Grade-Level Programs
Shangri La offers engaging, interactive learning programs for Pre-K through 8th grade students. Whether they are exploring the swamp or digging in the dirt, students will learn valuable lessons that will continue to assist them once they return to the classroom.
Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center Schedule of Classes 2008-2009
Welcome to the Swamp
Grade Level: Pre-K
Offered in September, October, April, May
This 1-hour lesson encourages students to use all five senses to experience Shangri La's cypress/tupelo swamp. During their visit, students will take a short boat ride to one of the Outpost Pavilions.
Habitat Hop
Grade Levels: K, 1, 2
Offered in September, October
During this 2-hour lesson, students will take a boat ride to one of Shangri La's Outpost Pavilions where they will explore the three main components of a habitat: food, water, and shelter. As students venture from swamp to forest to meadow, they will meet some of the plants and discover some of the animals in these three different habitats.
Busy Bees
Grade Levels: K, 1, 2, 3
Offered in September, October
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 in pots, transplanting seedlings into the children’s garden, and sampling the fruits of the pollinators’ labor. Yum!
Birds, Birds, Birds
Grade Levels: 2, 3, 4
Offered in May
Students become “eco-tourists” during this 3-hour lesson where they learn about their feathered friends. They will observe birds nesting in the heronry, and will get to meet the resident owl, Maxine. Shangri La will focus on adaptations that allow birds to thrive in their preferred ecological habitat. A boat ride along Adam’s Bayou will let students observe some of the birds foraging for food!
How Does Your Garden Grow?
Grade Levels: 3, 4, 5
Offered in April
Games, stories, and hands-on techniques will teach students about the nutrient cycle, producers, consumers, decomposers, and a garden food web in this 3-hour lesson. Students may get a little dirty in the greenhouse and children’s garden as they plant seeds and transplant seedlings, and they will explore the formal gardens looking for worms, insects, and other exciting garden inhabitants.
What is a Watershed?
Grade Levels: 4, 5, 6
Offered in October, November
In this 4-hour lesson, educators will use games, stories, and lots of hands-on exploration to teach students about the local watershed and its inhabitants. The lesson will start with a review of the water cycle, and then students will map the watershed and even build their own! Students will get a little wet as they test the water for dissolved oxygen, temperature, pH, salinity, and more. Students will cast a net and set traps to capture some of the critters that live right under our noses. The lesson concludes with a discussion on the importance of conserving our water resources. A boat ride to one of Shangri La’s Outpost Pavilions is a bonus! Students should bring a sack lunch — there will be a lunch break during this lesson.
Climate and Geology
Grade Levels: 5, 6, 7
Offered in February, March
Students will delve into the world of weather, climate, and geology during this 4-hour lesson. Students will use weather instruments to predict the weather and will discover issues related to global warming through games and experiments. The rock cycle and soil formation will be discussed and demonstrated through games. At the end of the day, students will synthesize information with a study of how these three important a-biotic factors affect the biotic organisms found in different ecosystems. Students should bring a sack lunch — there will be a lunch break during this lesson.
Forest Ecology
Grade Levels: 6, 7
Offered in October, November, December
During this 4-hour lesson, students take a boat ride to one of Shangri La’s Outpost Pavilions where they will use hands-on techniques, games, stories, riddles, and scientific inquiry to learn about forest ecology. They will start with a review of abiotic, biotic, cycles, and change. Then, students will learn about the carbon cycle and the components of a forest community, including producers, consumers, and decomposers. Finally, students will define succession and conduct an experiment to determine the stage(s) of succession currently demonstrated in the forest at Shangri La. Students should bring a sack lunch - there will be a lunch break during this lesson.
Be Kind to Your World
Grade Level: 8
Offered in January, February
This 4-hour capstone lesson is designed to show students that their day-to-day choices affect the world around them. Games, stories, experiments, and a scavenger hunt are used to help students evaluate their current way of life, determine their ecological footprint, and learn how they can live a more sustainable lifestyle. A creative, artistic project allows students to synthesize their observations from the day. The day concludes with a few wise words from Dr. Seuss. Students should bring a sack lunch — there will be a lunch break during this lesson.