FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan. 18, 2007
Contact:
214.515.6518
amarshall@dallasarboretum.org
LEARN AND
GROW:
Educational
Opportunities Available at the
FIELD TRIPS: The Arboretum offers a
unique, hands-on learning experience for school excursions. Reservations
required to receive discounted school admission. Call 214.515.6540. These trips
are offered:
Self-guided Trip: Teachers,
students and parents can lead their own exploration of
Mondays - Fridays; Pre-K - 12th Grades; $3 per child,
$4 per adult.
Adventure Backpacks: A self-guided adventure including a teaching backpack
filled with supplies, such as prisms and hand lenses, for 30 students. Based on
the science TEKS for each grade. Spanish
version available.
Mondays - Fridays; Pre-K - 6th Grades; $15 per
backpack rental fee.
Wild Walkabouts: Children on the Wild Walkabout can explore the woodland nature trail
with a specially trained guide. This hour-long program includes a guided hike
in areas not open to the general public and hands-on activities tailored for
each grade level.
Wednesdays - Fridays; Kindergarten - 6th grades;$4
per child
Tree Works: An hour-long program of hands-on activities and a guided tour, Tree
Works exposes children to life science concepts and the plant world through its
giants—trees. Maximum of 60 per program.
Scholarships and transportation funds offered through this program.
Wednesdays; 10am, 11am or 12pm; Kindergarten - 6th
grades;
$4 per child
Tuesdays - Fridays; 1st - 6th grade; $4 per child.
CLASSES: The Trammell Crow Visitor Education Pavilion has two
classrooms, each with an outdoor garden component, giving an opportunity for
real world connections to abstract science concepts. All classroom lab programs
cost $4 per child, which includes admission. Classes offered:
Splish-Splash!: Pre-K – 1st grade
Through a big-book story and lots of hands-on
activities, children will discover the different forms and properties of water.
Senses Safari: Pre-K – 1st grade
Students will be introduced to the five senses
through a big-book story and fun, hands-on activities. A garden walk at the end
of class will give them a chance to use their new skills to explore nature.
Ready to Rock!: Pre-K – 1st grade
A story and hands-on activities introduce
children to the world of geology. Through exploration and instruction,
students investigate, sort and describe a variety of rocks and fossils and learn
about their origins.
Pumpkin Circle: (Fall only)
Pre-K –
1st grade
A story, video and hands-on activities explain
to children the life cycle of a plant from seed to flower to fruit to seed
again. The perfect ending for this lesson is a walk through the Arboretum's
pumpkin patch.
Awesome Blossoms: Pre-K – 1st grade
A big book story and hands-on activities will
introduce your students to the beauty and importance of flowers and other plant
parts using real flowers.
Wings and Things: (Spring only)
Pre-K – 1st grade
In this class, young
children will delight in exploring the life cycle of a butterfly through
storytelling, drama and hands-on activities. In addition to acting out the
butterfly’s life stages, students will see live critters in the classroom and
compare the life cycles of the butterfly, frog and flower.
The Green Machine: Pre-K - 2nd grade
Through a big-book story and hands-on
activities, children learn about plant parts, their functions and basic
needs. Every child will plant a seed to take back to school for further
investigation.
Butterflies and Blossoms: 1st - 3rd grades
A short video, big book and real flowers help
students learn about insects, metamorphosis and how butterflies and flowers
work together.
H2 Oh!:
2nd - 4th
grades
A short video, big book and lots of activities
help students learn about the properties of water, its different forms and the
water cycle.
Rock Around the Clock: 3rd - 6th
grades
A short video and lots of hands-on materials
and activities make this the perfect class to learn about rocks and minerals
and their properties—a great addition to an Earth Science unit.
Flower Power:
2nd - 4th grades
A short video and hands-on activities help
students learn the reason for a flower and its life cycle. Students also learn
to identify flower parts and their functions by dissecting real flowers.
It's a Bug's Life: 2nd - 5th
grades
Through a short video and hands-on activities
students will explore insect metamorphosis. They will learn common
characteristics of insects and investigate behavioral and structural
adaptations using models and real specimens.
Getting the Dirt on Soil: 3rd - 5th grades
Through hands-on activities, students will
explore different soil samples, test their properties and discover the role of
soil in our environment—a great addition to an Earth Science unit.
