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kidsNatureKids

G.E.E.K.S.

Garden-based Environmental Education Knowledge for Students

For the Spring season The Norfolk Botanical Garden can accommodate groups greater than 25 students at the 11:45 guided tour time with selected availability. 

Please call to schedule soon - spaces are filling quickly.

 

General Information


Science G.E.E.K.S. - Garden Tours

      

Pre - K & K Garden ABCs
1st Grade
Flowers & Friends
2nd Grade Creepers & Croakers
3rd Grade

Garden Ecosystems

4th Grade Earth in Motion
4th-6th Grade Lakes Alive!

Social Studies G.E.E.K.S. - World of Wonders Children’s Adventure Garden Tours

Pre-K Little Sprouts
Kindergarten WOW ABC's
1st Grade Time Travelers
2nd Grade

Plants & People

3rd Grade Plant Geeks & Ancient Greeks
4th Grade Virginia is For Learners

Outreach Science Programs (K-6th Grade)

K – 1st Grade Plants 101
2nd - 3rd Grade Seeds 101
4th - 5th Grade A Chesa-peake into Watersheds
4th - 6th Grade Prehistoric Plants

Double Your Learning

Self Guided Tours

Home School Families

Teacher Resources

Garden of Lights Fundraiser


General Information

Reservations

Register by phone: Monday through Friday 10AM - 2PM

Call: (757) 441-5838 or Email: education@nbgs.org

Advance registrations are required.  Reservations must be made at least two weeks in advance.  After registering you will receive a confirmation by mail, as well as directions and instructions to get you to the garden. 

Online Reservation request

 

Payment

Minimum tour fee is $50.  While we are not able to offer discounted programs, we do, on occasion have grant funded programs.  Please inquire about these when you call.  Payment can be made in advance with a credit card or by check or cash the day of your field trip.  Make checks payable to NBGS.  If using cash, please have the exact amount.

 

Cancellations

If you need to cancel a field trip you must notify the registrar’s Office at (757) 441-5838 as soon as possible.  Cancellations must be made at least 24 hours in advance, or you will be charged the $50 minimum program fee. 

 

Inclement Weather

Guided Garden Tours are conducted rain or shine.  In extreme weather conditions, tours can be rescheduled with no penalty if another date is available.  Call the registrar’s office at (757) 441-5838 to determine applicability.  Please dress appropriately in closed-toed shoes and jackets if necessary.

 

Arrival

Please try to arrive at least 15 minutes prior to your scheduled program time to allow for restroom visits, payment, coordination, etc.

 

Lunch

The garden’s picnic shelter and the airport berm overlooking the Norfolk International Airport are available on a first come first serve basis.  Please be responsible for your own trash.

 

Visit Tips

  • The maximum number of students per group is 25.  If you are bringing more than that amount, have the groups divided into equal sized groups before you arrive at the garden.
  • Please arrive 15 minutes prior to your scheduled program to allow for check-in, rest-room visits, etc.
  • Should you need to leave earlier than previously planned notify your garden teacher when you arrive.
  • Remind students to dress appropriately for an outdoor walking tour.

 

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Science G.E.E.K.S. - Guided Garden Tours

The Norfolk Botanical Garden is an ideal setting to have a field trip.  An oasis of green smack dab in the middle of Hampton Roads, mere minutes away from your classroom but worlds away from the hustle and bustle of the city.  Come on out and let one of our Garden Teachers lead your class to some of hotspots for an hour, then hop on board one of our “critter crawler trams” for a 30-minute cruise with one of our Garden Guides who will show you all 155 beautiful acres. 

Guided Garden Tours are $6 per student offered at 9:45am, 10:45 am and 11:45. 

Groups choosing the 11:45 time slot will have their tram tour from 11:15-11:45 so that all students will be back to their buses by 1:00pm.  

Lakes Alive! tours are $7 per student and do not include the tram tour.

Groups are allowed 1 free chaperone for every 5 students.

Please call early to schedule your field trip visit.

 

Pre-K and Kindergarten

Garden ABC’s

Join us for this hour long adventure and allow us to immerse your little ones in the Garden’s sights, sounds, textures, shapes and smells.

VA SOL: Science: K.2, K.4, K.6, K.7, K.8

Pre-K and K Pre-visit packet

 

1st Grade

Flowers and Friends

What is the difference between an evergreen and a deciduous plant? Why do some animals hibernate and some animals migrate? From the plant lifecycle to the animals that use our plants for survival, take a hike with a Garden Teacher and investigate the intricate world here inside the garden.

