Classroom Resources

Spark your students’ interest in science and the natural world. You can take your students behind the scenes at Shedd—without leaving your classroom! Educators can also discover fun activities and standards-aligned curricula exploring animal rescues and underwater beauty.

Live from Behind the Scenes

A Shedd facilitator sets up a laptop outside of Shedd's animal hospital so that students attending a virtual field trip can look and listen in.

Students gather around a video projector and ask questions as a Shedd expert broadcasts a live Virtual Field Trip session.

Take your grade K-8 students behind the scenes into Shedd’s animal hospital, shark or penguin habitats—without leaving your school! Through our Live from Behind the Scenes program, Shedd experts, from trainers to veterinarians, and animals will make a virtual visit to your classroom for a live 50-minute interactive experience. Each session is unique because it is happening in real time as Shedd’s experts do their daily work — with your students alongside them. 

Book a virtual field trip

Virtual Field Trip Programs

Labs at Your School

Young students observe a "sea monkey" living in a small glass habitat in Shedd's learning labs.

A red-footed tortoise opens its mouth wide to chow down on a mulberry.

New this year. Have Shedd Educators come to your school to facilitate a Learning Lab program. These programs are available three days a week: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays! They can accommodate up to 30 students and are from 50 - 60 minutes (timing can be adapted based on the school's bell schedule). Up to 4 programs can be scheduled in a single day. 

Explore labs at your school

Learning Labs

Clubs and Curricula

Exhibit Guides

A small clownfish sits among the fleshy fronds of the anemone it calls home.

Wild Reef

Wild Reef teacher and student guides cover topics of ecology, evolution and the relationships between organisms.

Teacher Guides
Grades K–2 teacher guide
Grades 3–5 teacher guide
Grades 6–8 teacher guide
Grades 9–12 teacher guide

Student Guides
Grades K–2 student guide
Grades 3–5 student guide
Grades 6–8 student guide
Grades 9–12 student guide

Clouded archerfish have narrow, lemon-shaped bodies with upturned mouths.

Rivers

Rivers are home to a great diversity of plant and animal life. In these lessons, student will explore adaptations that make animals well-suited to rivers.