
Texas State Aquarium
www.Connect2Texas.net
The Texas State Aquarium is a non-profit, AZA accredited aquarium that focuses on the species and habitats in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. Opened in 1990, our mission is to engage people with animals, inspire appreciation for our seas, and support wildlife conservation.
Click here to see our scheduled programs and register. Be sure to filter programs by Texas State Aquarium.
To request programs or ask questions, contact aquavision@txstateaq.org.
Coral Reef Under Construction
Grades: 3-5
Cost: $145
Coral reefs are described as the “tropical rain forests of the ocean.” Join us on a journey into this valuable habitat as we investigate the diversity of corals, learn their anatomy, and compare and contrast the differences between Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean reefs. Students will construct and name their very own coral creations while viewing our coral exhibits!
Creature Tales: Baby Alligator
Grades: PreK-2
Cost: $65
Your students will enjoy an animal themed story and virtually meet the superstar animal of the book. Read along, make observations, recall facts, and get an up-close look at a live baby alligator.
Creature Tales: Sea Turtles
Grades: PreK-3
Cost: $65
We will be reading "Tammy Turtle: A Tale of Saving Sea Turtles" by Suzanne Tate. Students can read along in the classroom, observe sea turtle biofacts, and get an up-close look at our resident sea turtles through real-time cameras!
Creature Tales: Sharks
Grades: PreK-2
Cost: $65
Your students will enjoy an animal themed story and then virtually meet the superstar animal of the book. Read along, make animal observations, recall facts, and investigate shark biofacts. Get an up-close look at our resident sharks though real time cameras, and identify threats to these ocean hunters.
Discovery Dive: Coral Reef
Grades: PreK-12
Cost: $300
Join a SCUBA diver live from underwater at the Texas State Aquarium. See the diver's perspective with our underwater camera, and our diver will answer your questions live! Practice your fish identification skills, observe a fish feeding, and learn about the adaptations of coral reef fish. During this program you'll discover the skills we use every day to care for our animals and learn how you can help conserve coral reefs from your classroom.
Discovery Dive: Sharks
Grades: K-12
Cost: $350
Join a SCUBA diver live from inside the Texas State Aquarium's Caribbean Sea as they swim with sharks, rays, and a variety of fish. Students will discover the adaptations of sharks and rays and how we care for the animals that call this habitat home. Our diver will answer your questions live as sharks swim by, and students will enjoy a unique view that few ever experience!
Let’s Talk Sharks!
Grades: 3-5
Cost: $130
Students will observe shark biofacts and explore how a shark’s skeleton, jaws, teeth, skin, and camouflage make them top predators. We will look at common shark species in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean, as well as view our resident sharks live from the Texas State Aquarium. Why shark conservation is important will also be discussed, along with what scientists and aquariums are doing to conserve these mysterious animals.
Turtle Tracks
Grades: 3-5
Cost: $130
Students become marine biologists as they track Tammy, a Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, on her journey across the Gulf of Mexico. During their sea turtle study, students discuss why scientists track sea turtles and what technology they use. Students will read aloud and plot Tammy’s migration path, hypothesize why she may have traveled to different locations, and identify potential threats encountered in the Gulf of Mexico waters.
Virtual Classroom: Dolphins
Grades: Prek-2
Cost: $65
Join us as we learn how to move and talk like a dolphin! Get your students up and moving as they study the adaptations and body parts these mammals use to swim and survive in the ocean. Students will also discover how dolphins communicate using distinct clicks and whistles, and visit our Atlantic bottlenose dolphins through our real-time view into Dolphin Bay.
Virtual Classroom: Fish
Grades: PreK-2
Cost: $65
Let’s talk fishes LIVE from the Texas State Aquarium as your students observe and compare and contrast the diversity of fishes in Aquarium habitats. Together, we’ll distinguish between fish body shapes, infer how shapes help them survive and thrive in their habitats, and create a special fish drawing.
Virtual Classroom: Sharks
Grades: PreK-2
Cost: $65
Long bodies, sharp teeth, and a top predator… you guessed it sharks! Join us in the Virtual Classroom to discover how sharks move, what their teeth are like, and the parts that make up their bodies. Your students will practice important STEM process skills by observing and describing real live sharks, collecting data and communicating what they learned from sharks in Texas State Aquarium habitats.
Virtual Field Trip
Grades: Prek-3 Cost: $105
Grades: 4-12 Cost: $130
The Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea are dynamic and diverse ecosystems that support a wide range of life. During this interactive tour, explore a variety of habitats through our real-time cameras from the comforts of your own classroom. Make observations and comparisons of the inhabitants and their adaptations for survival in their habitats.
Teacher Resources
We provide educators, near and far, learning opportunities and resources designed to support and enhance classroom-based STEM curriculum, pedagogical best practices and student-centered discovery. Visit our classroom resources page.
The views and opinions expressed are those of the contributing members of Connect2Texas and do not necessarily represent the views of the Education Service Center Region 11. While some content is deemed appropriate for various curriculum standards used by viewers nationwide, most content providers make an effort to tie their content to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).
Connect2Texas
Email: c2tx@esc11.net
Website: www.connect2texas.net
Location: Fort Worth, TX, United States
Phone: 817-740-7516
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Connect2Texas/178380812237957
Twitter: @connect2texas