HAVING FUN FOR FREE: The Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum is using charitable donations from the public to offer financial scholarships to local schools interested in taking their students on a free field trip by the end of 2010. The scholarships include full access to all of the museum’s stations and activities, like the one shown here. Credit: PHOTO COURTESY SANTA MARIA VALLEY DISCOVERY MUSEUM

HAVING FUN FOR FREE: The Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum is using charitable donations from the public to offer financial scholarships to local schools interested in taking their students on a free field trip by the end of 2010. The scholarships include full access to all of the museum’s stations and activities, like the one shown here. Credit: PHOTO COURTESY SANTA MARIA VALLEY DISCOVERY MUSEUM

Local schools looking for a fun and free field trip for students needn’t search farther than their own backyard. The Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum is offering scholarships so kids can have hands-on learning experiences despite cuts to education funding.

“Schools have been taking advantage of this financial program throughout the year, but there are still some funds available that must be spent before the end of the school year,” program coordinator Jonathon Calderwood wrote in a press release.

Field trips to the Discovery Museum include exploration of all of the exhibits, as well as a possible hands-on presentation about one of the animals living at the museum and the chance to make a craft or project at the “Creation Station.”

Schools or teachers interested in applying for a scholarship field trip to the museum prior to the end of the school year can contact Calderwood at 928-8414 or jonathan@smdiscoverymuseum.org.

The museum is located at 705 S. McClelland St. in Santa Maria and is open Monday through Saturday, and the last Sunday of every month. Visitors can learn about a variety of subjects, including local marine life, farming and agriculture, exotic animals and reptiles, and the creative arts.

For more information, visit the museum website at smvdiscoverymuseum.org.

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