School Pricing
Simple and reasonable
Hands-on learning
inspires love of learning
The perfect way inspire students to love learning.
If you’re the kind of teacher who wants your students to love learning, CaveSim is for you. Our stated goal is to make learning so much fun that kids of all ages forget that they’re learning. This is why each program is taught by passionate, highly trained educators who also happen to be talented cave explorers, inventors, and leaders. We teach important core content, but our program is also about much more than that.
The 3 most important reasons to work with us:
- Your students will learn important core content in science, math, engineering, PE, art, history, and other subjects.
- Your students will have fun, and will be reminded that learning is fun.
- We will show your students specific, concrete examples of how we used every single school subject to create CaveSim. We'll open your students' eyes to the fact that every school subject matters. Students will see that their lives will be better if they get curious and learn.
What's included
We’re happy to customize our program to suit your needs. Most schools choose a full-day or multi-day program, and have us work with each group of students for 60-90 minutes. A typical program includes:
mobile cave
The trailer is only 24′ long, but has 60′ of cave inside. Kids (and adults) explore multiple levels using rope ladders and climbing holds. The cave is interactive – participants get scored by a computer based on how carefully they explore. See our logistics flyer for setup details.
caving tower
This free-standing yellow tower is used to teach students about physics, and packs neatly inside the cave trailer. For more info about the size of the tower, see our logistics flyer.
Cave rescue GEAR
We bring a real cave rescue stretcher, and kids of all ages take turns being carried by staff and fellow students. This is an excellent way for students to learn about teamwork, communication, and leadership. We also bring other gear, like rescue phones.
squeezebox
This adjustable-height box is a great way for students to challenge themselves physically. As the box height gets adjusted, students get to measure the box with a tape measure to practice mental math.
bat games
Our programs typically include several bat games to help students learn about bat biology and how bats benefit humans.
Science demos
We offer many demos, including chemistry with carbide lamps, geology with HCl acid, energy and waves with rescue phones, and biology with a real bat skeleton and guano. Just tell us what you’re interested in.
How we price
Our school program pricing is simple: we charge a per-student fee and a per-mile fee. When more schools in your area book our program, your per-mile fee goes down. If enough schools in your area book our program, we’ll waive the per-mile fee completely.
Programs built for you.
Regardless of what grade level and subject you teach, we fit our program to your curriculum, your schedule, your campus, and your unique school.
No contracts to sign, ever.
We know it can be difficult for a district to approve contracts, so we make your life easier by not requiring contracts for schools. If your district requires contracts, we're happy to do the paperwork.
Pay after your program.
We trust teachers. We show our trust by allowing you to pay after your program, within 30 days. No deposits are required.
Pricing structure
Programs built for your students.
No matter where you are in the lower 48 states, or how big or small your school, we’re happy to work with you. Choose an option below.
Teachers and parents are always free
- If you connect us with a teacher at another school who then books a program with us, we'll give you $100 off your next program. Use your favorite platform to tell other teachers to book CaveSim:
Most popular (150-200 students/day)
Most schools choose this option.
- Can be full-day or multi-day. Tip: schools often add an evening program (science night, parents night out) to engage families.
- Can include one grade, multiple grades, or the whole school. Tip: schools often pick non-adjacent grades (2nd & 5th, 6th & 8th) so that we teach different students each year.
- For more than 200 students, we do multi-day programs (150-200 students each day).
$10/student
Based on 10 schools in the region, 150-200 students/day
Medium group (100-149 students/day)
The big benefit: we’ll include a free lab, which is up to an $8/student value.
- Can be full-day or multi-day. Tip: schools often add an evening program (science night, parents night out) to engage families.
- Can include one grade, multiple grades, or the whole school. Tip: schools often pick non-adjacent grades (2nd & 5th, 6th & 8th) so that we teach different students each year.
$13/student
Based on 10 schools in the region, 100-149 students/day
Small group (99 or fewer)
The big benefit of a small group: we’ll automatically include two labs at no additional cost, which is up to a $16/student value.
- Can be partial- or full-day. Tip: schools often add an evening program (science night, parents night out) to engage families.
- Can include one grade, multiple grades, or the whole school. Tip: schools often pick non-adjacent grades (2nd & 5th, 6th & 8th) so that we teach different students each year.
- We're happy to work with as few students as you'd like, but our minimum charge is for 75 students.
$19/student
Based on 10 schools in the region, 75-99 students. Includes any two labs, valued at up to $16/student.
