Field Trips
LEARN AT THE GARDENS!
Waterfront Botanical Gardens offers in-person field trips for students in grades K-8. These 90-minute programs incorporate state academic science and math standards and serve to foster an appreciation for plants and our natural world.
PROGRAM OFFERINGS K-5
KINDERGARTEN
Learners will:
- Identify what plants need to grow and survive.
- Search for and categorize common shapes in natural and built environments.
- Enhance their observation skills by using their five senses.
FIRST GRADE
Learners will:
- Identify external parts of plants and how those parts function to help plants grow and develop.
- Compare and contrast young sprouts/saplings to adult plants and trees.
- Practice measuring with non-standard units of measurements.
SECOND GRADE
Learners will:
- Identify how animals help plants with pollination and seed dispersal.
- Explore diversity of plants in different ecosystems around the world.
- Practice measuring and estimating in standard units.
THIRD GRADE
Learners will:
- Identify how flowering plants reproduce and grow.
- Explore how environmental factors can influence the growth of plants.
- Practice analyzing and comparing area & perimeter.
FOURTH GRADE
Learners will:
- Explore both internal and external structures of plants and how they function for survival.
- Explain how rain and wind erode the soil.
- Practice dividing wholes into fractional parts.
FIFTH GRADE
Learners will:
- Review the process of photosynthesis and how plants get their energy from abiotic factors.
- Model how energy and matter travel through a food web.
- Practice data collection and interpreting information with a graph.
K- 5 FIELD TRIP DETAILS
Each program includes:
- 30 minutes of experiential learning in our Ellen T. Leslie Classroom
- 30 minutes of self-guided learning outdoors in our Gardens
- 30 minutes of plant investigation in our Teaching Greenhouse or on grounds
Our space can currently accommodate up to 60 students per session. We offer two sessions per day:
- AM Session: 10:00 – 11:30 AM.
- PM Session: 12:30 – 2:00 PM.
Our programs are currently only booked on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, September – May.
The cost is $7.00 per student (for up to 60 students), while teachers/chaperones are free. We do require one teacher/chaperone per 10 students paid (up to 6 chaperones maximum).
Are you interested in booking a K-5 field trip with Waterfront Botanical Gardens? Fill out this interest form and a staff person will contact you soon regarding your trip.
PROGRAM OFFERINGS GRADES 6 - 8
ECOSYSTEMS & THEIR PLANTS
KY State Science Standards covered in this program: 06-LS2-2, 08-LS2-5
Middle School students will discuss ecosystems around the world. Emphasis will be placed on the relationship between abiotic factors and the plants that live in these places.
PLANT CELLS
KY State Science Standards covered in this program: MS-07-LS1-1, MS-07-LS1-2
Your students will take a closer look at plant cells using our classroom microscopes and will discuss the function of each part of the cell while making a take-home model.
FOOD WEBS & ENERGY
KY State Science Standards covered in this program: 06-LS2-1, 06-LS2-3, 07-LS1-6
Students will look at the transfer of energy and matter through a food web of producers and consumers.