Field Trip workshops are 45- to 60-minute investigations of NGSS-related phenomena. These are available at 10 or 11:30 a.m. (maximum four simultaneous programs per time slot). Workshops include an indoor lunch space for your group after the workshop. 

Field Trip workshops must be booked a minimum of three weeks in advance; full payment is due at time of scheduling. Select a workshop topic at checkout. Please call our field trip registrar if you have any registration questions: (847) 835-6801

Maximum class size per program: 25 students, 5 adults

Before or after your workshop, explore the rest of the Garden with your class. Small, chaperoned groups may visit the Model Railroad Garden (early May – early October) and Butterflies & Blooms (Memorial Day weekend – Labor Day weekend) free of charge. Note: Exhibition entry is first-come, first-served and based on availability. Only small, chaperoned groups will be admitted at a time and entry ticket must be shown at the ticket booth. On busy days, expect there to be a wait. Exhibitions are open daily, weather permitting.

Grades preK – 12  
Learning Center

Discovering Plants
Grades preK
30 – 40 minutes
How do the parts of a plant help it get the things it needs to grow? Transplant a flowering plant and get ready to take care of it at home.
IELDS: Science Learning Standards 12.A and 12.B
NGSS: K-LS1-1, K-ESS3-1

Wonders of Worms
Grades K – 1
What do you mean worms don’t eat dirt? Investigate worms’ structures to understand their needs, hypothesize about their habitat, and learn some surprising facts about these marvelous organisms.
NGSS: K-LS1-1, K-ESS3-1, 1-LS1-1

Flower Lab
Grades 2 – 3 
What is the reason for a flower, and how does it do its job? Become scientists through a guided dissection of a real flower to look for patterns in form and function to hypothesize about how pollination works. 
NGSS: 2-LS2-2; 3-LS1-1; 4-LS1-1

Tropical Plant Paradise
Grades 3 – 5
What makes tropical plants suited to their environment? Observe the characteristics of plants that grow in the tropics and explain how these adaptations help them survive in warm, humid conditions.
NGSS: 4-LS1-1, 5-LS1-1, 5-LS2-2

Pond Life Investigation
April 29 – May 31 only 
Grades 3 – 5, 6 – 12 
What lives in a pond ecosystem? Find and identify organisms found in the Garden’s lakes and assess the water quality by measuring the biodiversity of organisms. Learn how certain species are indicators of heathy water. 
NGSS: 3-LS4-3; 4-LS1-1, 5-LS2-1MS-LS2-4; HS-LS2-2; HS-LS2-6

Propagation Foundations
Grades 6 – 12 
How can plants grow without a seed? Investigate and experiment with different methods of plant propagation and discover how and why a plant has specialized structures to reproduce in different ways. 
NGSS: MS-LS1-4, MS-LS3-2, HS-LS1-4, HS-LS1-2