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School Field Trips

Field Trip Request Form

Every field trip to the Taylor Observatory includes a presentation in the Norton Planetarium, a tour of the Observatory itself, classroom demonstrations, and activities of your choice on a variety of topics.

Schedule your field trip today by filling out a Taylor Observatory Field Trip Request Form. Field Trip times are available from 8:00 AM - 2:00 PM except on Tuesday. Tuesday Field Trips are available from 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM.

Custom field trip topics are available for Lake County K-12 students.

Field trips are free for Lake County classes (not including bus fees.) For field trip requests from outside of Lake County, please contact Jennifer Kelly for the fee amount. 

Kindergarten | First Grade | Second Grade | Third Grade

  • Tour the Solar System: Model and sing songs about the solar system.
  • Robotics in Space: Begin to learn the basics of robotics and coding with easy-to-use robots and explore how robots are used for space exploration.
  • Sound and Vibration: Explore the relationship between sound and vibrating materials. Learn how sound travels in waves.
  • Effects of the Sun on Earth: Explore observations of the sun on the earth and moon and make predictions of observed patterns.
  • Weather & Climate in the Solar System: What is weather and how is it similar and different to climate? How does it vary from place to place, here on Earth and in our solar system!
  • Environments on Earth and Other Planets: Explore environmental systems on Earth and other planets.

Third Grade | Fourth Grade | Fifth Grade

  • Electricity and Magnetism: Demonstrations and hands-on activities exploring the properties of electricity and magnetism. Make simple circuits.
  • The Solar System: Demonstration of the scale of the solar system; shrink the solar system more than two billion times to experience the relative sizes of the planets and the vast distances between them.
  • All about the Moon: How far away is the moon?  How much do you weigh on the moon?  How high can you jump on the moon?  Why is the moon covered in craters?  How did Apollo astronauts travel to the moon and return safely home?  Have all your moon questions answered.
  • Colonizing Mars: What would it take to colonize the solar system? Learn all about what NASA has been doing to prepare to land humans on Mars. Students investigate how to plan a mission to another world.
  • Sound and Vibration: Learn the physics of sound waves. Demonstrations and hands-on activities on sound and resonance.
  • Robotics in Space: Build and code with WeDo or EV3 robots and explore how robots are used for space exploration.
  • The Artemis Missions: Discover the why, how and latest of NASA's program to bring astronauts back to the moon.
  • Volcanoes Near and Far: Explore the formation of different types of volcanoes as you learn about our very own Mt Konocti, the Clear Lake Volcanic Field, and other volcanoes in our solar system! 
  • Environments on Earth and Other Planets: Explore environmental systems on Earth and other planets.

Middle School | High School

  • The Universe and its Stars: Stars, nebula, galaxies. Learn the basics of the large-scale structure of the universe.  
  • Atmosphere and Air Pressure: Demonstrations and hands-on activities learning the properties of the Earth's atmosphere and the effects of high and low air pressure.
  • Earth and the Solar System: Demonstration of the scale of the solar system. Shrink the solar system more than two billion times to experience the relative sizes of the planets and the vast distances between them.
  • Journey to Mars: What would it take to colonize the solar system? Learn all about what NASA has been doing to prepare for a manned mission to Mars. Students investigate how to plan a mission to another world.
  • All about the Moon: Demonstrations and hands-on activities learning about the phases of the moon and the moon’s role in eclipses and tides. Learn how Apollo astronauts traveled to the moon and about NASA’s plans to return to the moon in the near future.
  • Robotics: Build and code with WeDo or EV3 robots.
  • The Search for Life: Is there life elsewhere in our solar system? Explore answers to the question as conditions on Europa (a Jupiter moon) are discovered through activities.
  • The Artemis Missions: Discover the why, how, and latest of NASA's program to bring astronauts back to the moon.
  • The James Webb Space Telescope: Explore the science and engineering of the James Webb Space Telescope through activities and make discoveries of stars, exoplanets, galaxies, and the universe.
  • Environments on Earth and Other Planets: Explore environmental systems on Earth and other planets.

Field trips are free of charge, however, schools are required to fund their own transportation.