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School Tours

kids on school tour

The Gardens on Spring Creek is a beautiful setting to dig into science education. We offer hands-on school programs for all grades that are unique, interactive and standards based. Each program brings a different lens to the beautiful landscapes and animals at The Gardens. Each tour has four stations and planting activities are included with each tour. 

Groups are welcome to stay and play or have lunch in the Children’s Garden after their tour. Groups are not permitted to enter the Butterfly House after their tour.

To schedule a tour or request kits, please contact GardensEducation@fcgov.com.

COVID-19: With 12 acres of outdoor gardens, we are a great location to learn about science safely this season. Our staff adapts all activities to allow for safe, hands-on engagement with the natural world. A few changes to our normal routine:

Explore the options below!

Spring 2023 SOLD OUT visit www.nocobeet.org for more great field trip providers.

Fall Registration is open. 

We are transitioning to a new scheduling process. If you are interested in scheduling a field trip please follow the steps below.

  1. Create a free Engage account or Login to your existing Engage account
  2. Complete the Fall Tour Season (August – October) request form
kids touring garden

Large school tours are available to schedule April 1 - September 3 (up to 70 students).

Winter small tours are available to schedule November 1 through March 30 (up to 30 students).

Fees: $5 per student for most tours. Scholarships are available for schools who are 40 percent or greater Free and Reduced Lunch eligibility (as cited by Colorado or Wyoming State Board of Education for the previous school year).  

Self-Guided Tours: Groups of 10 - 20 are eligible for group pricing tickets.  These tickets must be purchased a week in advance to receive $2 off admission prices. Elementary groups must schedule an organized program. 

Chaperones: To provide the best experience for your students and for the safety of all visitors, we require a 1:10 ratio of chaperones to students. If you meet or exceed the 1:10 chaperone ratio, chaperones will receive free admission. We strongly discourage more than a 1:5 ratio. If you do not meet the 1:10 chaperone ratio, ALL chaperones will pay the adult general admission rate of $11. 

Scheduling: The Gardens' staff requires at least two weeks advance notice to book a field trip. Please contact GardensEducation@fcgov.com to schedule a tour.

Click here to review descriptions of available tours.

kids around pond

The Gardens on Spring Creek is a beautiful setting to dig into life science education and meet you badge requirements.  We offer hands-on tours for all grades that are unique, interactive and aligned with your learning or badge goals.  Each program brings a different lens to the beautiful landscapes and animals at The Gardens.  Planting activities are included with each lesson.

Groups are welcome to stay, play and have lunch in the Children’s Garden after their tour. 

Fees:  Includes admission to The Gardens and Butterfly House for the day.

Groups: Groups must be between 5 - 10 people

Chaperones:  To provide the best experience for your students, we require at least one adult with each group. 

Scheduling: Tours are two hours and offered Wednesday, Thursday and Friday mornings. Weekends are sometimes available upon request. The Gardens' staff requires at least two weeks advance notice to book a field trip. 

To begin the scheduling process, please contact GardensEducation@fcgov.com.

kid hugging tree

The Gardens on Spring Creek offers check-out kits for classes that may be kept up to two weeks.  All materials are cleaned between groups.  The kits we offer include: 

  • Tree Trunks: Filled to the brim with activities and materials for all ages, these arbor-themed kits are a collaborative project made possible by Society of American Foresters, the Gardens on Spring Creek, Front Range Community College, Colorado State Forest Service and the U.S. Forest Service.  This kit is available for elementary school students or middle school to adult learners.  Cost: $50 refundable deposit.
  • Pollinators Among Us Kit: Explore the wonderful world of bees and their important job as pollinators. Packed full of engaging, fun and hands-on activities, this bee-themed kit brings together STEM and social-emotional learning to facilitate standards-based education for elementary students.  Cost: $50 refundable deposit. 
  • Poudre School District Environmental Learning Kits: Our Pollinators Among Us tour can be translated to your classroom with ease. All the lessons and materials are available through the Poudre School District kits.

To begin the scheduling process, please contact GardensEducation@fcgov.com.

girl making video

Our most popular tours are available in a virtual format. Each tour has an interactive, pre-recorded video with supplemental lessons. We have the following tours available:

  • Butterfly Tour (kindergarten through second grade)
  • Plant-tastic Scientists tours (kindergarten through fifth grade)
  • Pollinator tour (second through fifth grade) – with check-out education trunk at no extra cost
  • Sensory Tour (preschool)
  • Horticulture Careers (middle and high school)

To request virtual tour materials, please complete the form below. Virtual materials will be delivered within one week.

Request Free Virtual Tour Materials

The Gardens on Spring Creek is happy to work with teachers and their students to shape a unique experience that meets learning goals. We work with all disciplines from art, community engagement to science. 

We offer a wide variety of programs including those that are self-guided, collaborative partnerships and / or fully executed by Gardens staff.  Past topics include:

  • Botanical Illustration: Gardens staff provided a project, the teacher facilitated the learning and students came to draw at the Gardens.
  • Community Gardening and Diversity: Students rotated through four stations addressing issues of diversity, community gardening and service.
  • Botany: We have a self-guided botany lab for high school students, set up as a scavenger hunt throughout the site. Can be done in all seasons. 
  • Native Plant Identification: Gardens staff provided a brief introduction to the site and some extra field guides, while teachers provided instruction.
  • Service Learning: Gardens staff provided a brief tour of the site and facilitated a group volunteer project for students. 

Professional Learning Opportunities:

We are a partner on the Inspire PSD website and can offer job shadows, industry tours and internships.

  

Bee Empathetic Field Fridays

Middle and High School

 

A multi-disciplinary exploration of the science behind bees and pollination. This Middle and High School Field Science program is developed in partnership with Colorado State University’s College of Natural Sciences and Entomology Department. Our Field Fridays are supported by kits that can be checked out for the classroom or explored onsite with garden educators at the Gardens on Spring Creek. Each student will take the perspective of an individual species of bee to explore the importance and process of pollination, develop models, collect and analyze data and engineer solutions to real world challenges while building their empathy for these unique creatures.

 

Available onsite – Fridays May through September only but available in your classroom year-round.  Limited to 30 students.

To schedule a program contact GardensEducation@fcgov.com

Looking for something else?  Contact our team. We are happy to work with you to create experiences that help grow students’ learning!