Program Descriptions

Explore science, technology, history and much more with our expert educators and a variety of hands-on programs, either at the museum, your school, community center, library or other educational venue.

• Please call for class size limitations.
• One adult supervisor is required for every ten students when visiting the museum or Gillespie Field facility.
• A 30-minute guided tour of the museum can normally be added to all classes held at the museum at no extra cost: this must be requested when making your booking, and is subject to tour guide availability. Some classes already include gallery tours, as noted in the descriptions.
• A mileage fee of 75 cents per mile (in both directions) will be added for school outreaches.
• The teacher must remain with the class.
• These classes can also be taught for your group at our Gillespie Field facility in El Cajon.
• For more information, please download the Educators' Guide from our Education Overview homepage.

Things that Fly

Grades K-3
This activity-oriented program introduces younger students to the history and science of flight, learning from designs in nature and those created by humans. (Maximum class size is 25 students.)
Time: 2 hours
Cost: $120

Aviation Art

Grades 1-12
(Curriculum adjusted to students' grade level)
Using our "Fantastic Voyage" traveling poster exhibit as inspiration, students will create individual aviation-related art projects. The Museum graphic design department will then convert the students' work into take-home stickers and book covers. This is a wonderful way to blend science and art while inspiring future artists!
Time: 2 week rental of Fantastic Voyage, with a 2 hour classroom visit.
Cost: $120

International Space Station

Grades 1-12
(Curriculum adjusted to students' grade level)
Interactive demonstrations and hands-on activities teach students about spaceflight and the International Space Station (ISS). The presentations cover concepts such as orbits, microgravity, rendezvous, spacesuits, and living in space.
Time: 1.5 Hours
Cost: $130

Kites!

Grades 1-12
(Curriculum adjusted to students' grade level)
Students use household materials and imagination to build and fly kites, and learn how kites have been enjoyed and used around the world for thousands of years.
Time: 2 Hours
Cost: $130

It's a Blast

Grades 1-3
Students build and launch paper rockets as they learn about Newton's Third Law of Motion - a brief study of rocket aerodynamics made fun! (Maximum class size is 25 students.)
Time: 2 Hours
Cost: $120

Air & Space Heritage Program

Grades 3-6
Students explore air and space vehicles and personalities from the very early days of flight through to the Space Age. This program can accommodate up to 60 students.
Time: 2 Hours
Cost: FREE to Title One San Diego City and County Schools.
Not available as outreach. $5 per student, $10 per adult, for all other schools. Includes a 90 minute museum galleries tour.

Magic Planet - Solar System Tour

Grades 3-6
Students go on a high tech tour of our solar system featuring the Magic Planet digital globe. Features and characteristics of the planets, our sun and moon are addressed.
Time: 2 Hours
Cost: $130

Magic Planet - Concepts of Scale

Grades 3-6
Students learn about our solar system through hands-on explorations of scale to appreciate "how big and how far" the planets really are.
Time: 2 Hours
Cost: $130

Balloon Builders

Grades 3-12
After a short visual presentation on the history of lighter-than-air flight, students build and launch their very own hot air balloons.
Time: 3 Hours
Cost: $150

Awesome Aerodynamics

Grades 3-12
(Curriculum adjusted to students' grade level)
After a visual journey through aviation history, students use the familiar medium of paper to make innovative kinds of airplanes and learn the not-so-familiar concepts of aerodynamics.
Time: 2.5 hours at the museum, 1.5 hours for outreach
Cost: $120 (Includes 60 minute tour)
At the museum, two classes (70 students) may be accommodated during the same time frame for a fee of $160.

Gliders Galore!

Grades 4-6
Students learn the basics of aerodynamics, then directly apply that knowledge in a hands-on way by building working, student-steerable model gliders.
Time: 2.5 Hours
Cost: $140 for one program

What Goes Up...

Grades 4-9
Discovering the basics of aerodynamics with paper airplanes leads to a practical application of aircraft design as students build balsa wood flying models.
Time: 4 hours (includes half hour for lunch)
Cost: $180
(Includes 60 minute museum galleries tour)

Rocket Science for Real

Grades 4-9
Day One:Students are introduced to Newton's Laws of Motion and learn about the history of space flight as they build model rockets.
Day Two:"Launch Day" at the Fiesta Island launch site as the students enjoy the drama of launching their own rockets, followed by a debriefing and review of the launch data. Schools are responsible for transportation to the Mission Bay Fiesta Island launch site.
Time: Two-day program (3.5 hours per day; includes half hour for lunch)
Cost: $300 (up to 20 students, $15 for every extra student)

Aquarockets

Grades 4-12
Newton's Laws come to life as students turn simple soda bottles into amazingly high-flying rockets. A launcher for your own classroom can be provided for an additional $25.
Time: 2 Hours
Cost: $140

Science Of: Da Vinci - NEW for 2008-2009

Grades 4-12
Students will examine da Vinci's life and the science of his designs with a presentation. Then they will engage in one of two fun hands-on activities. Activity choices are da Vinci's Parachute Challenge or da Vinci Gliders.
Time: 2 Hours
Cost: $150

Science Of: Science Fiction - NEW for 2008-2009

Grades 4-12
Explore the world of science fiction versus science fact through topics such as lasers, faster than light travel, interplanetary communications, robots, and artificial intelligence. Students will also design and build their own science fiction starships. A great class for both literature and science students.
Time: 2.5 Hours
Cost: $150

Drop Test Challenge

Grades 5-12
Based on a well-known college egg drop test, your students will be challenged to engineer a creative and functional impact-resistant capsule. Students work with limited materials and within a budget to design vehicles capable of protecting their ?astronaut? from the impact of reentry. A great team-building project, and a fun way for the world?s future engineers to learn the scientific method!
Time: 3 hours
Cost: $120

The Story of Bessie Coleman: First Black Woman Pilot

Grades 5-12
Join author Connie Plantz as she tells the amazing story of Bessie Coleman, who overcame gender and racial prejudice in order to earn an International Pilot's License in 1921. Coleman's life from sharecropper's daughter to daredevil pilot and businesswoman is told using original photos and materials from the museum's archives.
Time: 1 Hours
Cost: $135 for an assembly, $50 for one class

Living History: World War I - NEW for 2008-2009

Grades 5-12
Not only will students learn about the advances in aviation during the Great War but they will fly the planes too. Students will also compete against each other as they design and build either biplanes or triplanes.
Time: 3 Hours
Cost: $150

Living History: Golden Age - NEW for 2008-2009

Grades 5-12
Air races, barnstormers, and record breakers make up the Golden Age. Learn about them and then fly the planes on our simulators. Students will also design gliders made to carry a payload just like the first airmail planes.
Time: 3 Hours
Cost: $150

Living History: World War II

Grades 5-12
Fly together in World War II fighter planes! Students will see genuine aircraft that revolutionized aviation warfare and fly them on our computer simulators, both learning and living history.
Time: 3 Hours
Cost: $150

Living History: Jet Age - NEW for 2008-2009

Grades 5-12
Subsonic speeds are a thing of the past. Learn about the rise of the jet and then fly early jet planes on our computer simulators. Students will also team up like engineers and build small jet engines.
Time: 3 Hours
Cost: $150