FIELD TRIPS
FIELD TRIPS
We make learning engaging and exciting. Plan your next field trip today!
From the moment students set foot inside the Clay Center, we stretch their curiosity and challenge their expectations as they explore exhibits in the Avampato Discovery Museum, enter a portal to the cosmos in the Caperton Planetarium & Theater, and engage in hands-on experiences in the Juliet Art Museum.
Hands-On Experiences
We currently do not offer any Hands-on Experiences over the summer. Stay tuned for our updated offerings for 2026/2027 in August 2026.
Science Alive Demonstrations
Want a highly memorable experience for your entire group at once? Our Science Alive Demonstrations will take simple concepts and blow them up to a larger than life scale. These demonstrations correlate with current West Virginia Science Standards and are fun for both students and teachers alike.
Under Pressure
Experience the unexpected in this fun science demonstration all about the effects of air pressure! Watch water float in air, balloons inflate, and what happens to objects put in vacuum chambers
Grades: 3rd - 5th Middle/High
Hang onto your hat as we see and feel the strength behind different types of forces! Gravity might pull us down, but we can find a way to reverse those effects!
Grades: Pre-Kindergarten - 5th
Use the Force
Shows and Films
Films
Experience wonder through our large-screen films.
-
Travel with Jack and Annie, stars of the Magic Tree House® best-selling children’s book series, as they search for answers to a mysterious riddle they discover in a written note signed “–M.” Viewers peek into the treehouse and follow Jack and Annie on an exciting adventure as they meet a helpful astronomer and an astronaut. As they travel to an observatory and beyond into space, Jack and Annie nearly get … Well, we don’t want to give the surprise away!
Grades: Kindergarten–2nd Grade
Focus: Learning about astronomy and the job of an astronomer
-
Experience on the giant screen the remarkable true story of three animal species rescued from the brink of extinction. Join this amazing adventure to save California’s enchanting Channel Island Fox, China’s fabled Golden Monkey and the wondrous migrating crabs of Christmas Island. Discover successful, heartfelt and ingenious human efforts to rescue endangered species around the world. In partnership with The Nature Conservancy and narrated by Claire Danes, experience Back from the Brink: Saved from Extinction.
Grades: 4th - 5th
Focus: Endangered Animals
-
Based on authentic scientific data from groundbreaking space missions, Worlds Beyond Earth takes viewers on an exhilarating adventure through our cosmic neighborhood. Immersive visualizations showcase the solar system with unprecedented accuracy, including a landing on the cratered surface of our own Moon, a dramatic flight through the swirling rings of Saturn, and soaring encounters with distant worlds of active volcanoes and buried oceans.
Grades: 4th - 5th
Focus: Solar Systems
Live Shows
Live shows are led by a Clay Center Educator.
All live shows can be adapted to engage students in 6th grade and above.
-
What happens when a star dies? In this planetarium show, we will follow the incredible lifecycles of three different stars, from their brilliant beginnings to their dramatic ends. Along the way, students will discover how the size of a star determines its fate, and how stellar deaths give rise to some of the most mysterious objects in the universe, including white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes. Through dazzling visuals and clear explanations, we’ll explore how the death of stars continues to shape the universe as we know it.
Grades: 2nd - 5th | Focus: Stellar Lifecycles
-
How big is the universe, really? In this planetarium show, we’ll journey through our solar system and beyond to explore the mind-boggling sizes and distances that shape our cosmic neighborhood. Through vivid visuals and interactive comparisons, students will uncover what “really, really big” means when we talk about the sun, planets, and stars. Along the way, we’ll learn the astronomical concepts scientists use to measure space and gain a new perspective on our place in the universe.
Grades: 2nd - 5th | Focus: Distance and Sizes of Planets and Stars
-
Immerse yourself in the amazing sounds of our planet! Global Soundscapes takes you on an ear-opening journey into the science of sound and the emerging field of soundscape ecology.
Embark on a mission to investigate the dramatic soundscapes of Costa Rica’s rainforests, Hawaii’s coral reefs, and Mongolia’s vast grasslands. Learn how animals use sounds to survive and communicate in lush, but threatened environments.
Grades: 2nd - 5th | Focus: Soundwaves and Ecology
Field Trip Pricing
1 chaperone for every 10 students is required for field trips. Cost for additional adults is shown below.
Museum Admission
Students | $6.50
Chaperones | FREE
Additional Adults | $9.00
Museum Admission with Education Program
Students | $10.00
Chaperones | FREE
Additional Adults | $9.00*
*Not permitted in Workshop/Lab due to limited space
Museum Admission with Planetarium Film or Show
Students | $10.00
Chaperones | $3.50
Additional Adults | $12.50
Memberships cannot be used to cover field trip costs.
If you have questions or concerns regarding this, please contact us at 304-561-3570 or note them on the Field Trip Interest Form (click Book Your Field Trip above).
Museum Admission with Planetarium AND Education Program
Students | $13.50
Chaperones | $3.50
Additional Adults | $12.50*
*Not permitted in Workshop/Lab due to limited space