All field trips are fully customizable to meet your students’ needs, with many more options available beyond those listed here. Contact us to design a tailored field trip experience unique to your classroom.

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Grade 7 Programs

• Ocean & Air Currents
  Full-Dome Omnimax Film: Students explore Earth’s ocean and air currents through immersive visuals using Landsat, remote-sensing, and satellite imagery. The film highlights global current and climate patterns, with narration guiding students to draw conclusions about air and water current relationships.
   

• Cycles & Patterns of the Earth & Moon
  Students explore why Moon phases and tides are cyclical and predictable, using 3D and visual models. The program covers advances in scientific methods and technologies that enhance our understanding of the Moon and tides.
   

• Mechanical Engineering
  LEGO Lab: Students use gears, pulleys, and axles to adapt machines and produce specific actions. They explore engineering processes through hands-on building and testing, discussing design solutions.
   

• NISE Exhibit
  Hands-On Lab: Part of the National Informal STEM Education (NISE) Network, students engage in interactive STEM activities, such as building models or conducting experiments related to nanotechnology, space, or engineering, fostering curiosity and problem-solving.
   

• Sun and Moon
  Students explore the Sun and Moon’s roles in Earth’s cycles, including day/night, seasons, and lunar phases, focusing on gravitational effects and eclipses, with discussions connecting to real-world observations.
   

Grade 8 Programs

• Plate Tectonics
  Full-Dome Omnimax Film: Based on Dr. Paul D. Lowman’s Continental Drift theory, this immersive film shows active ridges, faults, spreading centers, and volcanic activity over the past million years. Students explore geologic formation processes and their relation to plate movement.
   

• Orion’s Night
  Students use star charts to locate four winter constellations, focusing on Orion, and learn how a star’s color relates to its temperature, brightness, and distance from Earth. The concept of light-years is introduced to illustrate distance in spacetime.
   

• IBEX
  Students explore Earth’s rotation, revolution, and axis tilt, learning how these cause daylight and seasonal changes, by tracking the Sun’s direct rays across a day in each season.
   

• NISE Exhibit
  Hands-On Lab: Part of the National Informal STEM Education (NISE) Network, students engage in interactive STEM activities, such as building models or conducting experiments related to nanotechnology, space, or engineering, fostering curiosity and problem-solving.
   

• Sun and Moon
  Students explore the Sun and Moon’s roles in Earth’s cycles, including day/night, seasons, and lunar phases, focusing on gravitational effects and eclipses, with discussions connecting to real-world observations.

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• ADDITIONAL DETAILS:
   

• Location: Drake Planetarium and Science Center, 2020 Sherman Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45212, inside Norwood High School. For security and the safety of Norwood High School students, Drake Planetarium staff will escort your group into the building.
   

• Overview: Programs at Drake Planetarium engage students in astronomy, science, and interdisciplinary learning through immersive full-dome experiences with Omnimax films, live star instructor-led sessions, and hands-on labs. Each session lasts one hour and align with Ohio Common Core standards. Below, each program is detailed, explaining activities, the role of the live star instructor, and Omnimax technology.
   

• Reservation Process: Reservations are required. Submit the online reservation form with trip details, and Drake’s team will contact you to finalize. Call 513-396-5578 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm) for inquiries, but the online form is fastest. A nonrefundable deposit, deducted from your balance, is required.
   

• Pricing: Groups ≤25: $250 minimum for 1 hour. Groups >25: $10 per person per hour. All attendees (students, adults, educators, parents, bus drivers) need a ticket, with one free adult ticket per 25 people. Unreserved adults are not guaranteed seating.
   

• Third Parties: Third parties (e.g., charter operators) are financially responsible, with payment due two weeks in advance.