ocean Institute - where experience is the teacher!
1. Sea Floor Explorer Overnight
Grades 6 - 8
Students spend the night as sea floor scientists. They
find the epicenter of an earthquake as underwater
seismologists, investigate the underwater archeology site
of a sunken city, study cores for clues to Earth's geologic
past, and design and test ROVs. Research continues on
the R/V Sea Explorer using deep-sea technology to
survey the Dana Point sea floor.
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2. Watershed Science Overnight
Grades 4 - 5
Spend the evening exploring the science of watersheds.
Students learn scientific techniques as they perform a
fish dissection, conduct water chemistry tests, work on a
biological assessment, study samples of soil, and record
weather data in our laboratory. This lab research is
complemented by activities aboard a cruise on the R/V Sea Explore.
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3. By the Great Horn Spoon Overnight
Grades 4 - 5
Students must band together to re-live the Gold Rush on
this educational journey! This 2-day overnight takes
students on a "voyage 'round the Horn" on an historic tall
ship, lets them barter for supplies in "San Francisco,"
and pan for gold in a mountain stream. The program
takes place aboard Spirit of Dana Point, at the Ocean
Institute, and at the Lazy W Ranch.
4. Life in the Abyss Overnight
Grades 4 - 6
Students explore the unique animal
adaptations of the deep sea through a cow
eye dissection, bioluminescence activities,
and an investigation of food chains of the
abyss. Students observe deep diving
marine mammals on the R/V Sea Explorer and witness the effects of pressure on
cups sunk to 1000 ft. below sea level.
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5. Catalina Island Ecology Safari
Grades 4 - 8
Sleep aboard a 65-foot vessel anchored
in a serene Catalina Island cove. Students
discover this unique island ecosystem by
snorkeling in a kelp forest, investigating
mud flat ecology, studying nocturnal life
using a squid light, engaging in a geology
and plant hike, and waking up to a
pancake breakfast and catch-andrelease
fishing.
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6. California Time Capsule Overnight
Grade 4
At the Lazy W Ranch, see how California
has changed by experiencing life as a
Native American, mission worker and
Forty-Niner. Students enjoy building a
Native American shelter, making adobe
bricks, and panning for gold in a
mountain stream.
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7. Chaparral to Ocean Science School
Grades 5 - 6
Students spend two nights in rustic
cabins at the Lazy W Ranch and a day
at the Ocean Institute comparing five of
California's diverse ecosystems. Students
identify insects in a stream, measure
abiotic factors in the chaparral, sing
around a campfire, and conduct
population studies at the tidepools.
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8. "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" Overnight
Grades 4 - 5
Based on the award-winning novel, Carry On Mr.
Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham, this dynamic program
explores the aftermath of the Revolutionary War.
Students recreate a one-year voyage aboard a merchant
ship and, in order to "survive" the turbulent life at sea,
students must work together and learn how to navigate,
defend and maintain their ship, trade with foreign ports,
and handle the rigging and sails.
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9. Two Years Before the Mast Overnight
Grades 4 - 6
Travel back in time to the seafaring world of Richard
Henry Dana's Two Years Before the Mast. While immersed
in early California history and working with a variety of
dynamic historical characters, students gain skills in
problem solving, teamwork, and communication as they
hoist cargo, row long-boats, raise sails, swab the decks,
and sing chanteys.
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10. Passage to the Mother Lode
Grades 4 - 5
embark on an exciting adventure reenacting the
seafaring voyage of the men and women who risked it all
for the gold fields in 1849. While exploring the events of
the California Gold Rush, students interact with historical
characters and participate in challenging activities that
include sail handling, rowing, panning for gold, rigging,
moving cargo, and journal keeping.
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