Directors Circle

Focused Field Trips

Experience the Science Center in an entirely new way with our Focused Field Trips-designed to help build science skills in your students!

At the core of this program is a free teacher orientation and sets of downloadable materials that will prepare you, your students, and your chaperones for a Science Center Focused Field Trip.


Follow the link above to find our new and expanded pre- and post-visit materials, state standards-based teacher and student guides, related demonstrations and activities, teacher workshops and bilingual chaperone preparation guides.

Teachers who complete our Teacher Orientation will be awarded an Arizona Science Center Teacher Certification good for two years and 2 hours of professional development, and receive a FREE Educator's Membership.

How to book your field trip

Before you call to make your reservation:

  1. If you are a qualifying Title 1 school, please let the reservationist know at the beginning of your conversation
  2. Pick three potential days for your school trip
  3. Decide approximately what time you would like to arrive at the Center
  4. Make sure you have available transportation
  5. Confirm permission for the trip with your school administrator

To schedule your field trip, call Reservations at 602-716-2028 (please allow 15 minutes for the call). The Center can only accommodate a specific number of groups each day, so have alternative dates in mind. Reservations must be made at least three weeks in advance.

Additional Options
for your Focused Field Trip:

School Group Pricing

Exhibits Are you a Title 1 school? $6
Add Planetarium Show or
IMAX Film
$2

 

Teacher Orientation: Making the Most of Your Field Trip

To register, please call 602-716-2028.

This is a free, two hour workshop to introduce teachers to Arizona Science Center's philosophy and approach to Focused Field Trips. The orientation covers the following:

  • Preparing students for a field trip to the Science Center - what the research suggests and what experience has shown
  • Preparing your chaperones for field trips - how to encourage chaperones to work with students
  • Pre- and post-visit activities including discussions and investigations
  • Using Teacher Guides and Investigation materials
  • A guided tour of the Science Center using Investigations
  • Developing a plan for your visit

 

Focused field trip orientation schedule

Call 602-716-2028 to register 

4:30 - 6:30 p.m.: Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2008

4:30 - 6:30 p.m.: Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2009

9:30 - 11:30 a.m.: Saturday, Jan. 17, 2009

4:30 - 6:30 p.m.: Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2009

9:30 - 11:30 a.m.: Saturday, Feb, 21, 2009

4:30 - 6:30 p.m.: Wednesday, March 11, 2009

9:30 - 11:30 a.m.: Saturday, March 14, 2009

4:30 - 6:30 p.m.: Wednesday, April 8, 2009

9:30 - 11:30 a.m.: Saturday, April 18, 2009

If you could drive to the sun -- at 55 miles per hour -- it would take about 193 years

 

Demonstrations 

Throughout the day, members of the Center's Guest Experience staff present free 10-20 minute demonstrations. Our demonstrations cover a wide range of topics and can be used to enhance a Focused Field Trip or highlight a topic you are covering in your classroon. Demonstrations are a great way to bring your group together for a shared experience.

the following 20-minute demonstrations are offered daily:

Lava Lab - pre-K through 4th grade
Did you ever wonder about the Earth forces behind a volcanic eruption? Learn about the different types of lava and experience a mini-eruption.

Stomach This! A Digestion Demonstration- All ages
Observe the normally 12-hour process of digestion in just 15 minutes as we simulate food traveling through the digestive system and discuss the final product.   

the following 10-20-minute demonstrations will be offered throughout the week:

Upon your arrival, please check the demonstration board in the lobby for demonstrations scheduled that day.

Amazing Psychic Powers - all ages
Seeing into the future, reading your mind, bending matter - can we really do all this? Apply the scientific methods of observation, prediction and experimentation and you will have the answer.

Blood Lab - 3rd grade and up
Learn about your blood, including where it's made and what's in it, as well as the different blood types and the need for donation.

Combustion - all ages
Learn about this chemical reaction and discover the fire triangle through various experiments.

Sponsored by: General Dynamics

Discover DNA - 3rd grade and up
Learn about genes and touch real DNA extracted from strawberries. At the end of the demonstration, students solve a mystery using the information they have learned.

Eggceptional Pressure - all ages
Air pressure is the simple mechanism behind forcing an egg into a bottle. Can we bring it out in one piece again? Come find out in this "fun" demonstration.

Hydrogen Fuel Cell - all ages
Come learn about a potential new way to store energy as we power a car using water.

Illusions - all ages
Can you believe your eyes? Not sure of the answer? This demonstration introduces the audience to some common optical illusions and explains how they happen.

Liquid Nitrogen
Explore extreme temperatures and learn about the different states of matter while you watch experiments with liquid nitrogen.

Sponsored by:

 

Magic Planet - all ages
Explore the wonderful planet on which we live and discover how the forces of nature balance themselves.

Located in the Wells Fargo Classroom in Forces of Nature, Level 3 Sybil B. Harrington Galleries.

Optics of the Eye - all ages
Watch a real cow eyeball dissection and learn about the anatomy and optics of the eye. 

The Strange Properties of Iron Wire - 3rd grade and up
Explore the concepts of thermal expansion, resistance heating and incandescence as a current is passed through a length of iron wire and observe the unexpected results.

UV Awareness and Sun Safety - all ages
Does sunscreen really work? Am I protected from the sun's UV rays in the shade? Experiment with a variety of UV detecting materials to see how protected we really are.

Sponsor Acknowledgements

The Arizona Science Center would like to thank the following sponsors for their generous support of Focused Field Trip programming:

AMERICAN EXPRESS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 THE KEMPER & ETHEL MARLEY FOUNDATION

PHOENIX SUNS CHARITIES

 THE JOHN F. LONG FOUNDATION

ARIZONA SCIENCE CENTER 600 E. WASHINGTON ST. PHOENIX, AZ 85004 PHONE 602-716-2000 FAX 602-716-2099
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