Colorado-proud schools
We’ve done programs in 17 states, but we’re proud to call Colorado home. If you’re a Colorado school, you’ll receive a 20% discount, regardless of your group size.
$10 $8/student
For 150-200 students/day
$13 $10.40/student
For 100-149 students/day
$19 $15.20/student
For 75-99 students/day
Add an evening event
If you’re looking to engage families, adding an evening event is an easy way to do it. CaveSim is perfect for Science Night, Parents’ Night Out, or a PTO fundraiser. We can add this program either the evening before or after your during-school program, and we’re flexible about event duration. Evening event pricing is typically in the range of $250 – $350/hour.
Add a lab to your program
Standard programs can be enhanced by adding our labs, which provide an in-depth educational experience in a specific subject, like biology or engineering. We never use kits because our goal is to teach students that engineering and science are accessible to them without the use of pre-prepared materials. We emphasize conservation by using recycled materials in our engineering labs.
Biology Lab
Slime mold is found is some caves. In this lab, students culture slime mold in Petri dishes and choose from several experiments. They learn that single-celled organisms can demonstrate forms of intelligence and memory. Students learn about connections between biology and computer science.
- Recommended grades: 4th - 12th
- Topics: 7 kingdoms of life, experiment design, extremophiles, pro/eukaryotic cells
- 1 class at a time (~25 students)
- 55+ minutes/group
- Starting at $8/student
Epidemiology Lab
Over 7 millions have died in the US since 2010 from the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans fungus, which causes a disease called White Nose Syndrome (WNS). Through a hands-on game with fluorescent dye or powder, students model the spread of WNS and learn about epidemiology.
- Recommended grades: 3rd - 12th
- Topics: graphing, functions, random numbers, immunology, epidemiology
- 1 class at a time (~25 students)
- 20-30 minutes/group
- Starting at $1.90/student
WaterProof Flashlight Lab
Students create caving lights from scratch. They make an LED circuit from simple components, and get soldering experience with 1:1 instruction. Students design and make a flashlight case from recyclable materials, test their work to see if their lights are waterproof, and revise their designs as needed.
- Recommended grades: 5th - 12th
- Topics: engineering, entrepreneurship, circuit theory, material science
- 1 class at a time (~25 students)
- 60-90 minutes/group (can be split into 2 days)
- Starting at $8/student
Cave Formation lab
Students make their own cave formations (stalactites, stalagmites, cave popcorn) using household materials. Students work in teams of 2-3 and conduct several experiments, making predictions about each.
- Recommended grades: 2nd - 7th
- Topics: states of matter, reactions, geology, hydrology, polar vs. non-polar molecules
- Up to 2 classes at a time (max 50 students)
- 20-40 minutes/group (depending on grade)
- Starting at $2.75/student
Geology Lab
Students make their own karst topography (cave landforms) using household materials. After creating cave strata in a cup, students add water to their model and watch as a sinkhole forms in real time.
- Recommended grades: 2nd - 9th
- Topics: landforms, geology, reactions, hydrology, conservation
- Up to 2 classes at a time (max 50 students)
- 20-45 minutes/group (depending on grade)
- Starting at $2.95/student
Waves & Energy Lab
After an activity with real cave rescue phones, students make their own version using cups and string. Students conduct several experiments with their phones and record their observations.
- Recommended grades: 3rd - 12th
- Topics: waves, energy, electromagnetics, graphing, calculus (Fourier series)
- Up to 2 classes at a time (max 50 students)
- 30-40 minutes/group
- Starting at $1.95/student
The easiest (and best) “field trip” you'll take this year
Over and over, teachers and students tell us that having CaveSim come to their school is the best experience of the year.
See how CaveSim compares to the average science and nature museum:
The CaveSim experience
$10/student
typical cost; no busing needed
- No need for busing – we come right to your campus.
- Highly flexible – we work within your schedule to make the most of your day. Students can still get classroom time, specials, etc.
- At-school lunch is the easiest kind of lunch!
- Facilitated by engaging, expert staff.
- Students learn to associate your school campus with exciting adventures.
Science and nature museum
$14/student
national average, including busing
- Coordinating busing can be time-consuming and expensive. Traveling with students is stressful!
- Between travel, shuffling students, and waiting in line, you'll lose an entire day of instructional time.
- You need to make sure that each student brings lunch, has money for lunch, or you arrange to buy lunches.
- Most museums charge extra for facilitated programs.
