School Programs

Your class or grade level is welcome to visit the Children's Garden and Conservation Station on your own for picnics, play dates, and self-guided field trips at no cost. Please check our schedule before planning your gathering by alling Tim Nafziger at (803) 459-3212 or e-mailing carolinachildrensgarden@gmail.com. If the desired date and time is not already booked, we will add you to the schedule to avoid overcrowding in the Garden.

Education programs are available to classes and school groups upon request. After reading the following guidelines, schedule your group program with Tim Nafziger at (803) 459-3212 or carolinachildrensgarden@gmail.com. Programs must be scheduled at least two weeks in advance. "A limited number of traveling programs to sites within Richland County are available." 

You will need to provide the following information:


School name

Grade level(s)

Number of classes and number of children in each class*

Desired dates/times

Desired lesson (listed below)

Cost: $2 per student per visit for most programs. (Extended or special programs may require additional fees.) Teachers and chaperones free. Pay by cash (preferably) or check made payable to Richland Master Gardeners (for Carolina Children's Garden programs) or Richland Conservation District (for Conservation Station programs). Contact Tim Nafziger at (803) 459-3212 or carolinachildrensgarden@gmail.com for more details.

Number of Students: Due to staffing constraints, we are currently able to offer programs to only two classes (approx. 40 students) at any one time. If teachers or chaperones from your school are willing to engage additional classes in other activities while two classes participate in programs or receive instruction from our staff members and volunteers, we are willing to allow larger groups to visit. If interested, teachers may receive training in Conservation Station programs at a cost of $2 per teacher per station (minimum of 5 teachers) and become certified to present the programs to students themselves. Contact Tim Nafziger at (803) 459-3212 or carolinachildrensgarden@gmail.com for more details.

Homeschool Group: These classes are available to homeschool groups with a minimum of 10 students within one grade of the listed grade. For example: a lesson listed for 3rd grade can have 2nd through 4th grade students.

Duration: School programs last 75-90 minutes with 30 minutes for lunch in between classes. Classes begin at 9:30 and end by 1:00. In planning your field trip schedule, plan to arrive 15 minutes early to allow time to load and unload buses and use the restrooms (two port-a-johns) if necessary.

Other: Be sure you have read the specific directions to the Children's Garden as first-time visitors often have difficulty finding us. If possible, please visit the Children's Garden and Conservation Station beforehand so you will know what to expect when you arrive. The Children's Garden and adjacent Conservation Station are entirely out-of-doors. Two port-a-johns are present on site; there is no potable water (be sure to bring your own!). Hand sanitizer is recommended. Picnic tables, benches, and trash cans are plentiful.

Topics:

Conservation Station

• Geology – (3rd grade, 90 minutes) What are rocks and how do they affect us? In this class students will act as geologists as they study the structure and development of rocks. Then they will examine the different soil types and will analyze the soil in the Children’s Garden. We will then experiment with some soil conservation practices. Covers SC Science Standards 3-3.1, 3-3.2.
  

• Sandhills Ecology – (5th grade, 90 minutes) Students in this course will act as Ecologists as they conduct field investigations and explore the natural sandhills ecosystem at the Clemson Sandhill Research Center. Students will go on a hike to observe the different aspects of the ecosystem. The focus will be on the interactions between the biotic and abiotic parts of the ecosystem. They will identify populations, roles of organisms, limiting factors, and take measurements of abiotic factors. Later the students will test their observation skills by conducting a detailed survey of one square meter of the forest. Covers SC Science Standards 5-2.2 and 5-2.4.
  

• Owl Pellet Dissection – (5th grade, 90 minutes) Owl pellet dissection is a fun, hands-on way to study ecosystems. Dissecting owl pellets will reveal the organisms in the owl’s food web and will help explore these animals’ niches in the ecosystem. We will explore the secrets of the woods at night by examining the clues in the owl pellets. Students will keep their own dissected pellet for further investigations. Covers SC Science Standard 5-2, 5-2.4.
  

• Aquatic Ecology – (5th grade, 90 minutes) Students in this course will study macroinvertebrates in water and leaf litter samples from the pond. Students will use a picture key to identify macroinvertebrates found. By classifying the macroinvertebrates found as sensitive or tolerant to pollution, students will evaluate the water quality of the pond. Students will discuss sources of water pollution in a community, as well as consequences of pollution for the environment and people. Covers SC Science Standards 5-1.3, 5-2.4, 5-3.6.
  

Carolina Children's Garden

• Budding Botanists – (1st grade, 75 minutes) How do plants grow? Where do seeds come from? These questions will be investigated as we explore the basic structures and needs of plants. Students will identify the parts of a plant by constructing a giant flowering plant and then investigate' "Up close" a real flowering plant. A discovery walk in the Butterfly Garden will enable students to explore plants in their natural environment. Covers SC Science Standards 1-1.1, 1-2.1, 1-2.2, 1-2.4.
  

• Sensing Nature – (1st grade, 75 minutes) The seasons bring many changes to the natural world. Explore these changes in the spring and fall with this inquiry based nature hike visiting the Children’s Garden, pond, and forest. In this class, students will discover plants and animals using their senses of seeing, hearing, smelling, and touching objects from nature. Students will explore the outdoors using the eyes of a naturalist. Covers SC Science Standards 1-1.1, 1-2.1, 1-2.3.
  

• Sandhill Adaptations –(3rd grade, 90 minutes) Students will compare the plants and animals in three habitats; examining how the plants and animals are suited for their habitat. They will learn about the physical and behavioral adaptations through the life cycles of key plants and animals found in the sandhill region. Teams of junior naturalists will collect data on some plants or animals and then communicate it to the class. Covers SC Science Standards 3-2.1, 3-2.2, 3-2.3.
  

• Kindergarten Lessons - Kindergarten lessons can be offered but we like to plan them with the teachers. For more information contact the educator.