Create memories with your little one while exploring the wonders of the natural world!
Weekly sessions on Wednesdays 10-11 am ET through Nov. 19
This fall, we are hosting a nine-week series that provides children ages 3-5 with the opportunity to learn about nature in a safe, fun, and developmentally appropriate environment.
Sea Sprouts classes may include:
- Story time
- Sensory play
- Exploration stations
- Animal encounters
- Take-home crafts
Each class is specifically created for hands-on interactive play-based learning for you and your sea sprout.
One adult must accompany the registered child for the entirety of the program.
Promoting kindergarten readiness
Sea Sprouts activities are developed to encourage curiosity and to promote kindergarten readiness for your little one.
The Tennessee Aquarium is an active partner with Chattanooga 2.0, a local nonprofit organization. Among other initiatives, Chattanooga 2.0 and community partners want to equip parents/guardians with the “knowledge, tools, and resources to support your preschooler on their journey to Kindergarten”.
Like our partner, we promote kindergarten readiness for your sea sprout by encouraging them to learn and reinforce the following skills:
- Learning how to listen and build your own stories.
- Working on our counting skills, identifying shapes and colors, and recognizing simple patterns.
- Building curiosity and independence by trying new things, following directions to complete a task, and holding focus on an activity for 5 minutes before moving on.
- Strengthening fine motor skills by using different techniques during craft time.
- Working on our social skills by practicing sharing, taking turns, helping others, and accepting help from our caregivers or teachers.
Sea Sprouts fall series details
- Classes begin September 24 and run through November 19, 2025
- Each week we meet on Wednesday morning from 10:00-11:00 am ET
- You can choose all nine classes within the series or only those that fit within your schedule.
Our Fall season will be located in the IMAX classrooms located at 201 Chestnut Street.
There is limited street parking available by IMAX. For additional parking information please visit our Directions & Parking page.
Non-members:
- $15 per class
- $105 for all 9 weeks. Equivalent of 2 free classes!
Aquarium Members:
- Receive 10% discount with coupon code. Look out for more information in member emails!
Class Descriptions
Join us as we learn how to ask questions! Each day, we will select one question word, such as who, what, when, where, why, how, or which and learn about nature while encouraging curiosity by asking and answering questions.
Reminder: You can choose all nine classes within the series or only those that fit within your schedule.
This week is all about encouraging curiosity by introducing the idea of questions. There will be opportunities for your little one to ask and answer questions about nature.
For the second week, we will be asking the question “Who?”. We start with our first question word to learn about animals through exploration and asking questions. We will ask questions like “Who lives there?”, “Who eats that?”, and “Who is your favorite?”.
This week, we examine questions that begin with the word “What”! We will investigate the living and non-living parts of our ecosystem by asking and answering questions about them. Along the way, we will learn about the names and behaviors of various animals.
When you join us this week, you will learn that some animals are awake during different parts of the day. We ask questions like “When does an animal hunt?” and “When do you see or hear animals?”.
Different types of animals live right here in Tennessee, while others live in drastically different parts of the world. During our class, we will explore different habitats and discover the places where animals live.
To understand how the natural world works, your Sea Spout will have to know how to ask the question “Why?” first. Why do animals have scales? Why does a tadpole live in water? Join us as we explore these questions!
How does an animal move? How do they build a home? How does an animal hunt? This week, we explore how animals live in their habitats and how they thrive within them.
Comparing animals in nature can help us to learn how to ask “Which” questions. Which animal is larger? Which animal lives in the desert? Which animal has fur? Join us as we compare animals during this week’s class!
Each week we have learned a different way to ask questions about animals using who, what, when, where, why, how, and which. As the season has progressed, we have built our curiosity about the natural world around us. This final week will help us bring everything together!
Safety Policy
Aquarium Education programs follow CDC recommendations. This means that indoor mask requirements will be determined by current community transmission levels for diseases such as, but not limited to, COVID and measles.
Please note that certain activities within the Aquarium, specifically behind the scenes tours with mammals, may require masks for the safety of the animals and the participants regardless of current community transmission levels. Participants will be notified of these activities prior to them taking place and masks will be provided.
We ask all participants to stay home if they are experiencing symptoms of the following diseases:
- If they are experiencing COVID symptoms or if they have been in contact with a COVID-positive individual in the past 2 weeks.
- If they are experiencing MEASLES symptoms or if they have been in contact with a MEASLES-positive individual in the past 2 weeks.
If a participant is not feeling well and/or displaying symptoms of any illness such as flu, bronchitis, mono, or pink eye, please stay home.
Accessibility & Accommodations
Please contact our Education Department at 423-785-3066 or [email protected] for specific information pertaining to accessibility accommodations and allergy concerns.
Questions?
Contact Shelley McIntyre by email at [email protected] or by phone at 423-785-4093.
Sea Sprouts is sponsored by:
