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Green Spring Gardens, Field Trip Programs

Experience the unusual in one of the most beautiful public gardens in the region. Our programs deliver quality instruction with interactive learning that’s fun for all ages. To register your group,  please call the Children's Program Coordinator at 703-642-5173.

Register September 4, 2012 for Fall 2012 and Winter & Spring 2013.

FALL 2012 PROGRAMS

All programs: 10am-12noon; Tuesdays-Fridays; $7 Fairfax County, $8 Out-of-County; fee applies to students and chaperones, and may be subsidized by 50% for Title I schools; fee includes snack and teacher resource packet. Dress for the weather; bring lunch and enjoy a picnic at the park after the program.
Register September 4, 2012

Preschool-K: Green and Growing Garden
March, April, and May
Explore the world of the garden. Learn about the life cycle of plants, investigate soil and earthworms in our lab, then visit our vegetable garden for a close look at how veggies grow.  Dig in the dirt, plant some seeds for Green Spring, and take some home. (SOL: K.6, K.10, Oral Language: K.1, K.2)

Grade 1: Bees, Bugs, & Big Trees
October, November, April, May, and June
Share an American Indian tale of creation in our story circle. Explore pollination in our apple orchard, decomposition at our compost bins, and tree identification on our self-guided, woodland trail hike. (SOL: Science 1.4, 1.7, 1.8)

Grades 2 & 3: Metamorphosis & More
February, March, April, and May
Wander our watershed and learn the life cycle of the frog. Follow the incredible journey of the tiny monarch caterpillar through metamorphosis and migration. Peer through magnifiers to examine the cycle of seed to flower to fruit in our botany lab. (SOL: Science 2.4, 2.5, 3.4, 3.6)

Grade 3: Predator & Prey
December, January, and February
Producer or consumer, carnivore, or herbivore—which are you? Discover how animals adapt when survival’s the name of the game. Watch wildlife outside with binoculars. Play a food chain game and get the scoop on decomposers in our soil lab. (SOL: Science 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 3.10)

Grade 3: Soil Secrets
November, December, January, February, and March
Explore the secrets of soil, from erosion to weathering, from bedrock to topsoil. Get the scoop on clay, silt, sand, and humus in our soil lab. Tour the park to see how water and weather shape the land and learn how you can conserve this essential resource. (SOL: Science 3.7, 3.9; VS.2)

Grade 4: Peanuts, Popcorn, & Pipe Tobacco — Plants That Changed Virginia’s History
October and November
Discover these important colonial cash crops — peanuts, tobacco, and corn — in our gardens and at the Historic House. Learn their history, botany, and uses. (SOL: Science 4.4, 4.8; History and Social Studies 4.2, 4.3; VS.2, VS.3, VS.4)

Grade 5: Geo Trek
November, December, and January
Journey to the core of the earth and back, from rocks, quakes, and volcanoes to plate tectonics. Tour the park to see how nature and humans have altered our landscape, and how archeology unearths our past. (SOL: Science 5.1, 5.6, 5.7; VS.2)