VA SOL: Science: 1.4, 1.5, 1.7, 1.8

1st Grade Pre-visit packet

      

2nd Grade

Creepers and Croakers-

This journey through the Garden explores the magic of metamorphosis. Come learn about the life-cycle of 3 beloved Garden residents: butterflies, dragonflies and frogs.

VA SOL: Science: 2.4, 2.5, 2.7, 2.8

2nd Grade Pre-visit packet

 

3rd Grade

Garden Ecosystems

Bring your students out for this fieldtrip to see first hand some examples of plant and animal adaptations while learning about food chains and natural resources.

VA SOL: Science: 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.8, 3.9, 3.10

3rd Grade Pre-visit packet

 

4th Grade

Earth in Motion

This program is all about the Earth’s cycles. Allow a Garden teacher to help your students discover why they function and how they help to maintain healthy habitats that provide

important natural resources.

VA SOL: Science: 4.4, 4.5, 4.6, 4.7, 4.8

 

4-6th grades

Lakes Alive!

The Norfolk Botanical Gardens is unlike other gardens around the country because it is practically an island.  Take advantage of our uniqueness by scheduling a Lakes Alive tour that puts your class onboard one of our Garden Boats taking them though our canal system and out onto Lake Whitehurst.  While onboard, a Garden Teacher will use various instruments to teach students about fresh water ecology, the lake as an ecosystem and the Chesapeake Watershed. 

VA SOL: Science: 4.5, 4.8, 5.5, 5.7, 6.5, 6.7, 6.9

 

 

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Social Studies G.E.E.K.S. - World of Wonders Children’s Adventure Garden Tours

 

Take your class through the World of Wonder’s Children’s Adventure Garden.  Enjoy an hour in the garden learning about natural science, history and geography!  After your WOW Adventure, hop aboard one of our “critter crawler trams” for a half hour trip to visit the rest of the garden. 

WOW Adventure Garden Tours are $8 per student offered at 9:45am, 10:45 am and 11:45.  Groups choosing the 11:45 time slot will have their tram tour from 11:15-11:45 so that all students will be back to their buses by 1:00pm.  Please call early to schedule your field trip visit.  Also ask for our Double Discovery Offer and get an outreach program to come to your school for only $2 more per child!

 

Pre-K

Little Sprouts

Bring your little sprouts to WOW and enjoy playing along in our story program. Your students will listen to a Garden Teacher read a story to your group, make a craft, explore the garden on a themed walk, and even plant a seed to take home! Every month is a different story so be sure to visit often!

  • September: The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Come to the garden and enjoy this classic story of the very hungry caterpillar.  He eats through a smorgasbord of fruits, leaves and many other crazy foods on his journey though metamorphosis.  Follow along with our garden teacher as we search the milkweed plants for monarch caterpillars, and spend time planting seeds in the dirt factory to take home and start your own butterfly garden!

 

Kindergarten

WOW ABC’s

Join us for WOW ABC’s to explore your senses in our sensory garden, visit the dirt factory to learn about the plant lifecycle, plant sunflowers to take back to school and get a crash course in Geography on our 60 foot world map.

VA SOL: History/Geography: K.1, K.2, K.3, K.4, K.5, K.8

1st Grade

Time Travelers

Use a timeline with a Garden Teacher to travel up discovery peak and learn about famous Americans: George Washington Carver, Benjamin Franklin and George Washington. Learn basic map skills while we put together our own map of Virginia and visit three of the Passport Gardens to see how location, climate and natural surroundings affect the people that live there.

VA SOL: History/Geography: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.6

2nd Grade

Plants and People

Journey up Discovery Peak and find some important plants from China and Egypt. Explore a Powhatan village and compare this environment with those of the Pueblo and Sioux to see how their use of natural resources differs.

VA SOL: History/Geography: 2.1, 2.2, 2.4, 2.5, 2.8

 

3rd Grade

Plant Geeks & Ancient Greeks

Come to WOW and let us introduce your students to the Ancient Greeks and their contributions in Ithaca Isle, travel to Africa to investigate the rich history of Mali, and follow the route of famous explorers Christopher Newport, Ponce De Leon, Jacques Cartier and Christopher Columbus on Discovery Peak to find some of the spices that those explorers were searching for.   

