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Programs for Teachers and Students
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School Workshops
School Workshops take students on an adventure that includes a classroom lesson, a hands-on greenhouse activity, and a tour of the grounds and/or Steinhardt Conservatory. Pre-visit materials are provided and include background information, classroom activities, and discussion topics. They will be sent to you with your reservation confirmation. We strongly encourage you to use them with your students prior to your visit to the Garden. Cost: $140 per class
| Workshop | Appropriate for Grades | Length of Program (hrs) |
|---|---|---|
| Making Sense of Nature | Pre-K–2 | 1½ |
| Plants We Eat | Pre-K–2 | 1½ |
| Seed Adventures | K–2 | 1½ |
| Trees Grow in Brooklyn | Pre-K–2 | 1½ |
| Herbs and Spices | K–5 | 1½–2 |
| Bulbs: Sleeping Plants | K–5 | 1½–2 |
| Life Cycle of a Seed | 3–5 | 2 |
| Water In Nature and In Our Lives | 3–8 | 2 |
| Food for Thought | 3–8 | 2 |
| Deserts of the World | 3–12 | 2 |
| The Tropical Rainforest | 3–12 | 2 |
| Plant Ecology | 3–12 | 2 |
| Multiplying Plants | 6–12 | 2 |
| Pharaoh's Pharmacy | 6–12 | 2 |
| Environmental Issues | 6–12 | 2 |
Registration for School Workshops are handled by phone; please call the Registration Office at 718-623-7220. Click here for more information about registration and visiting procedures.
Making Sense of Nature
Grades Pre-K–2 · 1½ hours
Leaves, bark, flowers, seeds... all offer a tantalizing array of color, texture, shape, flavor, and aroma. Through sensory activities, students will experience the world of plants through smell, touch, sight, and sound exploration. Everyone will pot up a plant to take home.
Plants We Eat
Grades Pre-K–2 · 1½ hours
Look through our grocery bag of familiar and exotic products for parts of plants that we eat. Students will discover roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and seeds that we eat and will plant their own edible plants to take with them.
Seed Adventures
Grades K–2 · 1½ hours
How do seeds get from place to place? Learn about the various methods of dispersal, from hitchiking to floating, and examine the wonderful diversity of seed shapes, colors, and strategies. Students will participate in seed activities and plant in the greenhouse.
Available Spring 2005!
Trees Grow in Brooklyn
Grades Pre-K–2 · 1½ hours
Come be a friend to trees! Trees are special plants that play an essential role in their environment and in the lives of people and other animals that depend on them for shelter, food, and many of the products we use everyday. Students will learn about the diversity of trees that exist in nature and in the city, the major parts of a tree and their functions, and the importance of trees in our lives. Everyone will pot up an indoor tree to take home with them.
Herbs and Spices
Grades K–5 · 1½–2 hours
How come pizza has pizzazz and ice cream has over 51 flavors? Aromatic plants have played an important role in world history and culture and have added great variety to the foods we eat. Discover temperate herbs and tropical spices growing in the Steinhardt Conservatory and learn what makes them different. Students will plant an herb to take back to the classroom.
Bulbs: Sleeping Plants
Grades K–5 · 1½–2 hours · Workshop available November-February
What makes bulbs such special plants? In this workshop, students will learn about the fascinating history, botany and survival mechanisms of bulbs. They will also learn how bulbs are "forced" to bloom early in the winter and plant a bulb that will flower in winter and early spring.
LifeCycle of A Seed
Grades 3–5 · 2 hours
Most plants begin their lives as small seeds, then grow to produce stems, leaves, flowers, and then seeds... and the cycle begins again. In this botanical workshop, students will follow the life cycle of a typical plant and then dissect flowers and pot up a seed or transplant.
Water In Nature and In Our Lives
Grades 3–8 · 2 hours
What's wet and green and wild and lives in New York City? In this workshop, students will investigate the adaptations unique to plants in aquatic habitats and construct an understanding of how the plant life in our local wetlands supports the diversity of living things that share those ecosystems. Our program will include hands-on exploration of aquatic plants, a tour of the Aquatic House and/or wetland plant communities outdoors in the Garden. Students will pot up a wetland plant to take home. Additional $25 materials fee.
Food for Thought
Grades 3–8 · 2 hours
Plants feed us, cure our ills, provide materials for industry, and enrich our lives. They are the foundation of all existence. In this workshop we introduce students to some of the plants that are most useful to us today and those that have been used by people around the world for thousands of years. Students will pot up a plant to take home and tour the Steinhardt Conservatory, where many culturally important plants are growing.
Deserts of the World
Grades 3–12 · 2 hours
Life in the desert is both fascinating and harsh, and it requires unusual adaptations by plants and animals. Students will discover how the desert's plant inhabitants adapt to their arid conditions and will then tour the Steinhardt Conservatory to see these plants growing in a naturalistic desert setting. Everyone will pot up a desert plant to take home.
The Tropical Rainforest
Grades 3–12 · 2 hours
The tropical rainforest is home to an amazingly diverse array of plants and animals. In this workshop, students will learn about this precious resource and pot a tropical plant to keep. Students will tour Brooklyn's own rainforest by exploring the Tropical Pavilion of the Steinhardt Conservatory.
Plant Ecology
Grades 3–12 · 2 hours
What are some of the complex and essential relationships between plants and their environment? Through a series of interactive exercises, students will gain an understanding of ecological concepts such as food webs and nutrient recycling. Students will plant a carnivorous plant to take with them. Weather permitting, a walk through the Native Flora Garden will be included. Additional $25 materials fee.
Multiplying Plants
Grades 6–12 · 2 hours
If we wanted to reproduce all of the plants at Brooklyn Botanic Garden so that all of the students in New York City could share them, how would we do it? In this workshop, a variety of methods of plant propagation will be explored. Students will learn about root and stem cuttings, division, layering, tissue culture, and other propagation techniques as they construct their own mini-greenhouse.
Pharaoh's Pharmacy
Grades 6–12 · 2 hours
The people of ancient Egypt wrote with hieroglyphics, built magnificent and intricate pyramids for their leaders and sustained a rich and vibrant civilization in one of the world's largest deserts for thousands of years. Their lives may seem far different from ours, but in this workshop students will explore the plants that the Egyptians grew in their fields and gardens on the banks of the Nile and will discover that our two cultures actually have much in common. Potting up an herb that was grown in ancient Egyptian gardens will give each student a piece of history to take home.
Environmental Issues
Grades 6–12 · 2 hours
This is a workshop for older students who may already have an understanding of basic ecological principles and who are ready to enter into the world of environmental stewardship. We will cover topics such as pollution, biodiversity, global warming, and endangered habitats. Students will learn how they can be an active part of the solution to these serious concerns. They will start their own compost in the hands-on segment of the workshop, and will pot up an air purifying plant in the greenhouse.