Mote is currently offering both onsite and virtual school and community group opportunities. If you are looking for our virtual program options, please visit mote.org/seatrek.
PLEASE NOTE: We are booked through April and ONLY have very limited availability to book a field trip in May. Bookings for the summer months are available on a limited basis. We will not respond to requests made for February, March, or April. We apologize for any inconvenience. Please call 941-388-4441 ext. 351 with any questions.
REQUESTS FOR THE 2023-24 SCHOOL YEAR ARE NOT CURRENTLY BEING ACCEPTED. Please visit this page in July 2023 for the new form and to submit your request for the new school year. Thank you.
Onsite Field Trips
Mote Field Trip Highlights
- All Mote Explorations are aligned with Florida State Science Standards to help students meet requirements on state assessment tests.
- Experienced Mote Educators lead your field trip program, giving your students access to Mote’s world-class marine research and helping them learn science concepts while inspiring wonder about the world around us.
- We create a custom agenda for your school based on your class size, arrival and departure time, and options selected during registration.
- Programs are one hour in length for kindergarten through college/adult, and 30 minutes for preschool groups. We recommend groups plan to spend 3-4 hours at Mote for their program, picnic lunch, and touring of our facilities.
- Admission to Mote Marine Aquarium and Marine Mammal Center is included.
- Book an outreach or virtual program before or after your visit to enhance your field trip experience. Click here!
Please review the following to help you plan and prep for your trip:
Mote Field Trip Policies
Mote Field Trip FAQs
2022-23 Field Trip Flyer
Want Mote to come to you?
Check out our Mote in the Classroom options, including outreaches, our award-winning Mote SEA Trek programs, and more!
STEM Explorations
STEM Explorations are indoor programs for up to 25 students per session. A limit of 5 chaperones may attend per session due to classroom space. Based on your total student size, we will create an agenda that splits your group into sets of 20-25 students who will rotate through their STEM Exploration and Aquarium and Marine Mammal Center tours.
Group Size: A minimum of 10 student/youth participants
Chaperones Required: One chaperone for every 10 students, required and admitted free. Teachers and staff are considered chaperones and are counted in the total chaperone count on field trip day. Additional chaperones are $20 each, see request form for more information.
Cost: $18 for students (Mote Memberships are not valid for school or camp visits including field trips and self-guided tours.)
Note: School and community groups are not permitted to participate in either the virtual reality (VR) cinema experience or Fossil Creek activities during their visit. Neither are included in the admission price nor are they equipped to serve groups.
Contact: educate@mote.org or 941-388-4441 x351
Preschool
Turtle Tots Students will learn about the adventurous life of sea turtle hatchlings through song, stories and role-playing.
Snazzy Shark Teeth Students will become shark dentists! They will learn about shark mouths, teeth and feeding habits through storybooks, games and a hunt for shark’s teeth.
Grades K-2
Our Dolphin Neighbors Scientists have been studying the local resident bottlenose dolphin population for more than 40 years. Through hands-on activities, students will discover what scientists are learning about the communication, feeding behavior, and human interactions with our dolphin neighbors.
Become A Scientist Students will investigate what it is truly like to be a scientist. We will transform your students into little marine scientists to discover a mystery animal. During this time, students will learn about the different tools and methods used by scientists.
Home Sweet Habitat Students will compare and contrast different ocean habitats including coral reefs, estuaries, and the deep sea. During this program students will use their senses and observation skills to learn about adaptations needed to survive in these habitats.
Grades 3-5
Angelfish to Zebra Shark: All About Fish During this interactive clue based program students will explore the characteristics of fish and special adaptations fish have. In the comfort of our Mote classroom students will use the scientific process to determine what the mystery animal might be. After the program students can explore the aquarium to find new fish friends.
Ocean Problem Solver During this STEM-based program students will learn why the ocean is important and how humans affect it. Students will explore Blue Holes recently discovered right here in our local oceans. Then using the engineering process, they will work in teams on solutions, building a model to collect samples deep in the ocean to learn more about these newly discovered features.
Planet H2O Discover the world of water through hands-on explorations of this unique substance. Students will perform mini experiments to hypothesize and investigate the water cycle. Although this program takes place in the classroom, be prepared to get a little wet during the water cycle experiments.
Grades 6-8
Shark Scientist Students will become Mote shark scientists in this interactive classroom program. They will learn the importance of shark research and the different techniques used by Mote scientists. They will be responsible for tagging a ‘shark’ as well as presenting their findings to the class.
Sounds in the Sea In our newest STEM program, students will explore how sound is utilized by dolphins and fish in the ocean! After reviewing how sound is measured, students will learn how and why marine scientists study these sounds and the important role they play in ocean conservation. Through team collaboration, your class will simulate Mote and the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program's bioacoustic research and present their claims based on evidence.
Spineless Sea Students will explore marine taxonomy and various characteristics of invertebrates to learn what it takes to survive in the sea without a backbone. To apply their newfound knowledge, students will learn proper dissection techniques investigating squid in small groups.
