Schools and Outreach

Waterfront Botanical Gardens is now offering in-person field trips for students in grades K-5. These 90-minute programs incorporate state academic science & math standards and serve to foster an appreciation for plants & our natural world.

Each program includes:
30 minutes of experiential learning in our new 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: our a.m. session from 10:00 a.m. until 11:30 am. And our p.m. session from 12:30 p.m. until 2:00 p.m.

Our programs are currently only booked on Thursdays & Fridays.

The cost is $3.00 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).

Program Offerings

• Kindergarten Field Trip
  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 Field Trip
  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 Field Trip
  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 Field Trip
  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 Field Trip
  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 Field Trip
  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.

Middle Grades Field Trips

Grades 6-8

Starting in Spring 2022, Waterfront Botanical Gardens begins to offer field trip experiences for middle school students in grades 6-8. These 90-minute programs incorporate Kentucky State Science Standards and serve to foster an appreciation for plants & our natural world.

Each program includes:

60-minutes of experiential learning in our new Ellen T. Leslie Classrooms
30-minute guided outdoor tour of the Gardens.
Our learning space currently accommodates up to 60 students per session. We offer two sessions per day: morning session from 10:00 a.m. until 11:30 am. or afternoon session from 12:30 p.m. until 2:00 p.m.

Our programs are currently only booked on Thursdays & Fridays in March, April, or May.

The cost is $3.00 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).

Program Offerings

• Ecosystems and 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 and 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 & consumers.

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High School Field Trips coming in Spring 2022!