October 2015: Programs and Events at the California Academy of Sciences

SuperNatural Friday, October 23
Benefactor Party: 5 – 6:30 pm
General Admission: 6:30 – 9 pm
Spooky skulls and spine-tingling specimens await! Grab your costumes for a ghoulishly good time trick-or-treating your way through the Academy at night. Enjoy magic shows, face painting, photo booths, giant pumpkin carving and more. Children in costume receive a reusable trick-or-treat bag, and all proceeds support Academy education initiatives.
Tickets for General Admission: Member price is $45 adult/$30 child; Non-member price is $50 adult/$35 child. Please see website for VIP family packages and benefactor pricing. To purchase tickets, visit calacademy.org/Halloween or call (415) 379-5411.

University of San Francisco Dance Generators Perform at the Academy
Saturday, October 24 and October 31
Two performances each day at 12:30 pm and 2:30 pm
The USF Dance Generators, an intergenerational dance group ranging from teens to adults in their 80s, is bringing chills and thrills to the Academy with a Halloween themed dance presentation that will feature moves incorporating skeletons and other “spooky science” elements. The program will culminate in the ultimate spooky dance to “Thriller”—audience participation encouraged! Don’t miss this fun dance show inspired by science!

PENGUINS + PAJAMAS Halloween SLEEPOVER
(AGES 5-17, with adult chaperones)
Friday, October 16, 2015 from 6:00 pm – 8:00 am
Why count sheep when you can count geckos, butterflies, sharks, and penguins? Our Halloween-themed October sleepover will include after-hours access to Academy exhibits, a live animal demonstration, a haunted planetarium show, spooky stories with Storyteller Michael Katz, cookies and milk, parking, breakfast, and more.
Tickets: $109 per person ($89 for Academy members). Group rates and ticketing information available at www.calacademy.org/sleepovers or call (415) 379-8000.

Shadow Puppet Show
Sunday, October 25
Members 10:45 am | Non-members 12:45 pm
Children’s Gallery
Experience a thrilling live show with the shadow puppet master behind Sean’s Shadows, and stick around to make your own puppets.

Live Bats at the Academy!
Sunday, November 1
10:30 am
East Garden
Bat expert and TV personality Rob Mies from the Organization of Bat Conversation invites you to step into the mysterious world of bats and explore their lives, habitats, and nocturnal strategies. You’ll learn surprising facts about the benefits of bats, the need for conservation and what can be done to help these unique mammals. Encounter a Big Brown bat from North America and hear its high-pitched echolocation with a “bat detector,” meet fruit bats from Africa and Asia, and come face-to-face with the largest bat in the world (Flying Fox Bat from Malaysia), which has a 6-foot wingspan!

Benjamin Dean Astronomy Lecture Series
Tales from the Outer Solar System
Dr. Mike Brown, Professor of Planetary Astronomy at the California Institute of Technology
Monday, October 5 | 7:30 pm
Planetarium
Join Dr. Brown as he discusses the explosion in the discoveries of Pluto-sized and near Pluto-sized bodies in the outer Solar System, giving rise to a new classification of "dwarf planets." Along with the new views he will present on giant collisions, stellar encounters, and planetary rearrangements, Dr. Brown will show intriguing evidence that there is an even larger object lurking far beyond these dwarf planets that could possibly become the 9^th planet in our Solar System.
Tickets: Members: $8, General $12, Seniors $10. Seating is limited and advanced ticketing is required. To reserve a place today, buy a member or non-member ticket online or over the phone at 1-877-227-1831.

The NEW Junior Academy!
Monday – Friday | 10:30 am
Fall 2015 sessions will begin the week of September 28th. Pre-register today!
Junior Academy programs are designed to foster a curiosity about science and nature in our youngest Academy visitors. With age-appropriate programs created for toddlers through 2^nd graders, young learners participate in engaging, hands-on activities with the hope of creating science interest that will last into their school years and beyond. Junior Academy is for toddlers (18-36 months) on Mondays and Tuesdays; preschoolers on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and kindergartners through 2^nd graders on Fridays. Registration and program fees required. Please visit www.calacademy.org/junior-academy.

Daily Events at the California Academy of Sciences
New program! Animal Color Encounters
Noon
Science Today Station
Meet an amazing live animal and learn how colors help it thrive and survive.

Ocean Action 2:30 pm
Project Lab
Explore the ocean’s special chemistry in this fun, experiment-based program.

Color Curiosities 11 am
Piazza
Join our live presenters for an adventure in color! Dig deeper into the color spectrum to explore surprising nature connections, plus mysteries and myths.

This Fall – Neighborhood Free Days at the California Academy of Sciences
From September 25-November 1, 2015, San Francisco residents will have opportunities to visit and explore the California Academy of Sciences free of charge, thanks to the help of a generous grant from Target. Each neighborhood, defined by zip codes, will have a turn to visit the Academy over a three-day weekend (Friday, Saturday or Sunday). Please check http://www.calacademy.org/neighborhood-free-weekends for each neighborhood’s designated days. Each visiting adult must show a valid photo ID with proof of residency.