Take the Class Outdoors
Guided explorations for K-4 students at Garden in the Woods
We regret that we are unable to offer school programs in 2023. Please check back next year.
Like our other education programs at Garden in the Woods, our school programs promote awareness, understanding, and appreciation of the botanical and natural world through experiential and inquiry-based learning.
Our site covers 45 acres, threaded with miles of paths that meander through gardens, woods, wetlands, brooks, a pond, and glacier-sculpted ridges. This diversity of topography and habitat affords students an opportunity to observe an unusual variety of plants and wildlife in a relatively small area.
Our school programs meet the Massachusetts Science and Technology/Engineering curriculum standards. Each garden visit is one hour long and is accompanied by pre- and post- classroom activities. Programs are led by committed teacher-naturalists who guide students in hands-on field investigations of plant life, diverse habitats, and the effects of weather and climate at Garden in Woods.
Our Offerings
Unlock the green world for your students
Seeing Green - Grades Pre-K and K
Use your senses to explore natural settings and observe living and nonliving things at the Garden. Begin to look beyond “a wall of green” to see individual plant parts and learn their functions.
Download standards
Download pre- and post-visit activity (Pre-K and K)
Download post-visit activity (K)
Exploring Plants and Their Homes - Grades 1 and 2
Explore how plant parts help plants to take in water, air, and produce food for the plant to grow in the different habitats. Observe and compare differences in basic plant parts.
Download standards
Download pre-visit activity
Download post-visit activity
Plant Survival and Adaptation - Grade 3
Explore plant adaptations to various habitats in the Garden. Learn about how plants have adapted to the non-living and other living aspects of their habitats, explore plant fossils, and see a few living fossils in the Garden.
Download standards
Download pre- and post-visit activity
The Life of a Plant - Grades 3 and 4
Explore the life cycle of flowering plants from sprout to fruit, including how plant structures change over time based on seasonal weather. Observe seeds and investigate the different ways in which plants disperse their seeds.
Download standards
Download pre-visit activity
Download post-visit activity
Book a School Visit (unavailable in 2022)
Sign up and get other useful details
School programs at Garden in the Woods are available by advance reservation at least four weeks before the date you would like come.
Cost: $8 per student
Group size: We can accommodate groups of 5-50 students
Schedule: By advance reservation on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays; mid-April to mid-October
Adult to student ratio: We require one adult per every 10 students. Adults receive complimentary admission.
Questions? Please ask: education@NativePlantTrust.org
