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College of Life Sciences
Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum
School Programs
Public Programs

BEGINNING IN THE FALL OF 2020, WE WILL BE UPDATING OUR SCHOOL PROGRAMS TO MATCH THE NEW UTAH STATE SCIENCE CORE CURRICULUM.

WE WILL NO LONGER BE INCLUDING LIVE ANIMALS IN THESE PROGRAMS (FALL 2020) BUT WILL STILL INCLUDE MUSEUM SPECIMENS FOR STUDENTS TO TOUCH.

Free Weekly Programs

Monday: Vertebrate Variety at 6:30 PM and Adaptations at 7:30 PM
Tuesday: Adaptations at 7:30 PM
Wednesday: Utah's Diversity at 7:30 PM
Thursday: Classification at 7:30 PM
Friday: Adaptations at 7:30 PM
Saturday: Vertebrate Variety at 1 PM & 3 PM

We also hold free public programs on weekdays at 1PM and 3PM during the months of June, July, and August.

We offer school programs in any of the following formats:
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In-house
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Outreach
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Webcast
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FHE (Family Home Evening)

IN-HOUSE PROGRAMS MUST BE SCHEDULED AT LEAST ONE WEEK IN ADVANCE.

Our school programs are 30-45 minutes and currently include up to 3 live animals. The Museum offers these programs in the following formats:

The Bean Museum offers free public programs throughout the week! These are scheduled every evening at 7:30 PM with an additional program on Mondays at 6:30 PM. Saturday programs are at 1PM and 3PM. We also hold free public programs at 1PM and 3PM on weekdays in the months of June, July, and August. If you would like to schedule a free, private education program, please read the following and schedule your program using the link provided.

Programs start 15 minutes after the hour and may be scheduled from 10:15 AM until 6:15 PM Monday - Friday. Saturday programs start 15 minutes after the hour and may be scheduled from 10:15 AM until 4:15 PM, except during the public programs which are 1PM and 3PM.

To schedule a school program for your group at the museum, click on the link below and select the date and time. Fill out the form as completely as possible. We can accommodate small groups and groups as large as 200. In-house programs must be requested at least ONE WEEK in advance and cannot be scheduled more than 4 months in advance.

Schedule an In-house Program

OUTREACH PROGRAMS MUST BE REQUESTED AT LEAST TWO WEEKS IN ADVANCE.

For a small fee, we will bring one of our school programs to you.

Outreach programs cost $55. There will be an additional $20 distance fee for every 20 miles (beyond the first 20 miles) required to travel to your location. Additional outreach programs scheduled back to back (within 30 minutes) for the same day at the same location are $20 each.

To schedule an outreach program, click on the link below and select the date and time. Outreach programs must be requested at least two weeks in advance and cannot be scheduled more than 4 months in advance. A credit card will be required to secure your reservation but you will not be charged until after the outreach has occurred.

Schedule an Outreach Program

WEBCAST PROGRAMS MUST BE SCHEDULED ONE WEEK IN ADVANCE.

All webcast programs are free of charge. These are broadcast to your home or classroom using Skype or Google Hangouts.

Schedule a Webcast

The Bean Museum hosts two public programs at the museum every Monday night at 6:30 PM and 7:30 PM. These are free and open to the public. Come and bring your friends and family!

Current School Programs
Our current school programs are designed for specific grades in connection with the Utah Science State Core Curriculum. Beginning in the fall of 2020, we will be updating our school programs to match the new Utah State Science Core curriculum. We will no longer be including live animals in these programs but will still include museum specimens for students to touch.

See a description of each programs below:
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Animal Discovery (Preschool)
A quick, age-appropriate glance at Subphylum Vertebrata. Students will play a “game” and in the process discover new things about animals. This program is interactive and created specifically for kids under the age of 6. While we won’t limit group size, it will work much better for groups of 20 or less.
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Animal Comparisons (Kindergarten)
Audience members play a game of "memory" to explore the differences between animal form and function. This is an inquiry based program that allows students to closely observe differences in body parts, body coverings, and specialized senses in many types of animals.
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Classification (First Grade)
An opportunity for students to explore how and why scientists classify animals. Students will use inquiry to classify animals.
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Habitat Hunters (Second Grade)
Students will explore different habitats and determine why certain plants and animals would or would not be able to survive in any particular environment.
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Nature Interactions (Third Grade)
Teaching how living things interact with each other to produce mutually beneficial conditions. Plants and animals will be discussed and students will help determine how living and non-living things interact in nature.
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Utah'S Diversity (Fourth Grade)
Discussion of different ecosystems in Utah and the kind of plants and animals that live there. This will be an interactive discussion through each of Utah’s 3 main ecosystems: Wetlands, Forests, and Deserts. Students will help the educator analyze each specimen and learn why they are found more commonly in one area over another.
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Adaptations (Fifth Grade)
Examining adaptations in plants and animals and how specific adaptations help species survive under varying conditions.
Vertebrate Variety (General Audience)
Participants will learn the distinguishing characteristics of the 5 vertebrate classes; fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. This program is meant for museum visitors of all ages and can be easily adapted for any size group.