Santa Cruz City Museum of Natural History 1305 East Cliff Drive Santa Cruz, CA 95062 Tuesday - Sunday 10:00 am - 5:00 pm Phone: (831) 420-6115

Museum exhibits and programs are displayed in the modified 1915 Carnegie Library that sits on the southern edge of Tyrrell Park, overlooking the Monterey Bay. The Museum provides interesting exhibits and programs on the diverse cultural and natural history of the Santa Cruz region. Explore the fossil sand dollar dig, our touch tidepool and live critters such as our beautiful king snake. To receive more information on upcoming programs contact the Museum at 420-6115.

You can also find out what's new on the Museum Association website: www.santacruzmuseums.org.

Santa Cruz Museum Association Special Events

Super Summer Saturdays
Saturdays, June 27 - July 25, 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
(No program on July 4th)
Free for children under 18
Adults pay Museum Admission
This summer our family program will feature live animals, performances, and crafts appropriate for ages 5+. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Please note that for performance programs there will be specified start times. Other programs are drop-in. For more information about each program, visit our website www.santacruzmuseums.org.

Sensational Snakes – June 27
Live snakes with Herpetologist Paul Haskins – DROP-IN
Beautiful Bats – July 11
Live Bats with the California Bat Conservation Fund – DROP-IN
Recycled Music with Zun Zun – July 18
Performed entirely on recycled instruments, this show highlights innovations in instrument making through time from recycled items (steel drums, panpipes) and ends with the creation of a recycled band made from items found around the house (can, bottles, bags, cups etc.). Two shows, 10:30 am and 12:00 pm.
Creepy Crawlies with Wildlife Associates – July 25
Live animals including boa, tortoise, alligator, tarantula, giant lizard. Dispel myths and explore the importance these animals have in nature’s diverse web of life in a safe environment! Two shows, 10:30 am and 12:00 pm.

Santa Cruz Museum Association Special Classes

The following classes are sponsored by the Santa Cruz Museum Association. Pre-registration is required. Call the Museum, 420-6115 for more information or register at www.santacruzmuseums.org

Art and Nature Explorers Camp
June 22 - 26, 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Cost: $150 members/$175 general
Spend the week exploring outdoors and learning about local plants and animals that call Santa Cruz home. Each day we will create individual and group art projects that reflect our experiences in nature. Campers will experiment with a variety of materials including clay, paints, metal, wood, and found objects. You’ll also acquire drawing and writing skills for creative journaling using pen and ink, watercolors, pastel, colored pencil and collage. All classes meet at Museum of Natural History except Wednesday when we’ll have a special field trip to Natural Bridges. Open to youth ages 7-10.

Nature and Survival Skills Summer Camp
Monday, July 20 - Friday, July 24
Monday - Wednesday meet 9:00 am - 3:00 pm;
Thursday, 9:00 am - Friday 11:00 am
Cost: $250 members/$275 general
Come explore and have fun in nature while learning about traditional survival skills and our local environment. Campers will learn new skills, through games and hands-on activities, such as creating fire by friction, building shelters, making natural tools, tracking animals, and moving silently through the forest. We will finish the week with an overnight at Green Oaks Creek Farm, www.greenoakscreek.com.Throughout the week, campers will also have fun, make new friends, build a closer relationship with the natural world, and gain self confidence in the outdoors. Open to children ages 9-11. To learn more about Standing Tree Nature School’s other programs for kids and teens, visit: www.standingtreenatureschool.org.

Education Resources

Docent Training
Museum docents are volunteer tour guides, trained to interpret the Museum’s exhibits for school children and other visitors. No previous experience is necessary to become a docent. All you need is a desire to learn about the natural world, a willingness to share what you know with others, and some free time during the week to attend training sessions and conduct tours.

Tours
The Museum offers a variety of tours for children, pre-school through sixth grades. Topics include animal habitats, pre-European native Ohlone culture and wetland walks at Neary Lagoon Park. For the month of May only, tours of the Museum’s “Illustrating Nature” exhibit are available.

Kits
The Museum loans out a variety of natural history educational materials. These materials are available to educators and artists for a small fee. Call the Museum for details and a copy of our current educational services flyer at 420-6115.

To have a complete brochure of these educational resources mailed to you, please call 420-6115.

Join the Santa Cruz Museum Association!

Get the latest news on Museum events and programs: become a member of the Santa Cruz Museum Association. Members receive advance notice of upcoming events and exhibit openings, a bimonthly newsletter, and discounts on classes and gift shop purchases. For more information about membership, visit www.santacruzmuseums.org. or call 420-6116.

Museum Association Web Site

Volunteers make it happen at the Museum

Neary Lagoon Wetland Walk Program Seeking Volunteers!
The Neary Lagoon Wetland Walk consists of a two-part experience for 3rd and 4th grade students: an in-class, interactive presentation led by a museum staff member, followed by a docent guided field trip to Neary Lagoon focused on naturalistic observation. We are seeking volunteers to lead class visits to Neary Lagoon. If you are interested is becoming a volunteer for this program, please call 420-6113.

The “thank you” letters we have received from students show that they are learning a tremendous amount and having fun doing so!

“Thank you so very much for showing us Neary Lagoon. I liked walking around, observing nature, and playing the activities.” – 3rd grader, Gateway School

“We loved being here! The students needed to connect their knowledge to a local environment, and they were highly engaged. Thank you for taking us on this tour and teaching both the students and the adults about the wonders of Neary Lagoon!” – Teacher, DeLaveaga School

“Thank you for the wonderful tour of Neary Lagoon. I learned a lot of stuff! One thing is that it’s important to keep wetlands alive.” – 3rd grader, Del Mar School

Teachers interested in registering for this interactive classroom experience and wetland walk can call the museum at 420-6115.

Become a Museum Docent at the Natural History Museum
We are seeking new volunteer tour guides (docents) for the Museum's school programs and events. By becoming a docent, you’ll join a group of dynamic, enthusiastic educators who create the magical moments that make field trips for schoolchildren so memorable. And it’s a great way to support the Museum’s educational goals.

Our school programs focus on Ohlone culture and animal natural history. Programs serve students in preschool through fourth grade. Docents will work in teams of two and each docent is responsible for 10-15 children at a time. Tours are 45 minutes long and involve lots of hands-on activities, use of Museum artifacts and stories to keep our school kids curious and engaged. The time commitment is 2-4 hours per month.

Basic training consists of four, 3.5-hour sessions. Benefits include seeing the smiles on children’s faces, museum membership, and special docent field trips and enrichment programs. Spread the word to friends, co-workers and family about this fabulous volunteer opportunity. We look forward to including you in our docent family!

For more information or to register, call Shauna Casey at 420-6113 or email shauna@santacruzmuseums.org

Clubs meeting at the Museum

Another way to get involved in the region's unique natural resources is to attend meetings of the many natural history groups that meet regularly at the Museum. Below you will find a partial listing of the clubs currently meeting at the Museum. Meeting times may change. For current information and a list of invited speakers call 420-6115.

Another way to get involved in the region’s unique natural resources is to attend meetings of the natural history groups that meet regularly at the Museum. Below you will find a partial listing of the clubs currently meeting at the Museum. Meeting times may change. For current information and a list of speakers, call 420-6115.

Fungus Federation Study Group
1st Wednesday of month at 7:00 pm

Santa Cruz Bird Club
4th Thursday of month at 7:30 pm

Museum of Natural History Panoramas
Click on images below to see 360* panoramas.






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