Learn about field trips, school programs, and summer programs for school-aged children. EDUCATION PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS ABOUT OUR EDUCATION PROGRAMS The Living Classrooms Foundation provides students of all ages and abilities with outstanding opportunities for experiential learning. Living Classrooms Foundation uses hands-on education and a low teacher-to-student ratio and hands-on learning to make science come alive for students. Living Classrooms Foundation and the National Aquarium also offer several grant-funded programs for specific Baltimore City and Baltimore County schools. SCHEDULE A FIELD TRIP EXPLORE THIS SECTION Living Classrooms Foundation Grant-Funded Programs for Masonville-Area Schools LEARN MORE Living Classrooms Foundation Fee-Based Group Field Trips for Masonville Schools LEARN MORE Summer Education Programs at Masonville Cove LEARN MORE National Aquarium Programs at Masonville Cove LEARN MORE Menu Learn about field trips, school programs, and summer programs for school-aged children. Student Field Trips Half-Day Field Trips Up to 30 Students $300 for 2.5 hrs 30 to 45 Students $400 for 2.5 hrs Full-Day Field Trips Up to 30 Students $600 for 5 hrs 30 to 45 Students $750 for 5 hrs Field trips at Masonville Cove are coordinated and led by Living Classrooms Foundation's team of trained educators. Contact us to schedule a program or to learn more. Full Day Programs Who Killed Rocky Rockfish? Suggested For: Grades 2-5 During this murder mystery trip students will use their observation and critical thinking skills to investigate the suspects: Solute Sally, Hot Water Harry, Lindsay Litter, Oscar Osprey, and Food Chain Frank and help the detectives at Masonville Cove solve the mystery of Who Killed Rocky Rockfish. While investigating students will learn about water quality and how humans impact the health of the Chesapeake Bay and the plants and animals that inhabit it. Full or Half Day Programs Customized Lesson Plans Suggested For: All Grades Don’t see a program that fits quite right for your students? Have our education team develop a custom program tailored to your students’ learning goals and objectives! Mix and match from a menu of available lessons, experiments, and activities to design a day that’s sure to make lasting memories. Birdy Bonanza Suggested For: Grades 2-5 Spend a fun-filled day exploring and learning about our feathered friends. Through a variety of hands-on activities students explore different bird adaptations that help them survive such as their beaks, feathers, and how they construct their nests. On our beautiful nature trails, your young ornithologists will hone their skills of species identification and how birds interact in our ecosystem. No birding day is complete at Masonville Cove without learning about our resident Eagles! Take a walk in their shoes and find out the challenges and conservation efforts that have impacted eagles over the years. Exploring the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Suggested For: All Grades Discover your connection to the Chesapeake Bay and learn about this unique ecosystem through hands-on investigations and interactive activities. Students are introduced to the concept of Watershed and how our actions on land impact the health of our local waterways and the Chesapeake Bay. Half Day Programs Budding Botanists Suggested For: Grades 2-5 This day is All About Plants!  Students will explore Masonville’s Nature trails and learn how to identify different native plants and test their skills at identifying the different plant parts in nature.  In the lab, students will learn about plant anatomy beginning with a seed dissection and then get up close and personal- viewing leaves, roots, stems, and flowers through a microscope.  But plants aren’t just on land! Discover how aquatic plants adapt in our watery environments by modeling adaptation in this hands-on lab. Erosion, Weathering, and Landslides, Oh My! Suggested For: Grades 2-4 In this half day field trip students will discover if water has the power to create canyons, test their engineering skills while they try to prevent a landslide and look for signs of erosion in the field during a nature walk on our beautiful waterfront property! Hidden Hibernators Suggested For: Grades K-2 Now you see them, now you don’t! Where did they go? Learn about the mysteries of hibernation and the magic of camouflage in these hands-on explorations. Students will try to successfully prepare for winter and hide in plain sight as they learn about our hidden hibernators. Wonders of Wildlife Suggested For: Grades 2-5 This program will take you on a journey to explore and engage with the Wonders of Wildlife! Hands-on activities will help students grow or deepen their understanding of different forms of wildlife communication, how some wildlife can seem invisible when