Seashore Exhibit in Great Indoors

Children and their parents don’t need to travel to Southern California’s beaches to explore the coastline and ocean environment--they can visit “The Beach!” at the Kidspace Museum in Pasadena.

A huge blue whale and bright orange Garibaldi fish welcome visitors to the new state-of-the-art exhibit. Kids and adults can kick off their shoes and dig through four tons of sand to discover what lies below the surface of the beach. Or they can simply wiggle their toes in the sand.

Other activities in the multi-sensory exhibit include listening to the sounds of the ocean, comparing animal habits and habitats, experimenting with marine camouflage and making waves--with innovative wave-making devices. For exhibit or educational program information, call (818) 449-9144.

ANTHROPOLOGY

* The Chumash Indian culture is the subject of a photographic exhibit, “Gifts From the Sea,” at the Cabrillo Marine Museum in San Pedro. The exhibit demonstrates how the Chumash, who lived in the northern Channel Islands, utilized abundant marine resources in what is now the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. Call (310) 548-7562.

MARINE SCIENCE

* The Orange County Marine Institute in Dana Point will offer a variety of programs on the ocean environment through the end of August. From noon to 4 p.m. on each weekend day, visitors can view programs such as “In the Marine Life Refuge” or “Underwater California,” or take educational cruises aboard the institute’s Sum Fun, a 40-passenger vessel. Call (714) 496-2274.

BOTANY

* Oak trees, plant colonization and predatory insects of the Santa Monica Mountains will be the focus of a nature walk sponsored by the Friends of Soka University on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. at the Calabasas campus. Native and non-native plant species, along with some geological history of the area, will be examined. Call (818) 880-4649.

SCIENCE FOR KIDS

* Children ages 5 and older can join the Kidspace Museum staff in hands-on experiments to learn about the science of sound in workshops at the museum on Friday at 2 and 3 p.m. Call (818) 449-9144.

GEOLOGY

* The geology, flora and fauna of Upper Franklin Canyon will be explored in an easy-paced two-mile hike sponsored by the William O. Douglas Outdoor Classroom on Sunday at 2 p.m. beginning at the Sooky Goldman Nature Center. Call (310) 858-3090.