 | Turtle Bay Exploration Park is a fun, non-profit 300-acre gathering place featuring the Sundial Bridge, a museum, forestry & wildlife center, arboretum, and botanical gardens. At the gateway to the Sacramento River Trails, Turtle Bay celebrates far Northern California as part of the world we share. The education department at Turtle Bay Exploration Park aims to provide the environment needed to explore the world through science, art, history, and more. They promote life-long learning through fun, hands-on interactions, and enjoyment. |
| Turtle Bay Educator-led Exploration Classes offer interactive, informational, and inspirational experiences. These classes provide opportunities to practice, build on, and connect with Next Generation Science and other standards. All classes are 45 – 60 minutes long and your group may stay and enjoy the rest of the Park before or after your class. These field trip classes are offered September 2, 2026 through April 30, 2027, on Wednesdays – Fridays; 9:15 am – 12:00 pm. Exploration classes available include Life Cycles, Science Investigations, Exploring Trees, Nature Sketching, Laws of Motion Show, Colorful Coding, Aqua Ecology, Wintu Ways, Engineering Design, and Earth Rocks. |  |
| Turtle Bay’s Animal Classes are very popular and available in-person and virtually! Virtual classes are live web programs for students to view in the classroom or at home. Each class is interactive, contains live animals, and is tailored to fit the State Content Standards for each grade listed. All classes are one hour long (40 min & 15 min Q&A) and your group may stay and enjoy the rest of the Park before or after your class. These classes are offered October 9, 2026 – February 12, 2027, on Fridays at 10:00 am. Animal classes offered include Nocturnal Animals, Forest Animals, Animals in Action, and Survival. |
 | Classes in the Gardens are another wonderful way to explore Turtle Bay. Students can explore the plants, trees, and other features of the Botanical Gardens with one of the horticulture specialists. Each class is tailored to support the State Content Standards. All classes are one hour long and your group may stay and enjoy the rest of the Park before or after your class. The Classes in the Gardens are offered September 2, 2026 – October 29, 2026 & February 3, 2027 – April 29, 2027, on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 10:00 am. Classes in the Gardens offering include Plant Adaptations, All About Seeds, Plant Life Cycles, and Pollination. |
| The Museum Art Gallery Experience (MAGE) offers students an interactive arts and cultural learning opportunity. This year’s featured exhibition, the West Coast Biennial Juried Art Exhibition, will feature over 40 unique mixed-media artworks submitted by artists all along the west coast including Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and California! After a tour and discussion of the exhibition, students will get to do a hands-on art activity that relates to one of the common themes in the gallery. Classes are one hour long and your group may stay and enjoy the rest of the Park before or after your class. Available January 29, 2027 – April 16, 2027, on Wednesdays – Fridays; 9:15 AM – 12:00 pm. Turtle Bay Exploration Park also offers Discovery Camps. These camps are an opportunity for 7-12-year-olds to participate in various science activities, crafts, games, and more! At Turtle Bay, they encourage interactive and hands-on learning that builds on prior knowledge. They encourage campers to try new and different activities and experiments. Sequential days will build off the previous day’s work as they explore science, arts, and the surrounding natural world. Throughout the week, campers will also have opportunities to attend Turtle Bay programs, visit the Parrot Playhouse, enjoy the playgrounds, and explore our exhibitions, gardens, and more. Camps available include Fall & Winter Camp in November and December, Summer Camp, and Extended Care. |
 | There is a program for the little explorers too. Little Explorers aims to provide an exemplary, developmentally appropriate early childhood program for children ages 5 and under and families. They work to create a learning environment that models best practices for high-quality early education experiences for young children and provide opportunities for parents and caregivers to observe and learn. The philosophy is based on constructive theories in which children construct their own knowledge through active learning. This play-based environment encourages children to explore, discover, investigate and create. The curriculum and materials are relevant, meaningful, current and purposeful to encourage children’s social, emotional, physical and cognitive skills. |
| Sensory Hour at Garden of Lights is an inclusive program for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder and other sensory processing needs to enjoy the Garden of Lights with their families. From 4pm – 5pm, registrants will get to experience over a million lights with limited capacity and decreased volume. All participants have the option to enjoy hot chocolate and s’mores before gates open to the public at 5pm and are welcome to stay until the Gardens close at 9pm. Each year Turtle Bay sees a variety of homeschools, alternative schools, and independent study groups from all over the northern California area. If you belong to one of these groups, take a look at the options available. Additional programs include Family 2nd Saturday, Science Saturday, and Art Lab Saturday. |
 | Turtle Bay’s Lending Library offers classroom kits from various curriculum sources including GEMS (Great Explorations in Math & Science), Project Learning Tree, Growing Up Wild, and more. Lending Library subscribers may check out kits that come fully stocked with materials for a classroom of up to 32 students to implement the lesson plans. Activities are perfect for the classroom, afterschool programs, or camps. Subscriptions are available for a yearly fee of $40. Subscribers may check out an unlimited number of kits. |
| Check out the Turtle Bay Exploration Park website for more detailed information about all these wonderful educational opportunities in Redding. |  |