Homeschool Opportunities
The Virginia Living Museum offers a Homeschool Day once a month with programs and discounted self-guided admission. Programs are recommended for ages 6-18.
Spring 2024 Homeschool Days:
January 10
Animal Fact or Fiction
Time: 10am-10:45am
Participants: Recommended for ages 6 and up
Description: Can toads really give you warts? Are snakes poisonous or venomous? Meet some of our animal ambassadors to find the answers to the most common animal myths and misconceptions.
Child classroom program and museum admission: $10.50 (Member)/$15.00 (Non-Member)
Adult museum admission: Free (Member)/$18.00 (Non-Member)
Animal Fact or Fiction ticketsFrom the Earth to the Universe
Time: 11am-11:30am
Participants: Recommended for ages 8 and up
Description: We invite you to experience From Earth to the Universe. Learn about this journey of celestial discovery, from the theories of the ancient Greek astronomers to today’s grandest telescopes.
Child planetarium show and museum admission: $10.50 (Member)/$15.00 (Non-Member)
Adult planetarium show and museum admission: Free (Member)/$18.00 (Non-Member)
From the Earth to the Universe ticketsAdaptation for Survival
Time: 1pm-2:30pm
Participants: Recommended for ages 12 and up
Description: It takes a lot to survive in the wild, but animals are equipped with a whole toolbelt of awesome adaptations to help them out. Come learn about animal adaptations and examine some of the museum’s collection items.
Child lab program and admission: $12.50 (Member)/$17.00 (Non-Member)
Adult museum admission: Free (Member)/$18.00 (Non-Member)
Adaptation for Survival ticketsFebruary 14
What does an Aquarist do?
Time: 10am-10:45am
Participants: Recommended for ages 6 and up
Description: Learn about the important job of Aquarist and meet one of the animals they take care of.
Child classroom program and museum admission: $10.50 (Member)/$15.00 (Non-Member)
Adult museum admission: Free (Member)/$18.00 (Non-Member)
What does an Aquarist do ticketsFollow the Drinking Gourd
Time: 11am-11:30am
Participants: Recommended for ages 7-10
Description: Discover how enslaved peoples in America used the sky and a song to find their way to freedom in this multimedia planetarium presentation.
Child planetarium show and museum admission: $10.50 (Member)/$15.00 (Non-Member)
Adult planetarium show and museum admission: Free (Member)/$18.00 (Non-Member)
Follow the Drinking Gourd ticketsWorm Science
Time: 1pm-2:30pm
Participants: Recommended for ages 12 and up
Description: Come observe these small, but fascinating animals. Learn more about their abilities with a series of experiments.
Child lab program and admission: $12.50 (Member)/$17.00 (Non-Member)
Adult museum admission: Free (Member)/$18.00 (Non-Member)
Worm Science ticketsMarch 13
Slimy Science
Time: 10am-10:45am
Participants: Recommended for ages 6 and up
Description: What is slime and where does it come from? Meet an animal that uses slime and make some slime of your own.
Child classroom program and museum admission: $10.50 (Member)/$15.00 (Non-Member)
Adult museum admission: Free (Member)/$18.00 (Non-Member)
Slimy Science ticketsThe Phases of the Moon
Time: 1pm-2:30pm
Participants: Recommended for ages 12 and up
Description: The reason why we see the phases of the Moon can be a challenging conceptual puzzle. Join us as we explore what happens to our lunar neighbor every month and how an understanding of lunar science helped young lawyer Abraham Lincoln.
Child lab program and admission: $12.50 (Member)/$17.00 (Non-Member)
Adult museum admission: Free (Member)/$18.00 (Non-Member)
The Phases of the Moon ticketsApril 10
Plant Power
Time: 10am-10:45am
Participants: recommended for ages 6 and up
Description: What kind of organism can make its own food, survive all over the world, and withstand a variety of tough environments? Plants! Come explore the crazy yet powerful ways plants make their living and how important they are to our own survival.
