Naturalist Guided Programs

This 1-hour lesson encourages students to use all five senses to experience our Children’s Garden. During their visit, students will plant a seed to take home with them, help us water our garden, and explore the wonderful plants growing there.

 

During this 2-hour lesson, students will take a boat ride to one of our Outpost Pavilions where they will explore the four main components of a habitat: food, water, shelter, space. As we venture from swamp, to forest, to meadow, they will meet some of the plants and discover some of the animals in these different habitats.

 

TEKS in this lesson:

K: Eng 16, 19, 21-23; Sci 1-6; SocSt 5; Arts 1

1^st: Eng 27-29; Sci 1-2, 4, 6, 8; SocSt 4, 6; Arts 1

2^nd: Eng 28-30; Sci 1-2, 4-5; 8-9; Arts 1

 

Students will experience the Shangri La Children’s Garden, the Classroom Greenhouse, and the formal Botanical Gardens in this 2-hour lesson. Students may get a little dirty as they learn about the relationship between plants and pollinators. Activities include planting seeds, transplanting seedlings into the Children’s Garden, and sampling the fruits of the pollinators’ labors. Yum!

 

 

TEKS in this lesson: 

K: Eng 16, 19, 21-23; Sci 1-2, 4-6, 9; Arts 1-2

1^st: Eng 27-29; Sci 1, 4-6, 8-9; Arts 1-2

2^nd: Eng 28-30; Sci 1-2, 4-5, 8-9; Arts 1-2

3^rd: Eng 29-31; Sci 1, 4-5, 9; Arts 1-2

 

Pre-Visit Activity (coming soon)

Post-Visit Activity (coming soon)

Students will experience the Shangri La Children’s Garden, the Classroom Green House, and the Nature Discovery Center as they learn about seeds and where they come from. This 2-hour lesson includes planting seeds in pots, dissecting a seed, a seed scavenger hunt, and a seed sorting activity!

 

TEKS in this lesson:

2^nd: Eng 1, 28-30; Sci 1-6, 9

3^rd: Eng 1, 29-31, Sci 1-2, 3, 8-9

4^th: Eng 1, 27-29; Sci 1, 5 8

 

Students become “eco-tourists” during this 3-hour lesson as they learn about our feathered friends. They will observe birds nesting in our heronry. We will focus on adaptations that allow birds to thrive in their ecological niches. A boat ride along Adams Bayou will let students observe some of our birds foraging for food!

 

TEKS in this lesson:

2^nd: Eng 1-2, 28-30; Sci 1-2, 4-6, 9 Arts 1

3^rd: Eng 1, 29-31; Sci 1-2, 4, 8-9

4^th: Eng 1-2, 27-29; Sci 1, 3, 5, 8

 

Games, stories, and hands-on techniques will teach students about the nutrient cycle (“newts”), producers, consumers, decomposers, and a garden food web in this 3-hour lesson. Students may get a little dirty in the Children’s Garden as they plant seeds and transplant seedlings. They will explore the formal gardens looking for worms, insects, and other garden inhabitants. 

 

 ! Bees really like our Gardens! Please take this into consideration if any of your students are allergic. Make sure they have their Epi-pen with them at all times.

 

TEKS in this lesson:

3^rd: Eng 29-31; Sci 1-3, 5, 8-9

4^th: Eng 27-29; Sci 1-3, 5

5^th: Eng 27-29; Sci 1-3, 5-6

 

Pre-Visit Activity (coming soon)

Post-Visit Activity (coming soon)

 
In this 3 hour lesson, students will discover that humans cannot live without bugs!  Students will explore a meadow and wetland, and collect insects in each habitat.  They will conduct a bee study, taste some honey, and release beneficial insects in our Children's Garden.  Students will discuss the pros and cons of camouflage coloration, and play a game to demonstrate insects in a food web.  This lesson does not include a boat trip. 

! Bees really like our Gardens! Please take this into consideration if any of your students are allergic. Make sure they have their Epi-pen with them at all times.

  

TEKS in this lesson: 

4^th:  Sci 3, 4, 5, 8

5^th:  Sci 5, 6, 9, 10

6^th:  Sci 3, 10, 12

 

In this 4½-hour lesson we will use games and hands-on exploration to teach students about our local watershed. We will review the water cycle, then we will map our watershed and even build our own! Students will board a boat for a ride to one of our Outpost Pavilions, where they will test the water for dissolved oxygen, pH, salinity, and more. Students should bring a sack lunch; we will stop for a ½ lunch break during this lesson.

 

TEKS in this lesson:

4^th: Eng 27-29; Math 2, 12, Sci 1-4

5^th: Eng 27-29; Math 2, 11, 13, Sci 1-6

6^th: Eng 26-28; Math 2, 8, 11; Sci 1-5, 12, 14

 

Weather, climate, and geology will be explored during this 4½-hour lesson. Students will use weather instruments to predict the weather, and we will discuss climate change through games and experiments. The rock cycle and soil formation will be discussed and demonstrated. At the end of the day, students will synthesize information with a study of how these three abiotic factors affect the biotic organisms found in different ecosystems. Students should bring a sack lunch; we will stop for a ½ hours lunch break during this lesson. 

 

TEKS in this lesson:

5^th: Eng 27-29; Sci 1-6, 11-12

6^th: Eng 26-28; Sci 1-5, 14

7^th: Eng 26-28; Sci 1-4, 12, 14

 

During this 4½-hour lesson, students take a boat ride to one of our Outpost Pavilions where they will use hands-on activities, games, and science inquiry to learn about forest ecology. We start with a review of abiotic, biotic, cycles, and change. Then students learn about the carbon cycle and the major components of a forest community. The students will define succession, and conduct an experiment to determine the stage(s) of succession currently demonstrated in our forest at Shangri La. Students should bring a sack lunch; we will stop for a ½ hour lunch break during this lesson.

 

TEKS in this lesson:

6^th: Eng 26-28; Math 10, 12; Sci 1-5, 14

7^th: Eng 26-28; Math 11, 14; Sci 1-4, 12, 14

8^th: Eng 26-28; Math 4, 12; Sci 1-3, 6, 12, 14

 

This 4½-hour lesson will teach the students about different types of energy and the 10 primary sources of energy. The students will be challenged to design a self-sustaining home. Students should bring a sack lunch; we will stop for a ½ hour lunch break during this lesson.

 

TEKS in this lesson: 

7^th: Eng 26-28; Math 1, 3, 8, 13; Sci 1-3, 6, 8, 14

8^th: Eng 26-28; Math 1, 7, 14; Sci 1-3, 5, 7, 10, 14