The Arboretum offers dynamic, hands-on environmental education activities designed to enhance a young person's experiences in natural outdoor settings, as well as enrich current academic science curriculum. Students explore diverse Arboretum habitats, including meadows, deciduous and coniferous forests, wetlands, and streams.
Environmental Education has been linked to improved academic achievement and encourages stewardship, pride, and ownership. The Arboretum's education programs are designed to maximize student involvement in their environment. Such involvement develops problem-solving, critical thinking, and investigation skills vital to cultivating a meaningful awareness of the human-environmental connection.
Below is a list of programs designed for students in grades K–6, as well as opportunities for older students. Programs listed are aligned to meet current Maryland State Educational Standards. Programs designed to meet specific school needs may also be requested. Full and half-day programs are available; fees vary depending on program length and group size. For more information or to plan a field experience, contact Youth Program Coordinator Jenny Houghton at jhoughton@adkinsarboretum.org or call 410.634.2847, ext. 21.
In this exciting outdoor environmental education program, kindergarteners compare and contrast the life cycles of four plants and animals through hands-on investigation. Activities include using dip nets and buckets in the Arboretum’s wetland to see what frogs look like at each stage of the life cycle, searching for caterpillars and eggs in the butterfly garden, and exploring the Arboretum’s woodlands in a tree life cycle scavenger hunt. The program is aligned with MSDE standards LS4a–d, LS6a–b, and EN15a–b.
First graders will investigate how the parts of a tree work together in a “build a tree” activity, use magnifying glasses to examine and categorize leaves, and investigate the impact of sunlight and the water cycle on plant growth and development. A leaf hunt through the Arboretum’s woodland is sure to delight! The program is aligned with MSDE standards LS4a, LS5c, ES1a, and ES2a.
Students will investigate how bird beaks have adapted for survival in different environments. They’ll compare the life cycle of birds with that of other living organisms, including the plants that birds eat. This will lead to a seed dissection activity. Students will also look for birds in the Arboretum’s meadow, wetland, and forest habitats and find examples of how birds meet their survival needs. The program is aligned with MSDE standards LS5a–b, LS3a–d, LS4a–c.
Third graders will collect and examine macroinvertebrates in the Arboretum’s wetland to determine water quality. Students will use hand lenses and microscopes to assist their discoveries, sketch wetland organisms, and explore the flow of matter and energy within the wetland food chain. The program is aligned with MSDE standards ES2a–b, LS3a–d, and LS5c–d.
Students will use hand lenses to classify leaves by their observable features and use their skills of observation on a leaf scavenger hunt. A game of Habitat Hoochikoo will emphasize how changes in an organism’s habitat can be beneficial or harmful. Students will also have the opportunity to act out the water cycle through dramatic interpretation and explore interrelationships within food chains by creating an interactive web of life. The program is aligned with standards LS10a–b, and LS7a–d, and ES5a–d.
Students will explore animal and plant adaptations through wetland investigations. Stations will focus on how wetland plants are adapted to their watery environment, beaver bioengineering, microscopic wetland organisms, pollution, and the wetland web of life. Students will use scientific equipment, create nature sketches, participate in ecological games, and build beaver dams. The program is aligned with standards LS4aa–e, LS6, and LS8a–c.
Students will journey along the forest food chain, from primary producer to decomposer. In a dramatic “Be the Tree” activity, students will learn how plants harness solar energy to make food. They’ll study the process of decomposition in a fallen tree investigation; act out the balance between herbivores, omnivores, and carnivores in an ecological game; and gain an appreciation for the fragility of the chain by building a model web of life . The program is aligned with standards LS1b and e, LS2b–f, and LS3a–d.
Advanced Biome Investigations
High School and College Classes
Data Collection and Sampling
High school and college groups may use the Arboretum’s natural resources for real-world application of lessons and techniques learned and practiced in the classroom. In these teacher-led field experiences, students may:
• Conduct and analyze an ecological survey
• Study an Arboretum habitat
• Sample populations of aquatic invertebrates, water quality, and plant communities
• Observe and document species interactions
• Collect, organize, interpret, calculate, and communicate data
Permission is required prior to any collecting or sampling, and the Arboretum staff asks that students share their findings.
Service Learning Opportunities
The Arboretum offers various opportunities for high school students for service learning and service projects. Contact Ginna Tiernan at gtiernan@adkinsarboretum.org or 410-634-2847, ext. 24 for additional information.
