School Programs: 5th Grade

Beyond the Pond (meets standard 5.L.2.1): Explore a pond ecosystem and evaluate the water quality by surveying some of the pond’s smaller inhabitants. Learn about connections between plants and animals and how human activities affect aquatic life. Limited to 40 students.

Garden Food Web (meets standard 5.L.2). Producers, consumers and decomposers in the Gardens are connected in a web of life.  Observe ecosystems to learn the importance of interconnections in living communities. 

Tree Detectives: Learn the fundamentals of plant identification by examining detailed characteristics such as leaf arrangement and structure. Work in a scientific team to meet a tree, observe details and record your data.

Discovery Garden: Introduce students to agriculture and sustainable gardening.  What parts of plants do we eat?  What’s the difference between a fruit and vegetable?  See bee hives, chickens, an orchard, vegetables and fruits, a historic tobacco barn and more.

Math in the Gardens: Measure, multiply and map your way through the garden. Learn about the different kinds of math our garden staff use to create and maintain our beautiful garden, and solve your own garden math problems.  Program content is adjusted to match appropriate grade-level standards.

Garden Walk: Observe seasonal highlights on a guided walk that introduces students to the biodiversity of Duke Gardens.

Haiku Trail into the Gardens: Develop literacy skills and practice creative expression on a walk through the gardens. Learn about haiku structure and the poet Basho, then collect words that describe your sensory observations to assemble your own haiku.