Children will work with parents and peers to unlock the secrets of the deep while developing their math, science and literacy skills. We may track turtles, study crab movement of look for trends in penguin behavior.

Junior Detectives is offered for 5- 7-year-olds. Advanced Detectives is offered for 8- 12-year-olds.

Fees Per Class: $17 for members, $30 for non-members Adults are included in the cost of each child since children must be accompanied. A $2 service fee will be added to each ticket. Non-member price includes Aquarium admission.

Save! Sign up for three or more series at one time and receive a $2 credit per session.

Saturday Exploration Program

Classes will meet for an hour and a half on Saturdays to learn about the watery world. Programs take place in the Harborside Learning Lab, across the plaza from the Aquarium. Junior Detectives is for children ages 5-7. Advanced Detectives is for children 8-12. Both classes run from 2 - 3:30 p.m.

March 14

Junior Detectives: Seals
This month the detectives will learn about one of the most common marine mammals in New England.  We will meet the Harbor Seals at the New England Aquarium and discover how they learn and communicate.


Advanced Detectives: Sensational Seaweed
What's green, slimy, and all over the rocks of the New England coast?  Detectives will find the clues to discover why these plants are so vital to the marine environment and ourselves. 

April 4

Junior Detectives: Sharks
Jaws?  Yes.  Mean, vicious, creatures?  Not exactly.  Detectives will dispel the myths associated with sharks and learn about these incredibly diverse fish

Advanced Detectives: Lobsters
Detectives will get an up-close look, but not too close!  How did these famous sea creatures become so popular, and what perils do they face?

May 9

Junior Dectives: Sea Turtles
Sea turtles, older and wiser than thou?  Ask Myrtle, our 75+ year old green sea turtle.  Find out how these turtles survive in the ocean, what certain human activities can hurt them, and what you can do to help.


Advanced Detectives: Exhibit Design
These exhibits are more than pretty fish tanks.  Did you ever wonder what happens behind the scenes at the New England Aquarium?  Learn what goes into making and maintaining homes for more than 40,000 animals in the aquarium.

June 6

Junior Detectives: Jellies
Jellies: more than just the slimy blobs that wash up on the beach.  These delicate and fascinating creatures will amaze the detectives with a live, close-up look at the stages of their life cycle.

Advanced Detectives: Marine Mammals
There’s more than just fish in the sea.  Find out what makes Marine Mammals unique, yet similar, to ourselves. 

August 8

Junior Detectives: Whales
How big is big?  Right before your eyes, experience the magnitude of a 40-foot Right Whale.  Detectives will explore the world of whales.

September 12

Junior Detectives: Investigating Invertebrates
Not all animals have a backbone like you and me.  Detectives will learn what makes this diverse group of animals tick, and they will meet some of them up-close.

October 10

Junior Detectives: Octopus
What type of animal is highly intelligent, changes color at will, and has a beak?  Maybe Truman, our giant pacific octopus, can give the detectives clues about these questions and more.

Advanced Detectives: Care and Feeding at the Aquarium
A few fish flakes sprinkled in the tank and we’re finished?  Not quite.  Go behind the scenes of the New England Aquarium and find out exactly what it takes to care for over 40,000 animals that live here.

November 14

Junior Detectives: Horseshoe Crabs
Detectives will get a hands-on look at these prehistoric, alien-like creatures that roam the ocean bottom.  Horseshoe crabs may hold answers to health and longevity for more than just their own posterity.

Advanced Detectives: Fishery Fun
What does it take to haul in the big catch?  Learn about different fishing techniques and how they can impact ocean life.  Detectives will explore the delicate balance between maintaining an important industry and sustaining the world’s largest ecosystem.

December 5

Junior Detectives: Aqua Vets
How do doctors help patients who can’t describe their own symptoms?  Learn what the vets in our Aquarium Medical Center (AMC) do every day, to care for the wide diversity of animals that live there.

Advanced Detectives: Changing Climate, Changing Oceans
Can climate change affect our oceans?  Ask a polar bear.  Detectives will discover the clues which lead scientists to believe that rising temperatures can cause drastic changes in the world's oceans.

Squid Dissection Program

April 5 & October 18
Ages 10 to 13


$17 for members, $20 for non-members. A $2 service fee will be added to each ticket. Program fee does NOT include Aquarium admission. Classes take place across the Aquarium plaza in the Harborside Learning Lab.

Children learn dissection skills while exploring the internal parts of squid. This program runs from 2 to 3 p.m. on April 5 and October 18.