Sunshine for Lunch? Photosynthesis: 4th - 6th grades
Through instruction, exploration and role play,
students learn how plants turn sunlight into energy, absorb and transpire water
and provide oxygen for life on the planet.
Adapted for Life: 4th - 6th grades
Through instruction and hands-on investigation
students learn about diverse adaptations that enable animals and plants to
survive and thrive in dramatically different environments. This class
helps students understand TAKS concepts.
Systems for Survival: 4th - 6th grades
A short video, instruction
and hands-on activities help students understand the interdependence of systems
within systems. They will explore predator/prey relationships, food chains
and food webs. This class helps prepare students for the TAKS test.
OUTREACH
CLASSES: Outreach classes send teachers from the Arboretum to
the classroom, instead of the other way around, saving class time and
transportation worries.
Science
on the Grow: This comprehensive science
program prepares students for the science section of the TAKS test and includes
a complete TEKS/TAKS-based curriculum, a hands-on science lesson presented at
the participating school, an Adventure Backpack field trip at the Arboretum and
a hotline to call with life science questions.
PreK - 6th grades; $150 for the first class,
$100 for each additional class; minimum of four class bookings per school
Topics include:
The Seed Song: Pre-K
– K
The Green Machine: K
- 2nd grade
Trees Are Terrific: K
- 2nd grade
Life
Cycles-Butterflies and Blossoms: 1st-3rd grades
Going Buggy: 2nd -
4th grades
Flower Power: 2nd -
4th grades
The Buzz on Bees: 4th
- 6th grades
Systems for Survival:
4th - 6th grades
Adapted for Life: 4th - 6th grades
Nature Naturally: Each program lasts 30 – 45 minutes and meets the
state’s science requirements. All
activities and materials for a class of up to 30 students are provided. Scholarships are available for this program.
Pre-K – 6th grades; $50 per class; minimum of four class bookings per
school
Topics include:
Seeds! Seeds! Seeds!: Pre-K – 1st grade
Seeds and Me: K - 2nd grade
Look at the Tree: K - 1st grade
Tadpole to Frog: 1st - 3rd grades
Caterpillar to Butterfly: 1st - 3rd grades
Insect Detective: 2nd - 4th grades
Fabulous Flowers: 2nd - 4th grades
Awesome Adaptations: 4th - 6th grades
Systems and Change: 4th - 6th grades
AFTER-SCHOOL
PROGRAMS: Whether a residency or one-time session is chosen,
students will explore nature beyond the classroom walls through TEKS compliant
activities and nature walks.
Mondays – Fridays; 3pm – 5pm; residency: one 2-hour
session per week for six weeks for $720; one 2-hour session for $120
Plant
Detective:
Students will learn
about plant parts, their functions and basic needs through keeping a nature
journal and investigating real plants in both the classroom and outdoors in the
schoolyard. 1st - 3rd grades
Butterflies,
Bees and Blossoms:
Students will
learn flower parts and purposes, the parts and characteristics of insects and
the flower-insect connection. They will dissect real flowers, explore their own
schoolyard and perform experiments with pollinators. 1st - 3rd grades
Planet
Earth:
Students will
investigate Earth’s soil and test its properties, examine rocks and fossils to
discover how they are formed and learn about volcanoes, earthquakes, different
landforms, the water cycle and test water's properties. 1st - 3rd grades
Diversity
of Life:
In this program
students will investigate different types of ecosystems through hands-on
activities and experiments and explore their schoolyard ecosystems. 3rd – 6th
grades
Eco-Quest: Students will learn about the sun's role in
producing energy and the flow of energy from plants to people. They will
investigate and compare renewable and non-renewable energy sources through
ands-on activities, role-playing and nature walks. 3rd – 6th grades
Rock and Roll:
Students
will discover how shifting tectonic plates result in earthquakes, volcanoes and
geysers, and together with glaciers and rivers, change the surface of the
Earth. They will test the properties of soil and rocks, perform
experiments with weathering and erosion and engage in experiments and
activities to understand the Earth's changing surface. 3rd – 6th grades
ARTSPARTNER: Teachers with the
LOCATION:
EDUCATION
CONTACT: Call 214.515.6540, email
education@dallasarboretum.org or check out the Arboretum’s website
at dallasarboretum.org for more information about
these and other educational programs and events.
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