Field Study Trip Training (FST) Workshops
Wildflower Center staff developed the Exploring the Native Plant World curriculum for grades Pre-K through Sixth, integrating sciences and the liberal arts. This curriculum builds on students' knowledge as they progress through the elementary grades. It addresses different learning styles, is grade specific, and can be used during any season. The intent of Exploring the Native Plant World is to provide teachers with the tools to teach basic botanical and ecological concepts, introduce students to the beauty and value of native flora, and give students the skills they need to become good stewards of the Earth. Exploring the Native Plant World was designed using the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) as a framework and is linked to the National Benchmarks for Science Literacy.
Field Study TripsA curriculum-trained teacher may bring up to 30 students on a Field Study Trip (FST) to the Wildflower Center at reduced admission rates. Trained teachers have access to curriculum backpacks with field activity materials during your FST visit. A minimum of one FST trained teacher is required per 30 students, and a maximum of 60 students is allowed per trip. Click here to request an FST Tour at the Wildflower Center.
For information about our educator programs, please contact Laurel Treviño at 512.232.0128.
Our Curriculum at a glance:
PreK - K: Patterns and Shapes in the Native Plant World
Pass around a drawstring bag with a secret shape inside, go on a scavenger hunt to find shapes in the natural world, design flowers using geometric shapes, make a nature map, create a repeating timeline and compare fruit and seed patterns.
- Patterns and shapes in flowers
- Patterns in a plant's life
- Patterns in nature
- Patterns in fruit
- Patterns in where plants grow
Grades 1- 2: Changes in the Native Plant World
Conduct a class full of flowers swaying to Vivaldi's Spring, peek between paper petals, watch a cavern form in minutes, play the Bluebonnet Game and discover the part luck plays in growing flowers.
- Plants change during life cycles and seasons
- Plant parts have different jobs
- Growing things have needs
- The Earth is changing and so are we
Grades 3 - 4: Survival in the Native Plant World
Students "become" chloroplasts constructing food chains from available ingredients, research what's up between native plants and their good buddies, make connections between a novel read in class and native flowers, learn about different ways flowers are pollinated and discover the unique ways seeds are dispersed.
- Plants make their own food to survive
- Plants have relationships with other plants and animals
- Plant reproduction is necessary for future survival
- Plants use different means of protection
- Plant survival is affected by changes in the environment
Grades 5 - 6: Adaptations in the Native Plant World
Create a complete water cycle inside the classroom, research plant community stages, learn botany by compass, map plant habitats along the Wildflower Center's nature trails and compare plant coping methods in harsh environments.
- Flowering plants evolve to fit their environment
- Plant species must cope in harsh environments
- Plant communities thrive in stages
- The water cycle and climate both affect plant communities
- Human communities affect plant communities