Outreach Programs

If you can’t make it to the Garden—we can come to you! The Missouri Botanical Garden offers numerous outreach programs that will engage your students at your location.

Jump to:

Early Childhood Outreach Programs
Sustainability Outreach Programs

In addition, we also offer a number of 3-part programs in which our instructors come to your school for the first and third sessions, with the second session being a field experience at the Garden. Topics range from plants to sustainability and grade levels range from Kindergarten to grade 12. Learn more about our 3-part programs.

 

Early Childhood Outreach Programs

Would you like a Garden program, but are unable to bring your young students to us? Then we can come to you! Your young students will learn through movement, activities and exploration of plants and the natural world. Programs are limited to 25 students per session.

Fees: $100 first session; $40 for additional sessions at the same location. Mileage is free for the first 20 miles from the Missouri Botanical Garden; thereafter there is a fee of $1 per mile.

Please call (314) 577-9473 x 6356 for additional information. To schedule, please call the number listed with each class.

Honeybees Abuzz
Grades PK–1

Call (314) 577-9473 x 6356 to register.
Bee pollinating flowerExplore the simple, natural process of pollination! Have you ever stopped and watched honeybees in action? Has it made you think about what the bees were doing and why? Read a vibrantly illustrated story, observe a honey hive found in an old log, become pollinating bees, dance like the bees and put your fun facts about bees into song. An informational booklet will go home with students so they can share what they learned with others at home!
A Garden Sensory Adventure
Grade PK

Call (314) 577-9473 x 6356 to register.
Boy using magnifying lens to view flowersExplore the five senses with the Missouri Botanical Garden! Using songs, literature, and plant smelling stations, your students will learn which part of the body is responsible for each sense and discover the wonderful world of plants. Each student will plant basil seeds and receive a special five senses journal to take home and share with their parents.

 
 

Sustainability Outreach Programs

Are you interested in having your students explore sustainability, but can’t make it to the Garden? Book one of our outreach programs, and have us bring activities to you! Students will not only deepen their understanding of the selected topic, but will enhance process skills important to both science and math.

Please call (314) 577-0281 for more information or to schedule a sustainability outreach program.

Topics include:

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Become a Sustainability Superhero

Energy Efficiency & Conservation
Air Quality

Or learn about bringing one of our longer-term sustainability programs to your school.

REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE
During the school year, we offer free recycling lessons to public and private schools and scout troops located in the City of St. Louis, St. Louis County, Jefferson County and St. Charles County, supported by a grant from the St. Louis-Jefferson Solid Waste Management District. Call (314) 577-0281 to schedule.
Trash Bag Relay
Grades K–12
Science, Communication Arts

   trashbagCombines waste awareness with decision-making skills. Student relay teams sort the contents of trash bags, deciding whether or not to Reuse, Recycle, Compost or Landfill. This activity is excellent for peer teaching in same grade or younger classes.
Decomposer Detectives
Grades 3–6
Science, Communication Arts

   Rotting apple with insectsDiscover the secrets and mysteries of organisms by digging through compost. Students will perform the skit “To Eat and Be Eaten,” use hand lenses to examine and identify decomposers and learn about natural cycles. Skit can also be used as a peer-teaching tool!
Making Recycled Paper
Grades 3–12
Science, Communication Arts

   Using blender to make paperExperience the process of making paper from recycled stock. Although students use blenders and industry uses gigantic “hydropulpers,” the process is the same. Use various colors and additives to alter the appearance and texture of paper.
* Participants must bring one section of newspaper for use in this activity.
Writing Recycled Poetry
Grades 3–12
Science, Communication Arts

   NewspapersThis lesson incorporates writing exercises and poetry analysis. Students collaboratively compose a poem about sustainability after exploring the tactile medium of recyclable newspapers.
* This lesson may require two class periods.
Paper Sleuths
Grades 4–8
Science, Communication Arts

   PaperWhat is paper made of? What happens to the paper we recycle? Students investigate the structure and properties of paper and make detailed observations and comparisons. We also discuss the role of recycled content and the efficient use of paper resources.
* School must provide one Brock microscope per four students.
Dollars and $ense
Grades 4–12
Communication Arts, Social Studies, Math

   MoneyCan recycling be beneficial to the economy as well as the environment? Playing a game, students experience the relationships between raw materials, producers, consumers and the market economy. Learn how two local companies profit from using 100% recycled material!
* This lesson requires a minimum of 60 minutes.
Energy Chain
Grades 4–12
Science, Social Studies, Communication Arts

   Plastic bottleAn interactive, energizing role-playing activity looking at the natural, capital, and human resources needed to make a plastic bottle or aluminum can. This activity demonstrates the difference between linear and cyclical systems and distinguishes between renewable and non-renewable resources.
* This lesson requires a minimum of 60 minutes.
Garbology 101
Grades 4–12
Science, Social Studies, Communication Arts

   GarbageWonder where trash goes when it leaves your home or school? This tabletop model allows students to observe the workings of a modern landfill. Explore the roles of society, economics and science in solid waste disposal. Includes a video visit to a landfill with Dr. William Rathje, world famous “Garbologist.”
* Note: This presentation requires presentation be done by LEAP staff due to the cost of the model.
Trash Math
Grades 4–12
Communication Arts, Math, Social Studies, Science

