Take A Field Trip to the United States Botanic Garden

Looking for something fun and educational to do with your students or children over these hot, summer weeks?  How about taking your own field trip to the United States Botanic Garden? 

Here are some ideas for how to make the most of your time exploring this wonderful institution:

Before Your Visit

Learn something new about plants!  Your trip will be much more educational and exciting if you have some pre-exsiting knowledge before you visit the garden.  Visit this link for a kid-friendly, interactive review activity, or go to your local library and consider checking-out one of these books.

Seedfolks (1997) is a short children's novel written by Paul Fleischman, with illustrations by Judy Pedersen.^[1] The story is told by a diverse cast of characters living on (or near) Gibb Street in Cleveland, Ohio, each from a different ethnic group. Chapter by chapter, each character describes the transformation of an empty lot into a vibrant community garden, and in doing so, they each experience their own transformations.^[2]

Miss Rumphius reads like a family memory shared around the dinner table.    Miss Rumphius travels the world until she is exhausted and then she settles down in a cottage by the sea.  After that, she risks her reputation, roaming the countryside flinging lupine seeds into every nook and cranny in order to make the world a more beautiful place; a task bestowed upon her by her grandfather. I love Miss Rumphius because she is a single woman who follows her bliss. She lives her life according to her own dreams and goals.  She is true to herself and keeps her promises to the people<sup>s


Or watch this video clip to determine if you would like to lean more about a trip on a magic school bus!</sup>

Be Prepared.  Plan to spend about an hour and a half in the gardens.  Bring water, and lunch or a snack to enjoy while you are on site.  Some parts of the garden (like the desert!) are quite hot, to simulate what these environments are like in real life. There are air conditioned spaces as well.

Set Expectations. Remind your students that although the gardens may not look like other museums you have seen, it is a special museum-- for plants.  Similarly to how we don't touch paintings in a museum or animals in the zoo, we keep hands off of these botanic creatures.  Try to smell them instead!

Jungle in the United States Botanic Garden

During Your Visit 

There is much to see and do at the Botanic Garden.  Here are just two simple activities you may want to try on your trip.


Garden Court Scavenger Hunt:
Have a blast exploring while looking for examples of these ten items in the central courtyard!  Print out this list and write the name of the plant you found that meets the description next to each item.

1. A bee's lunchbox (any flower!)
2. A plant whose fruit is a popular breakfast choice
3. A plant whose bark can be made into a brown spice often used to flavor applesauce, or oatmeal
4. A plant whose stem is hard, extremely tall, and can be used to build things
5. A plant whose seeds are used to make chocolate products
6. A plant whose leaves are used to make a warm, herbal beverage
7. A plant you have never heard of before
8. A plant that smells good to you 
9. A plant you have seen many times before (at your home, school or other familiar place)
10. Your favorite plant in the Garden Court

Garden Court at the United States Botanic Garden
Desert Sketch: The plants in the desert room are fascinating to observe. Each has special adaptations that allow it to thrive in an environment with intense sunlight and little water.  Bring a small notebook and pencil, find a comfortable place to sit, and sketch the cactus you think is most interesting.  Label your drawing with the plant's Latin name, then come up with your own name for your plant based on a characteristic that stands out to you.  Look out for the "Old Man Cactus"!  How do you think this cactus got his name?
After Your Visit 

View of United States Botanic garden and the Capitol

Don't let the learning stop!  Check-out Live It Learn It's Superstars page for more activities and exciting websites, designed for students to navigate with little adult supervision required.  Or, visit the United States Botanic Garden's site to explore their on-line resources for students and adults.  Have a specific question about a particular plant?  Call or email the USBG's plant hot-line and an expert will contact you with an answer in 24 hours or less!

Be sure to tell us about your experience at the Botanic Garden!  It's one of our favorite spots to visit and we would love to hear about any discoveries or connections you made during your trip!