Field trip workshops are 45- to 60-minute investigations of NGSS-related phenomena. These are available at 10 a.m. (with a maximum of two 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, 8 adults
(1:5 ratio is preferred)
Grades preK – 12
Learning Center

Workshop Offerings:

Grades preK – K: Discovering Plants Grades
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. (30 – 40 minutes)
IELDS: Science Learning Standards 12.A and 12.B
NGSS: K-LS1-1, K-ESS3-1
 

Grades K – 1: Sneaky Plants
How and why do plants change the spaces they live in? We will show you places in the Garden where plants have affected their environment and challenge you to figure out why.
NGSS: K-ESS2-2, 1-LS1-1, 2-LS2-1
 

Grades 2 – 4: Flower Lab
What is the reason for a flower, and how does it do its job? Become scientists, doing a guided flower dissection on a real flower to look for patterns in form and function that reveal what the different parts do.
NGSS: 2-LS2-2; 3-LS1-1; 4-LS1-1
 

Grades 4 – 6: Carnivorous Plants
What's going on with these plants that eat bugs?! We grow carnivorous plants at the Garden: sundews, pitcher plants, and Venus fly traps. We will introduce you to them and guide you through an experiment understand what plants need to live and grow, and why these plants trap insects.
NGSS:  4-LS1-1; 5-LS2-1; MS-LS1-4
 

Grades 6 – 12: Hydroponics Challenge
Can you make a system to grow plants in water? Take a video tour of the Windy City Harvest’s aquaponics system, learn the basics of growing plants in water, and then work with a Garden educator to design a small hydroponics system in your classroom.
NGSS: MS-LS2-4; MS-ETS1-1, 2, 3; HS-ETS1-1,2,3