in plain sight, and how to use clues in nature to determine what wildlife has been nearby. Students will get the opportunity interact with different animal artifacts and meet one of Masonville Cove’s animal ambassadors! Stream Study: Baltimore's Water Quality Suggested For: Grades 5 and Up Dip your toes in the water of Stream Ecology while investigating the water quality of Masonville Cove’s stream. Participants will learn about the Patapsco River’s Health by conducting abiotic water quality tests such as Dissolved Oxygen, pH, Salinity, and Turbidity. Learn from the stream’s macroinvertebrates by completing a biotic index and discover how much these little critters can tell us about the health of our local waterways! Terrapin Tales Suggested For: Grades 3 and Up Calling all herpetologists! Learn how scientists study Diamondback Terrapin populations by examining nests, measuring eggs, and determining survival of hatchlings from simulated terrapin nests. Consider threats such as predation and human impacts and gain understanding of how you can help save Diamondback Terrapins. After your data is collected in the lab, take a break with our resident Terrapins, Topaz and Pearl as they show off their unique adaptations that make them so special! Insect Encounters Suggested For: Grades K-3 Students will experience what it’s like to be an insect at Masonville Cove! First students will embark on a journey through the Monarch’s life cycle, overcome obstacles and hopefully get some help along the way as they journey to Mexico for Fall migration. As a Mason Bee students will learn about the important social structures and groups that bees form to help them survive and thrive in their environments. Students then head out on one of our many nature trails on a Bug Hunt classifying the creepy crawlies found along the way as insect or non-insect by identifying characteristics of an insect. Island Fever Suggested For: Grades 3-8 Students are introduced to the concept of urban heat islands and investigate temperatures of different surfaces when exposed to heat/light with infrared thermometers. Combined with hands-on experiments that investigate how plants help cool the hearth and engineering design challenges to address the problem of Urban Heat Island, students will gain an understanding of why urban areas tend to be hotter than rural, more natural areas. Tracks and Scat Suggested For: Grades 1-5 You may not see them, but we know they were there! Nature leaves us clues all around telling us who has visited an area. Learning how to identify tracks, scats, and other clues left behind from various animals can help us know a lot about the habitat around us. Put your observation skills to work and see if you can solve nature’s mysteries! BACK TO TOP FEE-BASED GROUP FIELD TRIPS Experience Masonville Cove in-person! A variety of programs and experiences are available with live instruction and hands on activities. See you soon! Masonville Neigborhoo School Programs Both of these innovative education programs are managed by Living Classrooms Foundation and made possible by grant funding. SLURRP School Leadership in Urban Runoff Reduction Program (SLURRP) is a South Baltimore Gateway Partnership funded program that educates students about storm water runoff and the effects that it has on their "schoolshed." This program combines outreach programs led by Living Classrooms Foundations, teacher-led lessons, action projects, and an immersive full-day field trip to Masonville Cove to provide students with a Meaningful Watershed Education Experience (MWEE). BEE SMART Baltimore Environmental Education Summer Math and Reading Trailblazers (BEE SMART) is a summer program for rising 3rd through 5th grade students that uses STEM as a vehicle to motivate student learning, increase participants' reading levels, and ultimately prevent summer learning loss. The BEE SMART program is based out of South Baltimore, but provides opportunities for students to spend time at multiple locations (including Masonville Cove) throughout the summer. BACK TO TOP GRANT-FUNDED PROGRAMS FOR MASONVILLE AREA SCHOOLS Specialty Summer Youth Programs Living Classrooms Foundation works with other education and youth programs to offer valuable environmental and outdoor education and recreation opportunities. SUMMER SCIENCE AND NATURE PROGRAM Learn, Make New Friends, and Experience Nature with us at Masonville Cove in Living Classroom Foundation's exciting Summer Program. Summer 2024 Registration is Open! Registration for Week 1: Exploring the Chesapeake Bay Registration for Week 2: Discovering Careers in Science Registration for Week 3: Nature's Superheroes Explore, Discover, and Engage at the Nation's First Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnership -- Masonville Cove! Check our Events Page for Registration Each Month! BACK TO TOP DROP-IN FIELD TRIPS