VA SOL: History/Geography/Economics: 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.7, 3.8

 

4th grade

Virginia is for Learners

How much do your students know about where they live?  With the help of a Garden Teacher, identify and locate the geographic regions of Virginia and their importance.  We will visit the Powhatan Village of Werowocomoco to learn about the state’s first inhabitants, and test your students settler survival skills in Whichway woods.

VA SOL: Virginia Studies: VS4.1, VS4.2, VS4.3

 

 

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Outreach Science

Can’t make it out the garden? Then let the Garden come to you with our Suitcase Science outreach programs. Choose from a variety of topics, schedule a visit, and let one of our Garden Teachers lead an SOL based program designed to complement your curriculum.

$80 per class (maximum 25 students)
$60 dollars with Double Discovery
$55 for each additional class
Limit 3 classes per day with same program

K-1st Grade

Plants 101

Introduce your students to the world of plants with this exciting, hands-on program led by one of our knowledgeable Garden Teachers!

VA SOL: Science: K.4, K.6, K.8, 1.4, 1.5 History: K.8, 1.10

 

2nd-3rd Grade

Seeds 101

From the almost microscopic vanilla bean seed to the 40-pound Coco-de-mer this outreach will show your students that seeds come in all shapes sizes and colors and are used to make many of the items we use everyday.

VA SOL: Science: 2.8, 3.7, 3.8, 3.10

 

4th-5th Grade

A Chesa-peake into Watersheds

Explore the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed. Learn about the threats to this famous waterway, and why it’s in our best interest to help protect it.

VA SOL: Science: 3.6, 3.9, 3.10, 4.8, 5.7, 6.1, 6.5, 6.7, 6.9

 

 

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Double your Learning!

Can’t decide on just one program, why not take a double-discovery tour!  Come to the gardens for a guided WOW-program and get an outreach program to visit your classroom for only $60!  Ask about it when you register!


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Self-Guided Garden Tour

Even for the most energetic of classes, 155 acres is an awful lot of ground to cover on foot.  Why not schedule to have one of our Garden Guides give you a ride in a critter crawler?  This is the perfect way to get some fresh air, while receiving a general overview of the Garden.  Tram rides are approximately 30 minutes in length. 

$4 per student (Does not include admission to WOW Garden).

 


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Home School Families

HOME SCHOOL TAKEOVER DAYS

SCIENCE IN A ROOM WITHOUT WALLS

Attention all homeschoolers!  Norfolk Botanical Garden would like to invite you to come explore our 155 acre outdoor classroom.  These exciting educational fieldtrips offer homeschoolers a chance to get together with other kids and take part in hands-on programming led by our experienced Garden Teachers.  Science journals will be provided for all participating children and are included in the cost of the program.

(Please note:  Pre-registration is required for all members of your group visiting the garden, including those not participating in the program)

Friday • May 23• 9AM-12:30PM

Plants!  Some grow in the water, some grow in the air, plants can grow everywhere! Discover some of the unique adaptations plants have when we look at water plants and air plants. Explore your artistic side! Did you know that the famous impressionist painter Claude Monet was a gardener? Visit our African Savanna to understand more about the Maasai way of life.

Cost: $10/participant per program ($6 /participant per program for NBG Members) *includes 1 free adult

(Please note: these programs are best suited for children 6 and older.)

 

 

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Teacher Resources

Ag in the Classroom
Wednesday, July 16
9 am - 3 pm

Join "Ag in the classroom" for a day at Norfolk Botanical Garden to explore using a garden in the classroom as an educational tool to engage students in hands-on learning.  Instructor David Pippin brings science, mathematics, and social studies together as he presents activities designed to introduce students to the importance of agriculture in Virginia.  Enjoy a tour of the Garden and learn more about many of the resources available to teachers.  Each participant will receive free, SOL-aligned educational materials for his/her classroom.

Workshops are provided free of charge by the Virginia Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom, a not-for-profit organization.

Lunch is provided

Maximum class size: 30.  Call 757-441-5838 M-F 10AM-2PM to reserve a spot.

 

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Garden of Lights School Fundraiser

Your Students are going to come to the Garden of Lights with their families.

You can save them money on their admission price,

and make a profit for your school or club!

Sell “stocking stuffer” tickets to Norfolk Botanical Garden’s Garden of Lights as a fundraiser for your school.

Garden of Lights tickets are great gifts for your friends, co-workers, family and employees.

For more information contact Marcia Oubré by phone 757 441-5830 ext 359 or by e-mail at library@nbgs.org

 


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