Hours of Admission

Monday - Friday: 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday: 9:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday: 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM

Get Tickets

Homeschool

Homeschool Classes

Let The Florida Aquarium be your classroom! Students can engage in fun, hands-on learning through group activities, critical thinking, experiments, Aquarium tours and more. We offer monthly classroom sessions, labs and field experiences.

The 2024-2025 calendar is available on this page and by clicking the registration link below.

Register Now

Things to Know

Homeschool classes are for students only. We ask that parents make other arrangements during class time unless otherwise noted. Additional details will be provided in a confirmation email after registration is complete. Please call Reservations at (813) 273-4015 with further questions.

Homeschool Program Guide

Information On Dates and Program Descriptions for the 2024-2025 Homeschool school year at The Florida Aquarium.

Ages 14-16
Educational Game Design (ages 14-16): Learning works better when it is fun. In this six class series, students will design and create their own ocean themed educational tabletop game.

Time: 1 – 3 PM

Dates:

  1. March 27th
  2. April 3rd
  3. April 10th
  4. April 17th
  5. April 24th
  6. May 1st (game demo day)

Ages 6-8 | Sea Monster Legends
Learn about legendary sea monsters from the age of discovery and investigate some of the real animals that might have inspired the legends.

Ages 9-11 | SCUBA
Gain a better understanding of what scuba diving is, how it works, and the history of this amazing technology.

Ages 12-14 | Underwater Exploration
Humans have been exploring the underwater world for centuries. Take a closer look at some of the remarkable inventions and the challenges they had to overcome.

Cost
$22 per child

Turtles at the Largo Narrows
Learn all about freshwater turtles and how to identify them at this amazing nature park.

For Field Experiences, we ask that each student be accompanied by a parent or chaperone. While registration isn’t required for parents or chaperones, please note that field experiences start promptly at the listed time, and we recommend arriving 15 minutes early. To ensure the best experience for all students, we kindly ask that childcare arrangements be made for siblings and that only one adult accompanies each child. Exceptions can be made for one parent accompanying two registered children within the homeschool age range (e.g., twins, multiple children ages 6-14).

Cost
$30 per child

Ages 6-8 | Open Ocean
Oceans cover most of planet Earth. What kind of life exists in the vast open water environments?

Ages 9-11 | Deep Sea
What lives in the deep, dark, extreme habitats of the deep sea and how do they survive in these challenging environments?

Ages 12-14 | Coral Reefs
These fragile ecosystems hold an incredible amount of biodiversity in our oceans. Learn about these amazing places and the animals that live there.

Cost
$22 per child

Saving Coral
Learn about the Florida Aquarium’s coral conservation program.

Parents/chaperones, do you want to learn and enjoy this lab along with your homeschool student? You can! Just register yourself along with your child to enjoy this phenomenal program. Parent/chaperone attendance is optional; however, you must be registered if you wish to join us in the classroom.

Cost
$30 per child

Ages 6-8 | Elasmobranchs
Sharks and rays are fascinating fish. Learn about some of the amazing animals that belong to this group and what makes them different from other fish.

Ages 9-11 | Cephalopods
Octopus, squid, cuttlefish, and chambered nautilus make up this strange group of alien-like creatures. Take an in depth look at some cephalopod species.

Ages 12-14 | Cnidarians
What do corals, sea anemones, and jellies have in common? They all sting and they are all cnidarians. Get the inside scoop on this diverse phylum.

Cost
$22 per child

Ages 6-8 | Symbiotic Relationships
All living things are connected at some level, but some species have very direct relationships. Learn the difference between mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism.

Ages 9-11 | Animal Defenses
Armor, venom, poison, mimicry. Learn some different strategies animals use to protect themselves.

Ages 12-14 | Poison and Venom
Poison and venom are two different strategies that animals use to get food and avoid being eaten. Learn the difference and some of the weird ways animals use these toxic talents.

Cost
$22 per child

The Great Animal Challenge
This engaging and interactive program is designed to test participant’s knowledge of the amazing animals that roam the Earth. During this lab students will have fun learning about amazing adaptations, bizarre behaviors and so much more!

