The Lutz Children’s Museum: Your Partner in Learning

What are animals up to in the wild? Using all our skills as naturalists, students will embark on an indoor simulated trail walk, exploring replica animal tracks, fur, skulls, and scat to uncover clues about how animals live and interact. Who survives? What do they eat? After the guided walk, students will mold their own animal track and piece together their discoveries to tell the story of each animal’s daily activities.

Do mammals, birds, and reptiles share similar physical features, and how do we tell them apart? Our educators will travel to your classroom with three live animals, one from each group, along with biofacts from the museum’s natural history collection. Younger students will demonstrate understanding of the different groups with a craft, while older students will play a team based game to demonstrate understanding.

Are your students young explorers who want to take flight into the exciting world of birds? In this hands-on program, children will step into the role of a birder, embarking on a journey to discover and identify birds through sight and sound. From colorful songbirds to majestic raptors, every moment is an opportunity to observe and learn about these fascinating creatures. Join us for a birding adventure like no other, where curious minds will soar and every chirp and flutter will bring students closer to understanding the magic of birds in our backyard and beyond!

Get ready to slither into the sensational world of reptiles! In Radical Reptiles, students will meet real reptile ambassadors up close and discover what makes these cold-blooded creatures so cool. From scaly skin to unique habitats and feeding habits, we will dive into the world of reptiles using the eco-facts from our museum’s collections. Through hands-on exploration and engaging activities, young herpetologists will learn how reptiles survive, adapt, and thrive in the wild. This interactive adventure is full of science, surprises, and scaly fun.

How do animals adapt to their environment to help them grow, survive, and meet their needs? Children get the chance to use their observation skills as both scientists and artists to explore animal adaptations with biofacts from the museum’s natural history collection and an animal ambassador. Younger students will create art through mosaics while older students will learn two types of drawing techniques to draw their own animals with fantastical adaptations.

Grab your magnifiers; it is time to explore the incredible world of insects! In this hands-on class, students will become junior entomologists as they investigate what makes an insect different from a bug. Through close observation and interactive learning, they will meet real insects and bug friends, discover the important roles these creatures play in our environment, and use their creativity to design their very imaginative insects to take home.

Join us on a story-filled journey through the changing seasons where we will read a seasonal story, meet our animal ambassadors, and have fun! In this four-part class, Seasons and Stories: Animals Through the Year, children will discover how animals grow and change right along with the world around them.