The Museum also provides regularly scheduled classes and programs that occur related to specific areas in the Museum. Please click to view our variety of specialized programming:
March: Date to be determined.
Instructors: Dr. Tim Matson and Nathan Taxel
Register online or call (216) 231-4600, ext. 3214 to be placed on a phone/email hotline for notification of an amphibian migration at Mentor Marsh State Nature Preserve. The salamanders, spring peepers and tree frogs will tell us the date of this event; it could be any warm rainy evening in March. You will be contacted within a day or two of the date of the migration. We will meet at the Carol H. Sweet Nature Center, 5185 Corduroy Road, Mentor, Ohio, then drive to the area where amphibian breeding ponds are located. Anticipate dark, wet and muddy field conditions.
Members $6; nonmembers $8.
Fri, Mar 9, 2012; 6 to 8 pm
Come dressed as your favorite mythic creature, cryptid, movie monster, or legendary beast and help us celebrate our exciting exhibition Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns and Mermaids. Dance the evening away to music provided by a live DJ and enjoy pizza, drinks and snacks. There will be a costume contest and a dance contest. This legendary evening is open to all ages.
Members: $7 under 16 and $9 for those 16 and over.
Nonmembers: $9 under 16 and $12 for those 16 and over.
Sat, Mar 10, 2012; 10 am to noon
Instructor: William Stout (world-renowned fantasy artist and filmmaker), assisted by Nancy Howell, Lee Gambol and Dr. Jeff Day
Learn how to make the dragons and other fantasy creatures you draw more believable with advice and instruction from world-renowned fantasy artist and filmmaker William Stout. Get insider tips and hear how Stout approaches designing mythological beasts so that they remain convincing in their transition from pencil, paint and paper to the screen. We will provide newsprint and drawing pencils, or you can provide your favorite sketch pad and supplies. Don't forget to visit the Mythic Creatures exhibition while you are here.
Members: $24; nonmembers: $28.
Sat, Mar 17, 2012; 9 am to 4 pm
The Bald Eagle population in Ohio has made an astounding recovery since they were nearly extirpated in the late 1970s. We will head west to Sandusky Bay, where there is a large population, to observe the birds firsthand. Travel by Museum van. The Museum will provide spotting scopes and binoculars as we visit a number of active nest sites where we will hope to see the majestic birds that are the symbol of our nation.
Members: $15 nonmembers: $20.
Fri, Mar 23 at 7 pm to Sat, Mar 24 at 8 am
Instructors: Education Division Staff
It's time again for our annual members-only Museum Camp-In. This year's event will be of mythic proportions as we explore the Mythic Creatures exhibition; separate animal facts from animal fiction with a visit from some of our animal ambassadors; and win fabulous prizes playing games in the Mythic Creatures Carnival. Bedding is not provided, so bring an air mattress or cushion. Sleeping will be dormitory style on the floors of Kirtland and Sears Halls. Fee includes a Friday evening snack, a Saturday morning continental breakfast and secured parking.
Members Only: $45 per person.
Sun, Apr 1, 2012; 1 to 4 pm
Instructors: Bob Bartolotta and Mark Kollecker
No fooling, there are mythic creatures all around University Circle. We will tour the Mythic Creatures exhibition and Museum galleries to find a griffin, unicorn and Cyclops, then walk around University Circle to find a gargoyle, dragons and possibly mermaids or foo dogs. Please dress for the weather. We will go rain, snow or sunshine.
Members: $20; nonmembers: $24.
Sat, Apr 14, 2012; 10 to 11 am
Instructors: Dr. Jeff Day and Tom Pucci
Many animals lurk in the Mythic Creatures exhibition, but bugs probably inspire more fantasy and fear than anything else! This is your chance to see some of the creepiest, crawliest, weirdest and wackiest bugs in the Museum collection, projected on our state-of-the-art digital dissecting microscope. Look forward to fun bug myths, trivia and humor. Share your own fantastic bug stories! This family program is for first graders and up and their parents.
Members: $7; nonmembers: $10.
Sat, Apr 21, 2012; 10 to 11:30 am
Imagine you were the first person to discover a dinosaur bone, a mastodon skull or a saber tooth. What would you have envisioned? Art and science collide in this family event planned in conjunction with the Mythic Creatures exhibition. Join artist and science educator Dr. Jeff Day in examining mysterious specimens from the Museum collections. Then use your imagination to draw what the entire creature may have looked like. Whose guess will be the most accurate? The most creative? Have fun deciphering the clues!
Members: $7; nonmembers: $10.
Sat, May 12, 2012; 9:30 to 10:45 am
Why is the term "cold-blooded" a myth? Learn the basics of heat production in animals as we stroll through Sears Hall looking for "cold" and "warm" blooded examples. You will have the opportunity to touch and see real specimens. The tour finishes with the dinosaurs, where we will discuss theories of their metabolism based on our morning exploration.
Members: $8; nonmembers: 12.