   Trash canWhat comprises our waste stream? Working in small groups, participants sort the contents of a miniature trashcan, create a 3-D pie chart and identify strategies to reduce waste. This lesson is modeled on the Missouri Solid Waste Composition Study. Dichotomous key or math activity available for older grades.
* This lesson requires a 90 minute time frame.
Fifty Words or Less
Grades 4–12
Communication Arts, Science

   Money and calculatorStudents are introduced to the concept of “budgeting” our natural resources through a writing exercise in which they will create a story using fifty words or less. A guided discussion further probes into the link between sustainability and sharing.
A Closer Look
Grades 4–12
Communication Arts, Social Studies, Science

   Recycle binStudents participate in an in-depth investigation of the properties of recyclable materials. Using an acrostic developed by “Keep America Beautiful,” students will learn to re-think our resources. Then, while creatively challenged to invent new ways to reuse a discarded object, students will begin the artistic process of “up-cycling.”
HH or Safe? Household Hazardous Alternatives
Grades 6–12
Communication Arts, Social Studies, Science

   Household cleanser in a spray bottleAn introduction to hazardous materials commonly used in the home, including legal definitions of substances and a label-reading exercise. Students test household cleaning products, comparing “hazardous products” with safer alternatives. Discussion includes purchasing, handling and product disposal.

 

BECOME A SUSTAINABILITY SUPERHERO
The Sustainability Game
Grades 3–12
45 minutes
Water going down drainSustainability means meeting the needs of the current generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. This lesson provides a great introduction to the overarching principles of sustainability, as students investigate the human, environmental, and economic impact of resources use. Students play a game to exemplify different methods for obtaining and utilizing resources. As a class, students generate a plan for wise resource use. Older students further their learning as they explore the “Tragedy of the Commons”.
Sustainability Superheroes: Designing a Service Learning Project
Grades 3–12
Time varies based on class need
Painting of hands cradling EarthWork with EarthWays Center educators to identify authentic community-based venues for your students to demonstrate their understanding of sustainability concepts. Students become community leaders as they take messages for incorporating sustainable living practices into everyday life.

 

ENERGY EFFICIENCY & CONSERVATION
Energy Sources
Grades 3–12
1 hour		   Plug and cordStudents become familiar with what an energy source is, why it is important, and how it differs from a form of energy. The class will become familiar with the common energy sources that humans rely on. Students conduct research about these energy sources so that they may assess the benefits and drawbacks of each source, as well as distinguish between renewable and non-renewable sources.
Coal Chain
Grades 3–12
45 minutes		   CoalStudents learn about the steps involved in generating electrical energy from the primary source that powers our lives. The group works collaboratively to put the steps in the right sequence so that they can power a light bulb, computer, stereo or any number of other electrical appliances that we depend on every day. Students then work together to put sound and movement to the chain of events to create a theatrical production that illustrates this process. This is a great activity for both younger and older students, with many peer-teaching opportunities to take back to school.
Energy Forms & the First Law of Thermodynamics
Grades 6–8
1 hour		   Roller coasterA great way to jumpstart a study of energy! Students analyze examples of energy and categorize them as either kinetic or potential. Students then review the six forms of energy and identify examples of how these forms exist in the world. They explore the First Law of Thermodynamics: Energy is not created or destroyed, but transformed, as they look at real world energy transformations. Students work collaboratively to trace the changes from one form to another.
Designing Solar Collectors
Grades 6–12
1½ hour		   Solar OvenThis lesson deepens students understanding of how solar energy can be harnessed for human use. Students will explore various designs and functioning of solar ovens and water heaters. They will then use this information to inform the construction of their own solar collector. Later on, students can conduct an experiment to test the efficacy of their design. As a class, students compare and contrast designs to assess what features are most successful in utilizing solar energy.

 

AIR QUALITY
In the Air
Grades 3–5
1 hour
   St. Louis Arch obscured by hazeStudents will read part of a fictional story where a group of students explore the sources of pollution within their community and learn what choices people make to protect air. Teachers will also choose which connecting activities we will cover during the visit, including: a mapping activity demonstrating the affect of wind on the transport of air pollutants; a health activity where students make observations to determine that pollution may not always be easy to detect; and/or a social studies component focusing on historical air pollution events in St. Louis.
In the Air
Grades 6–8
1 hour
   Wind blowing smoke from smokestackStudents will play a group game demonstrating the impact of individual decisions on air quality. Teachers will also choose which connecting activities we will cover during the visit, including: a mapping activity demonstrating the affect of wind on the transport of air pollutants; a look at hazardous materials commonly used in the home, including testing and comparing non-hazardous and hazardous household cleaning products; and an activity that mimics pollutants in the environment requiring the students to identify and determine the possible dispersal of air pollutants.
In the Air
Grades 9–12
1 hour
   SmokestackStudents will take a social science approach and investigate a continuum of common beliefs about the seriousness of airborne toxics—from minor problems to critical issues. Teachers will also choose which connecting activities we will cover during the visit. All of the 9–12 connecting activities cover a different point in the continuum, including: The magnitude of airborne toxics problems is greatly overstated; why worry? What you don’t know won’t hurt you; Airborne toxics are a nuisance but they only affect a few; Airborne toxics are a serious problem but I’m not responsible; and Airborne toxics are a critical problem but the effects may be remediable.

 

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