Educational Programs

We offer guided field trips for kids of all ages!
Wellfield Botanic Gardens offer hands-on, inquiry based programs designed to connect students to the natural world. All programs are aligned with Indiana State and National Science standards. Educators can choose from the following K-5 programs:

Kindergarten (1.5 hours)

Nature Walk – Using their five senses, students will walk along the Adventure Path, through the Sensory and Waterfall Gardens, making observations on what kinds of plants and animals live together in the gardens.
Common Water – What do you, your parents, your neighbors, a plant in your home, a squirrel in the park and your classmates have in common? WATER! Students analyze the results of a simulation to understand that water is a shared resource and is managed. (K.ESS.4)
Adopt a Tree – Students select individual trees to observe, deepening their awareness of tree changes and developing a greater appreciation for their local environment. (K.LS.1, K.LS.2, K.LS.3)

First Grade (1.5 hours)

Nature Walk – Students will walk with a guide along the Adventure Path, through the English Cottage Garden and Annual Garden, checking off items they see or hear from the Nature Scavenger Hunt (provided).
Enviroscape – Students will identify factors that contribute to water pollution and develop solutions that could be implemented to reduce the impact of humans in their local environment. (1.ESS.4)
Soil Builders/Here We Grow Again! – Students explore differences in soil types and what those differences mean to people and to plants. They also investigate the role soil organisms play, both in building soil and in decomposition. (1.ESS.2, 1.ESS.3)

Second Grade (1.5 hours)

Nature Walk – Students will walk through the Sensory and Waterfall Gardens, focusing on their senses while completing a scavenger hunt (provided), and if time allows, making a scavenger hunt to share with a friend.
The Incredible Journey – Where will the water you drink this morning be tomorrow? With a roll of a cube, students simulate the movement of water within the water cycle. (2.ESS.4)
Have Seeds, Will Travel – A plant is a biological system containing processes and components that enable it to grow and reproduce. By observing, collecting, and classifying seeds, students examine one aspect of a plant’s reproductive system. (2.LS1, 2.LS.2)

Third Grade (1.5 hours)

Nature Walk – Students will enjoy a walk along Wellfield’s West Promenade through the Elk and Island Gardens as they hunt for letters of the alphabet made by nature.
Pollinators! – Students will identify a variety of pollinators and their important role in plant growth. (3.LS.1, 3.LS.3, 3.LS.4)
Flower Dissection – Students will identify plant parts and their function and discuss a plant’s needs to reproduce, grow and develop. (3.LS.2, 3.LS.3)

Fourth Grade (1.5 hours)

Nature Walk – Students will be on the lookout for birds and their nests, listen for bird calls/songs, and observe how birds interact with the gardens as they walk along the West Promenade, over the Island Garden, and through the Woodland Conservation Garden.
Battle of the Beaks! – Students will explore and experiment with the amazing diversity of bird beaks and how each is designed for specific diets and habitats. (4.LS.1, 4.LS.2)
How Clean is Our Water? – Students conduct a bio-assessment of a stream by sampling aquatic macroinvertebrates. By learning the process by which macroinvertebrates are assessed, results are recorded and pollution tolerance indexes are determined. (4.ESS.4)

Fifth Grade (1.5 hours)

Nature Walk – Students will be given a plant or animal card, and then will travel through the Island Garden, Elk Garden and English Cottage Garden, answering questions on how that plant/animal interacts, affects and survives in the garden.
What’s Eating You? – Students become hawks, shrews and grasshoppers in a physical activity. Upon completion, students give examples of ways in which pesticides enter food chains and describe possible consequences of pesticides entering food chains. (5.LS.2)
Lots of Rot – In this activity, students will become familiar with some of those organisms by observing fallen logs or other decomposing pieces of wood. They’ll gain an understanding of how decomposition takes place and a better appreciation for microhabitats and communities.

Fees

$6 per person (including chaperones)
Teachers are free

Please schedule your field trip or in-school program at least three weeks in advance. Programs are scheduled Monday through Friday. Program fees are due at the time of your program. Program fees will apply during free admission days for all school field trips and visits.

Educational Programs

Fees

Please schedule your field trip or in-school program at least three weeks in advance. Programs are scheduled Monday through Friday. Program fees are due at the time of your program. Program fees will apply during free admission days for all school field trips and visits.

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