STEM Field Trip and Curriculum for Grades 7-12
The Field Trip
The Green Learning Station at the Civic Garden Center is home to a hands-on field trip for secondary students to learn about green solutions to common urban environmental issues. Trained guides will lead small groups of students through the site, facilitating discussion and experiments and sharing information at four stations:
- Don't Throw the Nutrients Out with the Trash
- Growing Food in the City
- Leaky Pavement
- Rooftop Gardens
At each station students work together to solve a problem, which helps them engage with and build understanding of science and sustainability concepts. Students record their thoughts and activities in field books so they can take their experiences back to the classroom. In the course of the field trip, students will:
- look up close at the decomposition cycle,
- plant seeds in compost to take home,
- design and conduct experiments with different types of green roofs and pervious pavements,
- discover and taste different edible plant parts
- search for and sketch the stages of a plant's life cycle.
Plan to be on site for 3.5 hours, including time for a bag lunch.
Students Take Action
Back in school, your students will choose a topic of focus: stormwater, food systems or waste. The primary focus of the curriculum is to engage students in a real world project that will improve the school's sustainability. Students will conduct research, develop a plan, advocate and take action. Action projects might include:
- Conduct a rainwater runoff audit of the school grounds; develop a plan to decrease runoff to the combined sewer system; build a rain garden.
- Evaluate the origin, packaging and processing of food served at school; talk to local farmers; plan and build a school vegetable garden.
- Measure and classify the schools waste stream to figure out how much more could be diverted from the landfill; initiate or improve composting or recycling programs at school.
Where do I sign up?
The Green Learning Station field trip is designed for groups of up to 32 students and 4 chaperones, so you may need to schedule multiple trips. There is no charge, and we may be able to help fund your transportation... just ask. Trips can be scheduled any week day from March through October, starting in August 2011. Contact Ryan Mooney-Bullock to find out more, schedule a field trip or sign up for an orientation session.
Field trip scheduling form