To view and print the Field Studies Brochure; please click here.

Immerse your students in hands-on learning as they explore our 83-acre living museum. Staff members and trained docents lead the students through a variety of activities designed to stimulate interest and foster inquiry. During their field study, all students engage in interactive investigations, participate in a propagation lesson in the outdoor classroom and take a botanical souvenir home.

These programs offer guided, grade specific tours for grades K-5 students, and are aligned with Florida's Next Generation Sunshine State Standards. Please copy, share and implement the pre and post-visit activities provided below. The field study experience combined with pre and post-visit activities will enhance your students' FCAT performance and environmental understanding.

Program Costs and Registration:

• $8 per participating student
• Maximum of 60 students
• One adult is required per ten students; no additional adults allowed
• Accessible to students with special needs
• For scheduling, please call 305.667.1651 ext. 3322 or email education@fairchildgarden.org
• Tour dates fill rapidly, make reservations early
• Please refer to our Explorer Program Policies document for further details

Programs:
Living with Plants - Grades K-2, Mondays
Plants are amazing! Students will discover plants from root to shoot as they journey through Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, participate in a plant part scavenger hunt, color matching activity, and meet some trees with high cultural, commercial and historical value. 
Explorer Program Policies                                   Vocabulary List                                                        Post-visit Activity: Flower Friends 
Next Generation Sunshine State Standards       Pre-visit Activity: P.L.A.N.T.S. Needs                      Post-visit Activity: What's in the Soil
Pre/Post Visit Activities                                       Pre-visit Activity: Plant Parts                                    Plant Care and Information
                                                                            Pre-visit Activity: Things We Get From Plants          Suggested Reading

Life in a Rainforest - Grade 3, Wednesdays
Discover the plants that gave us chewing gum, vanilla and chocolate in Florida's largest rainforest exhibit. Students use hand lenses to take a closer look at the plants, insects and decomposers found on the forest floor. Guides demonstrate authentic rainforest tools and toys as students compare their lifestyle with that of the Chachi people of the Ecuadorian rainforest.
Explorer Program Policies                                   Vocabulary List                                               Post-visit Activity: The Water Cycle
Next Generation Sunshine State Standards       Pre-visit Activity: Life in the Layers                Plant Care and Information             
Pre/Post-visit Activities                                       Pre-visit Activity: All About Biodiversity          Websites for More Information

Where We Live - Grade 4, Tuesdays
South Florida is home to a variety of unique ecosystems. Students investigate mangrove and pine rockland ecosystems by identifying native plants, searching for native wildlife and digging in the soil. The day ends with students acting out a food web to demonstrate how energy flows through a mangrove ecosystem.
Explorer Program Policies                                    Vocabulary List                                        Post-visit Activity: Mangrove Connections
Next Generation Sunshine State Standards        Pre-visit Activity: Ecosystem News         Plant Care and Information                      
Pre/Post-visit Activities                                        Pre-visit Activity: Soil Detectives              Websites for More Information

Tropical Explorations - Grade 5, Thursdays
Photosynthesis and plant reproduction come alive as students learn about tropical plants and discover some astounding relationships between animals and plants. Using hand lenses, students examine the reproductive parts of plants from spores and seeds to flowers and cones.
Explorer Program Policies                                   Pre/Post Test                                                    Answer Key
Next Generation Sunshine State Standards       Pre-visit Activity: Photosynthesis                    Plant Care and Information
Pre/Post Visit Activities                                       Pre-visit Activity: Plant Reproduction               Websites for More Information
Vocabulary List                                                   Post-visit Activity: What's the Weather?         Measurement Worksheet

Butterflies and Botany - Grades K-5, Fridays
Butterflies do more than just flutter and impress, they are important pollinators who help plants produce some of our favorite foods! Through laboratory activities, students will learn about the parts of a butterfly and the butterfly lifecycle. Students will also visit The Wings of the Tropics, our new butterfly exhibit, where they will learn about butterfly behavior as they observe thousands of live butterflies.
Explorer Program Policies                    Pre-visit Activity: Flower Friends                         Post-visit Activity: Design Your Own Flower
Pre/Post Visit Activities                        Pre-visit Activity: Butterfly Life Cycle                  Answer Key
Vocabulary List                                   Post-visit Activity: Anatomy of Butterflies            Plant Care and Information

Questions? education@fairchildgarden.org
updated 01/2013