Child classroom program and museum admission: $10.50 (Member)/$15.00 (Non-Member)
Adult museum admission: Free (Member)/$18.00 (Non-Member)
Plant Power ticketsLegends of the Night Sky: Orion
Time: 11am-11:30am
Participants: All ages
Description: Listen in as a mom teaches her two young children about exploring the night sky. Then come along as our special storyteller shares the ancient Greek myths behind the constellation of Orion the Hunter.
Child planetarium show and museum admission: $10.50 (Member)/$15.00 (Non-Member)
Adult planetarium show and museum admission: Free (Member)/$18.00 (Non-Member)
Legends of the Night Sky: Orion ticketsVertebrate Biology
Time: 1pm-2:30pm
Participants: recommended for ages 12 and up
Description: Vertebrates include a wide range of animals- fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Identify various specimens, then compare and contrast their different adaptations.
Child lab program and admission: $12.50 (Member)/$17.00 (Non-Member)
Adult museum admission: Free (Member)/$18.00 (Non-Member)
Vertebrate Biology ticketsMay 8
A Voice for the Animals
Time: 10am-10:45am
Participants: recommended for ages 6 and up
Description: Meet the animals on our outdoor trail during this guided tour and learn how you can protect our local wildlife and ecosystems.
Child classroom program and museum admission: $10.50 (Member)/$15.00 (Non-Member)
Adult museum admission: Free (Member)/$18.00 (Non-Member)
Plant Power ticketsA Revolution in Astronomy
Time: 11am-11:30am
Participants: recommended for ages 12 and up
Description: Discover how the invention of the telescope brought about a revolution in the science of astronomy. Along the way, we will explore how lenses work, discuss the history of telescopes and optics, and find out that light can teach us more than we ever thought possible.
Child classroom program and museum admission: $10.50 (Member)/$15.00 (Non-Member)
Adult museum admission: Free (Member)/$18.00 (Non-Member)
A Revolution in Astronomy ticketsWhat Kind of Tree is That?
Time: 1pm-2:30pm
Participants: recommended for ages 12 and up
Description: Is that an oak tree? What kind of flower is this? Where do these seeds come from? Join us for a guided walk through our gardens and forest areas as we help you to understand what kind of plant life is all around you.
Child lab program and admission: $12.50 (Member)/$17.00 (Non-Member)
Adult museum admission: Free (Member)/$18.00 (Non-Member)
What Kind of Tree is That ticketsSELF-GUIDED VISIT
Fee: $10.00 per student; $18 per adult
Members and ages 2 and under are free.
1/10 Self Guided tickets 2/14 Self Guided tickets 3/13 Self Guided tickets 4/10 Self Guided tickets 5/8 Self Guided ticketsFor questions call the Reservations Office at 757-534-7410, Monday – Friday, 9 am – 4:30 pm.
Please register everyone who plans to attend.
The exhibits in the Virginia Living Museum were designed to correlate with and reinforce Virginia’s Standards of Learning for Science. While taking a tour of the geographic regions of Virginia, families can observe:
- Live animals and plants in their natural habitats
- Plant and animal life cycles, food chains and food webs
- Animal survival adaptations for finding food and shelter, rearing young, avoiding predators, defensive measures
- Animal migration, camouflage and hibernation
- Endangered and threatened species
- Vertebrates and invertebrates
- The importance of conserving Virginia’s animal, plant and mineral resources
- Pond, forest, stream, Chesapeake Bay, cypress swamp, mountain cove, cave and more habitats
- Virginia’s prehistoric past: rocks, minerals, fossils
Self-Guided Exhibit Guides
The Virginia Living Museum has developed targeted guides to help your student focus during their visit. Please come prepared with copies for your student.
Exhibit Guides | Answer Keys |
Pre-K | |
Grades K-1 | Grades K-1 |
Grades 2-3 | Grades 2-3 |
Grades 4-5 | Grades 4-5 |
Middle School | Middle School |
High School | High School |