Inland Voyages (grades preK -adult)

MSI's Inland Voyage program delivers the Pacific Ocean and Bay to you, bringing live marine animals and artifacts to your school or organization. Through combining hands-on investigation, and cooperative learning activities, elementary and secondary students learn about many facets of the marine environments found in our local San Francisco Estuary and Pacific Ocean.

Students rotate through two working stations, each facilitated by an instructor. Each program is tailored to the needs and curricula of the class, lasts 50 minutes, and is limited to 30 students. Educator Guides are available to complement your lesson plan surrounding the Inland Voyage. We require the participation of 3-4 classes per day at your site. A maximum of two different programs (of the 7 to choose from) can be presented per day.

Bay Fish
Live fish (including sharks!) travel in a mobile aquarium from the unique habitat called the San Francisco Bay Estuary. Students will analyze the feeding habits, adaptations, locomotion, and predator/prey relationships of leopard sharks, halibut, perch, gobies, and other fish species through hands-on discovery. This program introduces young students to their estuarine neighbors and/or challenges more advanced groups with classification, anatomy, and physiology.

Bay and Ocean Invertebrates
How do so many creatures survive in rocky tidepools along the coast? What animals actually thrive in the muddy bottom of the Bay? How do the Bay invertebrates differ from their saltier cousins? The answers will be found by your students in a close-up examination of crabs, anemones, clams, seastars, urchins, and many other fascinating invertebrates. Feeding and reproductive strategies, and more advanced concepts can also be included.

Marine Mammals

What makes marine mammals so unique? What species of marine mammals live in or near the San Francisco Bay? While exploring unique artifacts including whalebones, baleen, Orca and Porpoise skulls, students will discover characteristics and adaptations of marine mammals in local habitats.

Marine Habitats

We bring these habitats to you! Each hands-on program examines different habitats by showcasing the unique adaptations of the marine animals that live in them. Students work with live marine animals and plants, marine artifacts, and identification keys. These habitats are those commonly found in the San Francisco Bay surrounding areas. The following is a description of the different Marine Habitat Inland Voyages that are currently offered:

Choose from one of the habitat themes below...

Rocky Intertidal Habitat - This program focuses on how tidepool animals move, eat and protect themselves.

Sandy Beach - This program focuses on how Sandy Beach animals are adapted to survive above and below the sand.

Marshes & Mudflats - This program focuses on the fish, invertebrates and birds commonly found in the local marshes and mudflats.

Kelp Forests - This program focuses on the kelp forest food web and human uses of kelp.