Grades 9-12
Technology in Shark Research Students will explore the importance of technology in research, specifically shark research. Through hands-on activities with iPads and actual shark data, students will become comfortable with understanding and interpreting data as well as using technologies used by Mote scientists.
Turtle Tech Students will learn to review and analyze real turtle data. Working in groups, students will track a turtle and determine trends, habits or behaviors in the data. They will become comfortable with presenting their findings and their conclusions.
College
For students at the college level, Mote Education is pleased to offer special internship presentations, customized programming and self-guided tours. Please use the button below to complete a request or email educate@mote.org to further discuss options.
Field Explorations
Field Explorations are outdoor, water-based programs for up to 30 students per session. There is no chaperone limit for Field Explorations. Programs are one hour, except for preschool programs which are 30 minutes in length. All Explorations include admission to Mote Aquarium and Marine Mammal Center. Find out what to bring and what to wear here.
Group Size: A minimum of 10 student/youth participants
Chaperones Required: One chaperone for every 10 students, required and admitted free. Teachers and staff are considered chaperones and are counted in the total chaperone count on field trip day. Additional chaperones are $20 each, see request form for more information.
Cost: $18 for students (Mote Memberships are not valid for school or camp visits including field trips and self-guided tours.)
Note: School and community groups are not permitted to participate in either the virtual reality (VR) cinema experience or Fossil Creek activities during their visit. Neither are included in the admission price nor are they equipped to serve groups.
Grades Pre-K - 2
Exploring the Bay Come get wet and explore beneath the waters of Sarasota Bay. During this program we will use dip nets to find and learn about local critters in the bay. Pre-K program is 30 minutes, K-2 is one-hour. Students must arrive water-ready.
Grades 3 - 12, College+
Field Sampling Techniques Students will be learning the importance of estuaries while collecting organisms that live in Sarasota Bay. During this experience-based learning program, students will get wet while wading in the bay, learning techniques for collecting data that later can be analyzed. This is a one-hour program. Students must come water-ready.
+Field Sampling is available to College and Adult Learners. Experience is adjusted to be grade level appropriate.
STEM & Field Combo Exploration
Group Size: A minimum of 10 student/youth participants
Chaperones Required: One chaperone for every 10 students, required and admitted free. Teachers and staff are considered chaperones and are counted in the total chaperone count on field trip day. Additional chaperones are $20 each, see request form for more information.
Cost: $30 for students (Mote Memberships are not valid for school or camp visits including field trips and self-guided tours.)
Note: School and community groups are not permitted to participate in either the virtual reality (VR) cinema experience or Fossil Creek activities during their visit. Neither are included in the admission price nor are they equipped to serve groups.
Grades 6 - 12
For groups that want to dive even deeper into Mote’s research, schedule a STEM & Field Combo Exploration. Join us for a lab program of your choice then head out into the water to learn the same techniques our scientists use in the field. This option is for groups who are able to spend more time at Mote. Your students will experience two hours of Mote education programming as well as admission to Mote Aquarium and Marine Mammal Center. We recommend planning to be at Mote for at least 3.5 hours (not counting lunch) for this option.
For any questions, please reach out to: educate@mote.org or phone 941-388-4441 x351.
Self-Guided Aquarium Tours
Schools, camps, and other education groups are invited to take advantage of a special group rate. This is for admission to the Aquarium for a self-guided tour. Advanced registration of at least two weeks is required. Due to limited availability, we recommend placing your request as far in advance as possible. You will receive a confirmation email once we have scheduled your group. You will receive your invoice 7-10 days after your confirmation. Book your visit today by clicking on the request button below.
Group Size: A minimum of 10 student/youth participants
Chaperones Required: One chaperone for every 10 students, required and admitted free. Teachers and staff are considered chaperones and are counted in the total chaperone count on field trip day. Additional chaperones are $20 each, see request form for more information.
Cost: $15 for students (Mote Memberships are not valid for school or camp visits including field trips and self-guided tours.)
Note: School and community groups are not permitted to participate in either the virtual reality (VR) cinema experience or Fossil Creek activities during their visit. Neither are included in the admission price nor are they equipped to serve groups.
Contact: educate@mote.org or 941-388-4441 x351
Virtual Field Trips
Our virtual field trips are live, two-way, interactive experiences between your school or organization and our laboratory in Florida. We connect your students to our STEM subject matter experts and engage their curiosity with science demonstrations and lively animal encounters. We can see and hear your learners and they can see and hear us via private, safe, interactive videoconferencing connections.
Virtual Field Trip Highlights:
- Aligned to FL Standards
- Secure, private Zoom Webinar connection
Questions about Mote's virtual learning opportunities? Email educate@mote.org or call our Virtual Learning Program Manager at 941-388-2904.
Our professional educators offer several ways for your students to learn about marine environment, science and the scientific method. We proudly participate in EdExploreSRQ, a Sarasota County School District website that connects classrooms to community arts, science and cultural organizations.
