Skip to content | Skip to navigation
The Albuquerque BioPark Education Department offers a variety of outreach programs and resources for students and educators.
For teachers looking for an exciting classroom presentation or an educational "extra" during a field trip to one of the BioPark facilities, our outreach programs offer in-depth lessons about many aspects of nature and ecology.
Elementary school teachers can get an in-depth look at the resources of either the ABQ BioPark or NM Museum of Natural History and Science during the Museum Teaching Fellowship this summer. Applications due April 20, 2009.
We also offer educational activity packets that you are free to download and use during your visit to the BioPark.
Programs are available either in your Albuquerque-area classroom or at the BioPark when you come for a field trip. All the programs listed below are FREE OF CHARGE, but you must call at least six weeks in advance to schedule a program (telephone numbers listed by programs). If you make a field trip to the BioPark, you must have a reservation.
Call 764-6214 at least six weeks in advance to request a program. Scheduling is dependent on volunteers' schedule. Programs are free of charge.
The BioVan and Rio Rangers - Albuquerque Area
This mobile exhibit teaches about the journey of the Rio Grande from its headwaters in Colorado to the Gulf of Mexico. This award-winning outreach program is funded by PNM and available free-of-charge to Albuquerque area elementary schools and community events.
The BioVan has five exhibit windows that depict habitats along the Rio Grande. These window-habitats contain live animals, such as birds, reptiles, mammals and plants. A performance artist, interactive games and a teachers’ guide are also part of the program.
Following a BioVan visit, students in 1st through 3rd grades may participate in the Rio Ranger program. Funded by Texaco, this program is a full day, hands-on field trip to the Rio Grande Bosque. Students conduct field projects and laboratory investigations as well as related role-playing games and art activities. Call the BioVan staff at (505)764-6242 at least six weeks in advance to schedule.
Zoo to You Van - Statewide
The Zoo to You Van, sponsored by Phelps-Dodge Mining Company, is a traveling, statewide conservation education program available to any school, community center, library or museum within New Mexico. Presentations include slides, biofacts and animal ambassadors like birds, reptiles and mammals. Call (505) 764-6214 at least six weeks in advance to schedule.
Classroom Programs - Albuquerque area
Bring your class to a BioPark classroom or request a BioPark Educator to come to your classroom! Programs are tailored for kindergarten - high school ages and feature slides, biofacts and live animals. Teacher preparatory materials are included.
Suitcase for Survival - Check-out kit for classrooms
The illegal wildlife trade has a tremendous negative impact on the survival of many species. Baby parrots are taken from their nests for the pet trade; elephants and rhinos are killed for decorative ivory; big cats, crocodiles and snakes are destroyed for their skins and delicate orchids and cactus are yanked from their native habitats. The 'Suitcase for Survival' contains animal items confiscated from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for hands-on learning about the Wildlife Trade. Other materials in suitcase include a full classroom curriculum, a slide show and video, and reference books. Call 764-6214 to check our for classroom use.
Informative Displays - Statewide
Information booths and interactive displays available for county fairs, school science fairs, state and county fairs, arts and craft fairs, and other community events.
Call 848-7180 at least six weeks in advance to request a program. Scheduling is dependent on volunteers' schedule. Programs are free of charge and may be combined with a guide tour of the aquarium.
Sea Turtles - Grades 1-8
Find out what makes sea turtles different from turtles on land. Watch a sea turtle lay eggs, and follow the babies out to sea. Learn all about these rare ocean animals and find out what you can do to protect them. Available at the BioPark or in your Albuquerque-area classroom.
Coral Reefs - Grades 1-8
Discover the world of coral reefs and find out why these intricate ecosystems are called the "rainforests of the sea". Students will learn about the animals that make their home in a reef, find out why coral reefs are so important and what connects Albuquerque to coral. This presentation includes a special focus on reef conservation and lots of hands-on time with coral reef objects. Available at the BioPark or in your Albuquerque-area classroom.
What Makes a Fish a Fish? All ages
Not everything that lives in the water is a fish. Learn the characteristics of fish and what makes them different from other marine life. Find out why a jelly is not a fish, but a sea horse is! Available at the BioPark or in your Albuquerque-area classroom.