Have you ever wondered who is swimming in the Cove? Come fish with us! Spend an evening on the pier and enjoy guided fishing lessons for those wanting to learn how to fish. All fishing supplies are available to lend. Registration required. July First Friday: Family Fishing Evening Have you ever wondered who is swimming in the Cove? Come fish with us! Spend an evening on the pier and enjoy guided fishing lessons for those wanting to learn how to fish. All fishing supplies are available to lend. Registration required.

Welcome all experienced and first time birders! Learn about this incredible hobby from a seasoned birder and join us for a campus search for spring birds. Registration required. 1st Thursday: Spring Songbird Walk Welcome all experienced and first time birders! Learn about this incredible hobby from a seasoned birder and join us for a campus search for spring birds. Registration required.

Hands on Environmental Education programs ideal for homeschool families and all students on days off of school! $20 per participant. Registration required. Drop In Field Trip: Hidden Hibernators Hands on Environmental Education programs ideal for homeschool families and all students on days off of school! $20 per participant. Registration required.

Celebrate Black Birders Week 2026 with this youth focused event blending science with fun, featuring a live bird banding demonstration. While waiting for bird encounters, participants can enjoy a paper birding scavenger hunt and build their own birds using simple recycled materials. Catch, Create, Celebrate: A Black Birders Week Art Event Celebrate Black Birders Week 2026 with this youth focused event blending science with fun, featuring a live bird banding demonstration. While waiting for bird encounters, participants can enjoy a paper birding scavenger hunt and build their own birds using simple recycled materials.

Come and join us to learn, discuss, and connect during a special book club event at the Masonville Cove Environmental Education Center in Baltimore. Prodigal Summer is the fifth novel by American author Barbara Kingsolver. Nature Inspired Book Club: Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver Come and join us to learn, discuss, and connect during a special book club event at the Masonville Cove Environmental Education Center in Baltimore. Prodigal Summer is the fifth novel by American author Barbara Kingsolver.

Participate in our annual BioBlitz by working with wildlife experts and community volunteers to find, identify, and record plant and animal species that live at Masonville Cove. BioBlitz with the National Aquarium 2021 Participate in our annual BioBlitz by working with wildlife experts and community volunteers to find, identify, and record plant and animal species that live at Masonville Cove.

Have you ever gone fishin’? Work on this outdoor skill a Masonville Cove! Fishing poles and supplies will be available to lend. Limited spaces, registration required. Fishing Event (BEESMART) 9:30am-11am Have you ever gone fishin’? Work on this outdoor skill a Masonville Cove! Fishing poles and supplies will be available to lend. Limited spaces, registration required.

Experience nature's magic when you join us for a Thursday evening multi-sensory, healing exploration of the natural environment with a special highlight on beautiful pollinators at the Cove. Registration required. 1st Thursday Nature WoRx and Pollinator Exploration Experience nature's magic when you join us for a Thursday evening multi-sensory, healing exploration of the natural environment with a special highlight on beautiful pollinators at the Cove. Registration required.

Join us for a free kayaking tour of Masonville Cove. Beginner-level kayaking instruction and all necessary equipment will be provided. Please note the weight limit and COVID-19 precautions before registration. July Kayaking at Masonville Cove Join us for a free kayaking tour of Masonville Cove. Beginner-level kayaking instruction and all necessary equipment will be provided. Please note the weight limit and COVID-19 precautions before registration.