Education Resources
Saturday Special Presentations
Click here to view terrific learning opportunities at the aquarium!
Outreach Programs 
THE RAINFOREST VAN
The Rainforest Van is an educational outreach program offered by The Living Planet Aquarium to second and third grade students along the Wasatch Front. The content of our presentations is specifically designed to coordinate with the Utah Sate Office of Education’s General Core Curriculum for second grade and the Science Core Curriculum for third grade.This hands-on program allows students to see and touch numerous tropical rainforest animals. This interactive educational program fosters a greater awareness for important environments most students will never see.
GET WITH THE PROGRAM
The Rainforest Van presents topics such as:
- The characteristics of living things
- How animals in a community interact
- How temperature and moisture affect the environment
- Locations of tropical rainforests around the world
ANIMALS OF THE RAINFOREST VAN
- Madagascar Hissing Cockroach
- Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula
- Mexican Red Knee Tarantula
- Emperor Scorpion
- Pac Man Frog
- Common Boa Constrictor
- Rainbow Boa Constrictor
- Jungle Carpet Python
- African Gray Parrot
- Blue and Gold Macaw
- Scarlet Macaw
- Eclectus Parrot
BY THE NUMBERS
Since our beginning in 1999, the Rainforest Van has reached students
in 34 school districts! During the 2007-2008 school year alone, we visited over 10,000 students
in 101 different elementary schools!
RAINFOREST VAN TEACHER PACKET
Pdf documents require Adobe Acrobat Reader to open and view. If you do not have the reader you can download it for free here. 
Click here to
download teacher packet for 2nd grade (.pdf)
Click here to download teacher packet for 3rd grade (.pdf)
THE UTAH WATERS VAN
The Utah Waters Van is an educational outreach program offered by The Living Planet Aquarium to fourth grade students throughout Utah. The content of our presentations is specifically designed to coordinate with the Utah Sate Office of Education’s Science Core Curriculum. Students are encouraged to supply information and assist the presenters during our interactive presentation.
WATER IN ACTION
The models we bring to the classroom allow students to see the process being discussed, such as the water cycle or how Utah uses its water, helping them to better understand and recall important information.
GET WITH THE PROGRAM
The Utah Waters Van presents topics including:
- The water cycle
- Our use of water
- Utah’s weather
- Water conservation
- The importance of wetlands
- Adaptations and classification of some of Utah’s native wetland plants and animals
ANIMALS OF THE UTAH WATERS VAN
- Garter Snake
- Tiger Salamander
BY THE NUMBERS
Since
our start in 2002, the Utah Waters Van has reached students in 40 school
districts!
During the 2007-2008 school year, we visited over 39,500 students
in 495 different elementary schools!
UTAH WATERS VAN TEACHER PACKET
Click here to download teacher packet (.pdf)
Field
Trips
Self Guided
For those teachers who would like an un-structured visit to the aquarium, you can schedule a time slot to bring your students to explore our wonderful exhibits and galleries.
Please Note: You are welcome to download the curriculum based materials below and use them on your self guided visit but be aware that these are designed for our "presented" field trips and some grades inlude set up in our galleries that you will not have access to.
Curriculum Based
The Living Planet provides exciting and educational, curriculum-based field
trips for grades K-6. The educational “headquarters,” the Sunken
Ship, Albatross, transports students back in time to an 1840’s shipwreck site
along the Florida Keys. The naturalist on board this re-created ship, warmly
welcomes students as they become naturalists for a day, helping him or her
gather data and research that was lost during the shipwreck.
Our field trips correlate with the Utah State Core Curriculum
guidelines by grade level, as well as the National Science Standards and Utah
Environmental Education Guidelines. This integrated, purpose-driven approach
provides for a rich
and interesting field trip for students of all ages.
Teachers
- Free for teachers, also free one chaperone for every ten students (1/10).
- Donor-sponsored trips available for qualifying schools.
The Living Planet Aquarium has a limited number of bus scholarships available through a generous donation from the Crawford Family foundation! If you would like to apply for bus assistance, please download the application form here. Completed applications can be faxed to (801) 495-4449, attention Director of Education.
For rates and scheduling call: (801) 495-4448 xt 212
Or contact us by e mail at: reservations@thelivingplanet.com
Select your grade level below and download the resource materials provided.
Please note: Each field trip consists of a 20-25 minute presentation followed by approximately 45 minutes of exploration amongst our exhibits and a 15 minute wrap up session to let the students share what they have learned.
Each grade has a research document that you should print off for your class and bring with you on your field trip. This essential document is found either in the teacher guide or as a separate downloadable file. You can find the complete instructions for your field trip in the downloadable "Teacher Guide."
Pdf documents require Adobe Acrobat Reader to open and view. If you do not have the reader you can download it for free here.
Kindergarten
- Apply scientific skills to understand that maps and globes are representations of our earth
- Verbally label fish parts and observe the purpose of fish movements
Click here to download Teacher Guide. (pdf)
1st Grade
- Compare animals and characteristics of water
- Identify and use various maps and map symbols
Click here to download Teacher Guide (pdf)
2nd Grade
- Study relationships between various elements in a aquatic community
- Learn about size and measurement of creatures in the ocean
- Gather information relating to their discoveries
Click here to download Teacher Guide (pdf)
Click here to download Student Research Guide (pdf)
3rd Grade
- Use the phenomenon of tides to learn about the interactions of the Earth, Moon and Sun
- Measure and record temperatures
Click here to download Teacher Guide (pdf)
Click here to download Student Research Guide (pdf)
4th Grade
- Develop an understanding of the physical characteristics of Utah’s wetlands
- Identify common organisms found locally
Click here to download Teacher Guide (pdf)
Click here to download Student Research Guide (pdf)
5th Grade
- Learn about the basic parts of a fish and how fish anatomy relates to survival in a particular environment
- Recognize heritable traits
Click here to download Teacher Guide (pdf)
6th Grade
- Learn how micro-organisms range from simple to complex, and are both helpful and harmful.
- Use a variety of media to explore
micro-organisms.
Click here to download Teacher Guide (pdf)
Click here to download Student Research Guide (pdf)
Our school rates:
- Free for teachers. Also, one free chaperone for every ten students (1/10)
- Donor-sponsored trips available for qualifying schools.
- Choose a self-guided visit or one of the several grade-specific,
core-based programs described above.
For rates and scheduling call: (801) 495-4448 xt 212
Or contact us by e mail at: reservations@thelivingplanet.com
Education Partners
Special Thanks to our Sponsors
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Lee Dever, Chair
Daryl C. Barrett
The Living Planet Aquarium is proud to be an active partner with USEE and shares common environmental education interests to promote, coordinate and encourage high-quality environmental education statewide.