Desert Sharks - Grades K-8
What kinds of sharks live in the desert? The sand tigers, sandbar, blacktip,and nurse sharks at the Albuquerque Aquarium! Students will examine shark teeth and skin, observe shark behavior, learn how researchers study sharks and discover how the Rio Grande connects to sharks in the ocean. Available on-site only.
Call 848-7180 at least six weeks in advance to request a program. Scheduling is dependent on volunteers' schedule. Programs are free of charge and may be combined with a guide tour of the garden.
Incredible Insects - Grade 3
Incredible Insects is the Rio Grande Botanic Garden's newest classroom outreach program. It is scheduled to begin December 1 on weekdays (programs will be scheduled based on staff availability). The 40-minute presentation is designed for a 3rd grade level and features live arthropods and hands-on biofacts. Audience size is limited to 30 students. Available at the BioPark or in your Albuquerque-area classroom.
Flower Power - Grades 6-12
Why are flowers so pretty? Why do they smell good? Find out the answers to these an other questions during this hands-on class. Students will dissect a flower, play a flower anatomy game and create their own floral souvenir. Flowers have never been this much fun! Available at the BioPark or in your Albuquerque-area classroom.
Seeds - Grades 1-8
How does a plant make seeds and how does that tiny seed contain all the information to make a huge plant? How do seeds travel? What are the parts of a seed? Learn how valuable seeds are to plant production, to animal consumption and to human economics. Available at the BioPark or in your Albuquerque-area classroom.
Butterflies - Grades 1-8
Discover the intricate and delicate world of butterflies. We'll explore how they do that amazing transformation from caterpillars to flying colors. What do they eat and how? Learn which plants will attract butterflies to your garden so you can watch them up-close at home! Available at the BioPark or in your Albuquerque-area classroom.
Download free educational materials to distribute to your students for their use while you are at the ABQ BioPark. Anyone visiting our facility is welcome to use these packets.
Albuquerque Aquarium and Rio Grande Botanic Garden Educational Activity Packets
Preschool - 1st Grade (166K)
![]()
Grades 2 - 5 (328K)
![]()
Grades 6-12 (181K )
![]()
If you are using worksheets in the Aquarium, please remind students not to use the tank windows as a writing surface. We recommend bringing clipboards or notebooks. You could even create "recycled" clipboards using paper-sized pieces of cardboard with rubberbands to hold down your worksheets!
PNM Butterfly Pavilion at the Rio Grande Botanic Garden
Color identification guide
for the butterflies of the PNM Butterfly Pavilion.
Image file is 5.0 megabytes and make take a few minutes to open. The guide is designed for legal paper (8.5" x 14"). To print on standard letter paper (8.5" x 11"), choose Fit to Printer Margins in the print menu.
Rio Grande Zoo
Wolf Awareness Guide
for Grades K-1, 2-5, and 6-12.
Additional Zoo activity packets are coming soon.
Museum Teaching Fellowship
June-July 2009
At the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science and the ABQ BioPark
Are you an elementary school teacher who would like to learn more about programs, materials, and other resources at either the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science (NMMNHS) or the Albuquerque BioPark to enhance learning and teaching in your classroom? Would you like to work on your own self-directed natural history or conservation science learning project?
Then don’t miss this great opportunity to become deeply immersed in the NMMNHS, or the Albuquerque BioPark, as part of this summer’s Museum Teaching Fellowship, co-sponsored by the Science Education Institute of the Southwest (SEIS) and the Albert I. Pierce Foundation.
Up to six elementary teachers will be chosen to participate in this 80-hour program that offers valuable learning and resource opportunities, as well as a $1,000 stipend. Those teachers who choose the NMMNHS session will meet from June 16 – June 19. Teachers choosing the Albuquerque BioPark session (includes Rio Grande Zoo, Albuquerque Aquarium, Rio Grande Botanic Garden and Tingley Beach) will meet from June 22 – June 25. An additional 48 hours of self-directed study is required for all teachers participating in the program, followed by a final presentation on July 15, 16 or 17.
Applications are due Monday, April 20, 2009.
For more information, please contact Bonnie Schmader at lunamor2@hotmail.com.