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 BROADWAY THEATRE
Theatre of Young Audiences builds on classroom learning by fostering creativity, improving communications skills, encouraging empathy and providing interactive experiences through the creation of our production-specific study-guides and activities. Visit us at the theater or we bring the show to you.
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 MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
Field trips are available year-round for students of all ages. Our galleries are tied to current Arizona State Academic Standards and are an excellent way to supplement lessons in the classroom. Pan for gold, encounter Arizona’s prehistoric animals and discover how geological events formed Arizona as we know it today.
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.
ASU SCHOOL OF EARTH AND SPACE EXPLORATION
The School of Earth and Space Exploration has field trips for grades K–12. These field trips encourage STEM education. Students interact in a positive motivational experience with college students who are working toward a degree in a STEM field.
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.
BOOKMANS ENTERTAINMENT EXCHANGE
Project: Educate: Educators receive a 20% discount on all purchases. To receive your
Project: Educate card, you need to sign up online at www.bookmans.com. You will receive a confirmation email, which you need to bring to your nearest Bookmans location, along with a valid ID and proof of educator status.
Kids Club: From birth to age 12 kids receive a 10% discount and a $10 gift certificate on
their birthday.
1317: Kids 13-17 receive a 15% discount and a $15 gift certificate on their birthday.
Visit Bookmans.com and click on the JOIN tab to sign up.
CAVE CREEK MUSEUM & KIWANIS FAMILY FUN DAY
Events indlude: Programs from Rattlesnake Solutions to lear about snakes. Archaeology Expo: How did the early inhabitants of the Foothills live here? What did they eat? What kind of homes did they live in? Meet a Miner Day: Have you ever met a miner or panned for gold? Experience a day in the life of a miner. Visit website for current events.
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.
CRAYOLA EXPERIENCE
Discover the magic of color at Crayola Experience! Crayola Experience Chandler is bursting with 19 hands-on activities, perfect for a full day of creative fun. Name your own crayon, star in a coloring page, bring your digital art to life AND MORE! PLUS - teachers get a free annual pass with valid ID (see site for details).
EAST VALLEY CHILDREN'S THEATRE
East Valley Children’s Theatre continues with 28 years of theatre opportunities for youth ages 8–18. Adventures await the whole family. Join us for our upcoming season at Mesa Art Center. See Sleepy Hollow–The Musical, Elf, Jr., Carrot and Potato, Fantastic Mr. Fox and Alice in Wonderland.
GIRL SCOUTS–ARIZONA CACTUS–PINE COUNCIL
Girl Scouts is the best girl leadership experience in the world! Girls of all backgrounds and abilities can be unapologetically themselves as they discover their strengths and rise to meet new challenges. Supported by trusted adult volunteers, Girl Scouts lead the way as they find their voices and make changes that affect the issues most important to them. Program activities center around STEM, entrepreneurial skills, financial literacy, outdoor and environmental awareness.
HALL OF FLAME MUSEUM
The world’s largest museum of firefighting has many award-winning educational programs, from guided tours to exciting hands-on workshops. Phoenix Magazine named our program the “Best Field Trip.” Teachers love our kid-friendly approach to fire safety, history and science. 35,000 square feet of air conditioned galleries. Reservations are required. Ages: 4 and up.
KTR INDOOR ACTION SPORTS PLAYGROUND
With up to 45,000 square feet of wall-to-wall active play area, there is plenty of room for events of ALL shapes and sizes. Bring a large group, reserve private party rooms or rent the full facility. Customizable to fit your needs. Visit on of the four locations in Chandler, Glendale, Mesa or Scottsdale.
MCCORMICK-STILLMAN RAILROAD PARK
The Scottsdale Railroad Museum captures generations of railroad history into a unique, one-of-a-kind attraction.The museum consists of the historic Peoria Depot, the Roald Amundsen Pullman Car and a number of other railroad artifacts and memorabilia that’s sure to bring the history of railroads to life. Admission to the museum is free for all park visitors.
We offer discounted prices on tickets for the train and carousel rides for field trips. A discount of 40% is applied to the ticket price when an advanced reservation is made for school groups.
Reservations are required in advance to receive the discount. Please contact us at 480-312-2312 or mccormickreservation@scottsdaleaz.gov
MESA GRANDE CULTURAL PARK
Field trips are available for 3rd grade and up from December through the end of April. Registration for field trips begins in November.
This program is tied to current Arizona State Academic Standards and is an excellent addition for meeting 3rd and 4th grade Social Studies Standards. Students map out excavation units, examine artifacts, take a tour, learn about diet and life in the desert, and experience the thrill of hunting for fake rabbits using the same techniques as the ancestral Sonoran Desert dwellers!
PHOENIX ZOO
Visit the Phoenix Zoo to enhance your STEM-related curriculum content! The Zoo is a unique destination offering guided field trips on a variety of topics that support classroom-based learning and are designed for multiple learning styles.
Grades : Pre-K–College
Monday–Sunday, year-round.
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 tgms@tgms.org.
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.
SEA LIFE ARIZONA
Introduce students to a range of scientific topics and encourage excitement and curiosity about marine phenomena in the natural world. Ignite imagination and wonder in your class as students come face-to-fin with thousands of creatures and get closer than ever before! Tickets are $8 per person, minimum of 10 students to qualify for school rate. Advanced pre-paid reservations are required a minimum of 14 days in advance.
Group visits are available on select dates as early as 9 a.m. and must conclude by 11a.m.
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!
SKY HARBOR INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
How would you like to watch airplanes land and take off and experience a major commercial hub airport in action? Or perhaps you are just curious to see the new airport amenities and terminal renovations that have been in the news, or looking for a fun activity to do with family or friends. Tours of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport take approximately 90 minutes and help provide a better understanding of airport operations–they include a ride on the PHX Sky Train®, seeing the airport musuem, visiting airport terminal area, and watching airplanes. Tours are free and in cool air–conditioning to escape the heat. For fun avaition activities visit www.skyharbor.com/beforetraveling/traveling-with-children/ActivitiesEduc....
TOLMACHOFF FARMS
On our guided farm tours every child will get to harvest produce to take home and experience educational farm activities. Children will gain valuable hands-on experience and they will benefit when they know where their food is coming from in the process of bringing food from the farm to their table. Cost: Varies. All ages welcome.
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.
VALLEY METRO TRANSIT EDUCATION
Valley Metro’s School Outreach Program makes learning fun. We provide the know-how for students and teachers to learn about their transit system. We offer free classroom presentations.
Free field trip travel on Valley Metro bus and light rail! Learn to use the public transit system while going to fun and educational places.
Free Field Trip Pass:
Preschool, elementary or junior high students traveling with their teachers, as well as special needs high school students are eligible. Available weekdays 8:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. Maximum 35 people per group. 2 week notice required.
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).
