Students explore seed germination, and what seedlings need to survive.

K-LS1-1: Plants need water and light to live and grow

Students use dissection to understand the reason for a flower. They then use a model to explore the relationship between plants and pollinators.

1-LS1-1. Use materials to design a solution to a human problem by mimicking how plants and/or animals use their external parts to help them survive, grow, and meet their needs.

2-LS2-2. Develop a simple model that mimics the function of an animal in dispersing seeds or pollinating plants.

Students explore how plants have adapted to survive the challenges in their environments.

3-LS3-2 - Use evidence to support the explanation that traits can be influenced by the environment.

4-LS1-1 - Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.

5-LS2-1 - Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment.

Students use microscopes and refractometers to understand how plants make their own food.

MS-LS1-6. Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for the role of photosynthesis in the cycling of matter and flow of energy into and out of organisms

Students use scientific tools to conduct an investigation of plant-based textiles. After learning about the resources required for the production of each, students make an argument for their relative sustainability.


HS-ESS3 Earth and Human Activity: The sustainability of human societies and the biodiversity that supports them requires responsible management of natural resources.

Students investigate the connection between the environmental challenges plants face and their adaptive traits. Students focus on constructing explanations for why plants have certain traits given the conditions of their growing environment. For example, why do bog-dwelling carnivorous plants trap insects? Let’s figure it out together!

NGSS: 3-LS3-2 - Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits: Use evidence to support the explanation that traits can be influenced by the environment.

Students construct arguments for how external structures help plants survive challenges in different environments. For example, how do the holes in the leaves of the swiss cheese plant help it survive in the rainforest? Let’s figure it out together!

NGSS: 4-LS1-1 - From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes: Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.

Students investigate how plants obtain necessary matter and energy in different challenging environments. For example, if cactus leaves are spines, where does photosynthesis take place in most cacti? Let’s figure it out together!

NGSS: 5-LS2-1 - Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics: Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment.

You are always welcome to bring your students to the Garden during open hours (10am -5pm daily). Self-Guided Explorations are teacher/chaperone directed, and not facilitated by USBG educators. When scheduling, please select your arrival time. If you have a large group of students (75+), we suggest booking multiple trips at staggered times to ensure smaller numbers and a richer experience.