Parents/chaperones, do you want to learn and enjoy this lab along with your homeschool student? You can! Just register yourself along with your child to enjoy this phenomenal program. Parent/chaperone attendance is optional; however, you must be registered if you wish to join us in the classroom.

Cost
$30 per child

 

Ages 6-8 | Cypress Swamp
Take an imaginary trip to a cypress swamp to learn about what wetlands are and why they are important.

Ages 9-11 | Mangrove Swamp
Mangrove trees are some of the most important flora in Florida. Learn what makes these trees so special and why we need to protect them.

Ages 12-14 | Everglades
The Everglades is one of the most famous wetlands in the world. Discover the importance of this river of grass.

Cost
$22 per child

Sedimentology
Tiny sand grains started out as something much bigger! Discover geological processes that shape our beaches, and learn how these processes contribute to components and characteristics of our coastlines. Use microscopes to compare and contrast sand from around the world, and learn to read the story told by the grains of sand on a beach.

Parents/chaperones, do you want to learn and enjoy this lab along with your homeschool student? You can! Just register yourself along with your child to enjoy this phenomenal program. Parent/chaperone attendance is optional; however, you must be registered if you wish to join us in the classroom.

Cost
$30 per child

 

Ages 6-8 | Food Web Balance
Every plant, animal, and other life form must consume energy from an external source in order to survive. Too many or too few of any species and the whole system can fall apart. Learn about how this amazing balancing act is important to you.

Ages 9-11 | Everyone has a Niche to Scratch
A place for everything and everything in its place. Every species has a unique role to play in their ecosystem. Discover some of the interesting and important puzzle pieces animals fill in our world.

Ages 12-14 | Biotic Relationships
Living things must live together; the result is often relationships that benefit one or both species. Learn about some of these interesting relationships and discover some of the crazy, cool, and creepy ways that animals interact.

Cost
$22 per child

Sharks Teeth at Casperson Beach
Get your feet wet as you search the beach for teeth and other fossils.

For Field Experiences, we ask that each student be accompanied by a parent or chaperone. While registration isn’t required for parents or chaperones, please note that field experiences start promptly at the listed time, and we recommend arriving 15 minutes early. To ensure the best experience for all students, we kindly ask that childcare arrangements be made for siblings and that only one adult accompanies each child. Exceptions can be made for one parent accompanying two registered children within the homeschool age range (e.g., twins, multiple children ages 6-14).

Cost
$30 per child

Ages 6-8 | Jacques-Yves Cousteau
A pioneer, scientist, documentary producer, and conservationist. Find out why so many of The Florida Aquarium’s employees were so heavily influenced by this French Renaissance man.

Ages 9-11 | Eugenie Clark
One of the greatest shark scientists of all time, Eugenie Clark was a brilliant and innovative biologist who did much of her work right down the road in Sarasota.

Ages 12-14 | Sylvia Earle
As one of the most accomplished marine scientists to date, Sylvia Earle has set deep-sea records, lived underwater, and helped assess oil spills around the world.

Cost
$22 per child

Watershed Investigations
Join us at the Florida Aquarium’s campus for conservation at Apollo Beach to test the waters and learn about watersheds.

For Field Experiences, we ask that each student be accompanied by a parent or chaperone. While registration isn’t required for parents or chaperones, please note that field experiences start promptly at the listed time, and we recommend arriving 15 minutes early. To ensure the best experience for all students, we kindly ask that childcare arrangements be made for siblings and that only one adult accompanies each child. Exceptions can be made for one parent accompanying two registered children within the homeschool age range (e.g., twins, multiple children ages 6-14).

Cost
$30 per child

Ages 6-8 | Animal Keeper/Trainer
Did you ever wonder what it would be like to train dolphins, otters, birds, turtles, or alligators? Find out if you’ve got what it takes.

Ages 9-11 | Marine Biologist
Many of The Florida Aquarium’s employees are marine biologists, but what does that mean? And how can you become one?

Ages 12-14 | Naturalist/Conservation
If you are passionate about animals and ecosystems then you might want to consider a career as an educator. Find out what naturalists do and how they help conserve our animals, plants, and whole ecosystems.


Cost
$22 per child