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Guided Programs - All Ages and Grades

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

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

Haiku Trail into the Gardens (recommended for 3rd – 8th grades; meets standards 3.c.1, 6.85): Inspired by the path of the famous Japanese poet-wanderer Basho, we discover the secrets of haiku while journeying through the garden.

Math in the Gardens: Measure, multiply or map your way through the garden. Learn about the different kinds of math that garden staff members use every day and solve your own garden math problem. Program content will be adjusted to match appropriate grade level standards.

Guided Programs - PreK - K

Sense-ational Stroll: Engage all of your senses as you touch, smell, hear, taste and see your way through the garden on this guided walk.

Farm and Folk Tales: Learn about fruits, vegetables and animals in the garden through stories and exploration.

Birds and Butterflies: Look up to discover the amazing world of winged wildlife in the garden. Through song and movement, learn how birds and butterflies are born.

Dirt and Worms: Take a close look at life underground and learn how wiggling worms help the garden grow. What is a worm’s life cycle? How do they move? What do they eat? You'll learn this and more.

Knock, Knock. Who’s There?: Tiptoe through the garden to find signs of animals at home. Learn who lives in the ground and who lives in a tree.

Guided Programs - First

Habitat Hunters (meets standards 1.L.1, 1.L.2): What do plants and animals need to survive? Go on a scavenger hunt to find animal homes in the Gardens. Find resources and learn how living things get what they need.

Guided Programs - Second

Bug’s Life (meets standard 2.L.1.2): What is an insect? Where do they live? Students will learn about and compare the life cycles of garden insects by studying them in their natural habitat.

Double Exposure: Connecting Science and Art at Duke Gardens and the Nasher Museum: Students will sharpen observational skills, practice collecting data, discover connections between science and art, and engage in hands-on discovery as they visit both Duke Gardens and Nasher Museum in a single day. This program includes 80 minutes of guided tours at each venue with a 50-minute lunch break. Students/schools bring their own lunch. Free for DPS second-grade students; for all other groups, standard fee applies. To register, please go to http://nasher.duke.edu/k-12/#k-12-tours or contact the Nasher’s education office at 919-684-1169.

Please go to Nasher’s Double Exposure website to register for Double Exposure. Duke Gardens does not process registrations for the Double Exposure program.

Thank you!

Guided Programs - Third

Plant Power (meets standard 3.L.2): Take a trip through the life cycle of a plant and learn the different plant structures and how they work to help the plant grow and thrive.

Soil City (meets standard 3.L.2.4): Explore the world of ants, earthworms, pillbugs and other soil dwellers. Students examine basic soil properties throughout the garden and discover how soil supports the growth and survival of living things.

Guided Programs - Fourth

Native Tales (meets standard 4.H.1.1): Plants have stories to tell. The Blomquist Garden of Native Plants serves as our classroom as students discover native N.C. plants and their uses.

Amazing Adaptations (meets standard 4.L.1.2): What do desert succulents, tropical water lilies and our local squirrels have in common? Take a walk and see how plants and animals survive using amazing adaptations to their environments.

Guided Programs - Fifth

Garden Food Web (meets standard 5.L.2): Plants, animals and decomposers in the Gardens are connected in a web of life. Students will create a habitate web and learn the importance of all the community's connections.

Beyond the Pond (meets standard 5.L.2.1, 6.L.2.1, 8.E.1.3): Students will examine a pond ecosystem and learn the infinite connections between the plants and animals, and how human activities affect the pond. Includes hands-on exploration of pond life. Limited to 20 students.

Tree Detectives (recommended for 4th and 5th grades; meets standards EX.4.L.1 and EX.5.L.2): Working in a variety of ecosystems, students identify clues and discover the special qualities and adaptations of different trees.

Guided Programs - Middle School

The Forest and the Farm: Learn about the diverse ways humans have used plants and animals for food throughout history. Visit the Blomquist Garden of Native Plants to discover the complex communities of the southeastern U.S. and the Charlotte Brody Discovery Garden to learn about domesticated fruits and vegetables.

Beyond the Pond (meets standard 5.L.2.1, 6.L.2.1, 8.E.1.3): Students will examine a pond ecosystem and learn the infinite connections between the plants and animals, and how human activities affect the pond. Includes hands-on exploration of pond life. Limited to 20 students.

Go With the Flow (meets standards 8.E.1.1, 8.E.1.3, 8.E.1.4): Follow the flow of water through Duke Gardens to explore the hydrologic cycle. Observe water management infrastructure, perform hands-on experiments to determine properties of this urban watershed, and map your data.

Guided Programs - High School

The Forest and the Farm: Learn about the diverse ways humans have used plants and animals for food throughout history. Visit the Blomquist Garden of Native Plants to discover the complex communities of the southeastern U.S. and the Charlotte Brody Discovery Garden to learn about domesticated fruits and vegetables.

Beyond the Pond: Students will examine a pond ecosystem and learn the infinite connections between the plants and animals, and how human activities affect the pond. Includes hands-on exploration of pond life. Limited to 20 students.

Go With the Flow: Follow the flow of water through Duke Gardens to explore the hydrologic cycle. Observe water management infrastructure, perform hands-on experiments to determine properties of this urban watershed, and map your data.

See our parking page for new information on required use of PayByPhone for parking payment.

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