For the first time since the pandemic, the Aquarium on Wheels has returned. The Aquarium of the Pacific is back on the road with its educators and animals aboard the more than thirty-foot Aquarium on Wheels outreach truck and is now accepting bookings.
The newly remodeled truck includes a large tidepool habitat, where you can touch California marine life such as small sharks, sea stars, urchins, and anemones. Educators can also bring life-sized inflatables of a great white shark and elephant seal to schools and communities as part of the program. The Aquarium on Wheels features new interactive educational classroom and auditorium programs led by Aquarium educators where PreK to twelfth-grade students can dive into ocean learning.
The Aquarium on Wheels is available for bookings in Southern California regions in 2023 helping to make the Aquarium more accessible to those who cannot visit. “The Aquarium is committed to broadening the reach of our programs. We are thrilled to bring the ocean to classrooms and ignite curiosity in learners of all ages through hands-on encounters with tidepool animals and in-person programs with our educators,” said Jennie Dean, Aquarium of the Pacific vice president of education and conservation.
One of the first stops for the Aquarium on Wheels was at William F. Prisk Elementary school in Long Beach, California. Approximately 80 students explored tidepool habitats aboard the truck and participated in the classroom programs led by Aquarium educators. “We’ve really been looking forward to this awesome opportunity for our Kids’ Club Winter Break Camp students to have this hands-on experience with the Aquarium of the Pacific’s marine life. Many of us take for granted Long Beach’s close proximity to the Pacific Ocean; our hope is that this visit by the Aquarium on Wheels will ignite their imaginations and inspire these kiddos to dive deeper into learning about our marine habitats,” says Allison Thompson, Prisk Kids’ Club Supervisor, William F. Prisk Elementary school.
Aquarium on Wheels classroom programs available are Under the Sea Shapes (PreK to Kindergarten) and Amazing Animal Adaptations (Kindergarten to eighth grade). Auditorium programs available for Aquarium on Wheels visits are Pacific Journeys (Kindergarten to eighth grade) and Under the Sea Shapes. All these interactive programs support Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The Aquarium also provides educational materials as teacher resources for students to get the most out of their Aquarium on Wheels learning experience. The Aquarium on Wheels mobile tidepool can also be booked for community events and birthday parties.
The Aquarium on Wheels is wheelchair accessible and can serve up to one hundred individuals per hour. It is available for bookings on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. For more information, the public can visit aquariumofpacific.org/education/aow or call (562) 590-3100. The Aquarium on Wheels is made possible through support from Marathon Petroleum Corporation.
Credit: The Aquarium of the Pacific.
