In-Person & Remote Classes and Programs

Starting in August 2021, Waterfront Botanical Gardens will offer a range of programs to fit your students’ needs – whether that’s online-only, on-site at WBG, or on-site at your own location.

Field Trip Classes

Currently offered Thursdays & Fridays

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 $5.00 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 September, October, November, March, April, or May.

The cost is $5.00 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-LS2-5Middle 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-LS1-2Your 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-LS1-6Students will look at the transfer of energy and matter through a food web of producers & consumers.


High School Field Trips Coming Soon!

 

Registration

Ready to sign up? Fill out our Field Trip Interest Form and our staff will get back to you within 48 hours.

FIELD TRIP REGISTRATION FORM

 

Questions? Contact our Youth Education Specialist Wanda Peck
wpeck@waterfrontgardens.org

 


Outreach Programs

Currently offered Thursdays-Sundays

Unable to travel? Let the Gardens come to you!

Starting in August 2021, Waterfront Botanical Gardens will offer outreach programs to schools, homeschools, co-ops, and other interested youth groups looking to connect to the science of gardening in the comfort of their own classroom.

Outreach visits are currently available for grades Pre K – 5 and are aligned with Kentucky/Indiana state curriculum guidelines and correlate to the Next Generation Science Standards.

Details: 

  • Each outreach program is 60 minutes long and can host up to 30 students.
  • To accommodate larger groups, up to four back-to-back outreach programs of the same topic can be offered in one day.
  • Your school/site must be within 30 miles of our Frankfort Avenue Location in Louisville, KY.
  • The cost is a flat travel fee of $50.00 plus an additional $5.00 per student.

Registration

Interested in booking an Outreach Program? Please fill out the registration form and a staff person will get back to your within 48 hours:

Outreach Registration Form


Virtual & Distance Learning

As many local students continue to learn from home through non-traditional instruction, WBG has virtual learning opportunities available for remote engagement. Check out our virtual field trips-complete with pre-post activities here:

Virtual Learning Resources