Seeds (Indeed!) and their Traveling Companions
Fall, grades K - 2

If you were a seed, what would you choose as your mode of transportation?  Explore seed dispersal and the seasonal cycles of plants by seeing how they have learned to use wind, water, and wildlife to spread themselves around.  Students collect seeds around the garden and make a seed tape for planting at home.

Incredible Edibles: Roots, Fruit, Stems, Seeds and Leaves

Fall / Spring, grades K - 8

What exactly are we eating when we eat our peas?  Do potatoes grow on trees?  Is zucchini really a fruit?  Students consider how our plant foods grow while learning about plant parts and their functions.

Underground Botany

Fall / Spring, grades 3 - 8

The compost pile and the woodland trail provide the backdrop for students to learn about the natural process of decomposition, organic and inorganic components of soil, and how people utilize them both to enhance a garden's productivity.

Plant Adaptations

Fall / Spring, grades 3 - 8

How do plants thrive in blazing deserts, soggy forests, windy plains and freezing tundra?  The connection of climate and geography to indigenous plant life is made when students investigate plant adaptations that occur seasonally and over time, allowing them to thrive in the harshest and mildest environments.

Invasive Plants

Fall / Spring, grades 3 - 8

What happens to native plant life when an imported specimen becomes an invasive species?  This timely and highly relevant workshop introduces students to the problem and to the threat to biodiversity.  Local examples are studied to show how plants spread, how they have impacted native species, and how they might be controlled.

The Secret Life of Plants

Spring, grades K - 8

Follow the plant life cycle through dissections and living examples in BBG's own vegetable and flower gardens.  Students will learn about pollinators and the symbiotic relationship they share with plants. Emphasis can be on either the parts of flowers and their functions or plant pollinator partnership, depending on the needs of the class.

Forever Evergreen

Year Round, grades K - 2

Which are the largest and oldest living organisms on earth? How do some trees manage to keep their leaves through winter?  Students will learn basic identification of these botanical giants by getting acquainted with some of the Berkshire Botanical Garden's most interesting evergreens.

Making More Plants

Year Round, grades 5 - 8

We've all planted seeds and watched them grow, but are there other ways to make more plants?  Students practice alternate propagation techniques with a variety of plants while learning about inherited and acquired characteristics and sexual and asexual reproduction.

Traditional Medicinals and Herbal Delights

Year Round, grades 3 - 8

What exactly is an herb? Learn about the rich history and our use of these plants - medicinal, culinary, and ornamental.  Students learn to identify various herbs and understand their value to us now and in the past.  Students see how herbs grow in the BBG gardens and sow or transplant an herb to take home.

Little Green Thumbs

Year Round, pre-school

Preschools, day care centers, home schoolers and playgroups are invited to Berkshire Botanical Garden for programming designed just for your Little Green Thumbs, ages 2 through 5.  Programs last approximately one hour and provide preschoolers with an introduction to natural science and horticulture while helping develop language and math skills.  Little Green Thumbs enjoy a ramble in BBG gardens to discover what the resident plants, insects, and animals are up to.  Your visit ends with a hands-on planting or nature-themed craft activity.  Cost for Little Green Thumbs to visit is $4 per child with a $60 minimum.

General Information about Digging Deeper School and Youth Workshops

Berkshire Botanical Garden offers age and grade appropriate workshops for schools, homeschoolers, youth organizations, summer camps, preschools and day care centers. Designed to support the Massachusetts Science Curriculum Framework, BBG workshops cultivate scientific discovery through inquiry-based instruction and memorable hands-on activities that allow students to draw upon prior knowledge and extend learning into new areas.  Early elementary workshops focus on observing, predicting, questioning, and seeking answers.  Workshops for grades 3 and up utilize investigation and data collection to answer questions or solve problems.  All workshops include an inquiry-based instructional component, a content-specific tour to illustrate and reinforce concepts and a project to take home.  Supplementary materials are provided with ideas for interdisciplinary instruction, further investigation and enrichment.

Workshops begin at 10:00 a.m. unless otherwise requested and last approximately 1 1/2 hours. 

The cost for grades K - 8 to visit is $5 per student with a $70 minimum.  Reservations and a $50 deposit are required for confirmation of all workshops.  A 15% discount is offered for 6 week's advance registration.  Workshops are held rain or shine.  In the case of very heavy rain, a visit may be rescheduled depending on availability.  Information about financial assistance for schools in need is available by phone. 

Your class can't come to us? 

Contact us for information on bringing BBG workshops to your classroom:  413 - 298-3926.