Bring your class or community group to learn about nature and gardening in the inspiring setting of Milner Gardens & Woodland by booking one of our Shoots with Roots field trips.
Availability:
Sept – June: Programs are available on weekdays. Availability is limited, so groups should book early.
July – August: Programs are available Thursdays and Fridays only.
Note: We do not offer field trips in December or January.
Cost:
$200 per group. Maximum group size is one class, or 24 children for community groups.
Our programs offered vary by season, and will be adapted to suit the ages and abilities of your group.
Field Trip Menu
Nature Observers (K – 2, also good for older groups who want a more experiential, less content heavy field trip, such as summer daycamp groups)
Naturalists need to be good observers, and not just with their eyes! Your group will engage in a series of fun hands on, sensory activities to sharpen their observation skills before having some guided exploration time in our forest, garden, or natural ponds. Appropriate exploration etiquette to reduce our impact on nature will also be discussed. Available February through November. 2.5 hrs.
Birding for Beginners (Grade 3 and up)
Learn the parts of a bird and practice spotting and describing birds before participating in a group bird walk to identify birds throughout the garden. Groups will have their bird lists uploaded to eBird, contributing to ongoing citizen science. Available February through November. 2.5 hrs.
Junior Gardeners (K – 2)
After a walk through the forest considering what plants need to grow and thrive, your group will help care for our Children’s Food Garden through a variety of seasonally appropriate activities. These may include watering the garden, planting seeds, harvesting or sampling vegetables, digging soil, pulling weeds, learning about compost, or raking leaves. Groups attending in the spring will also have the opportunity to make newspaper pots and plant seeds to take home. Available from Spring Break until Thanksgiving. 2.5 hrs.
Plant Detectives (Grades 3 and up)
Your group will use their senses to learn to identify local trees, learn why a pine cone isn’t always a pine cone, and participate in an energetic plant identification game. Available from Spring Break until Thanksgiving. 2.5 hrs.
Pollinators (Grade 1 and up – activities will be adjusted accordingly for ages)
What is pollen? What do pollinators do? Your group will learn (or review) how plants reproduce, discover the diverse strategies plants use for pollination, and consider why pollinators are important for people. Depending on your group’s age, they will either become pollinators themselves as they explore the garden with paintbrushes, meet some mason bees, or participate in a pollinator count. Available in April and May only. 2.5 hrs.
For more information, or to book a program, contact pamela.murray@viu.ca.