Tours for student groups at The Arboretum
  • Facility Rentals
  • About Us
  • Research at The Arboretum
  • Membership
  • Press Room

School Programs : School Tours

Our tours for groups of students in preschool through high school focus on the life sciences.

  • Fee: $3 per participant (includes Arboretum admission)
  • Length: 1.5 hours (45-minute garden general tour plus a grade-specific program)
  • Minimum participants: 10

The Arboretum at Flagstaff offers grade-specific curricula in the natural sciences, led by professional environmental educators. All lessons are aligned with state and national scientific education standards.

Book this programTo reserve a date for your class, call or e-mail Rachel Edelstein at (928) 774-1442, ext. 110. If you leave a message, please include your phone number and e-mail, the date and time you would like to visit, and your group’s size and grade level.

Grade-Specific Themes

Preschool / Kindergarten: The Senses. Environmental educators lead children on a tour of the gardens, which they explore with all five senses. Highlights include listening to birds by the pond, smelling plants in the Herb Garden, and feeling different types of conifers on the woodland path.

Grade 1: Seed Dispersal. The program introduces students to a variety of ways that seeds disperse themselves in nature. Hands-on classroom activities include matching seeds with their parent plants and studying seed shapes. A visit to the greenhouse and gardens allows kids to examine different seed-bearing plants up close.

Grade 2: Plant Life Cycles. Students learn about the different stages in plant development, from seed to death or dormancy. A greenhouse tour and classroom activity teaches them how our horticulturists grow and care for native plants.

Grade 3: Wetland Habitat. Students learn about the web of life as they study the endangered fish living in the pond. Environmental educators help them identify aquatic invertebrates from the wetland. Students share their findings with classmates in an outdoor classroom with a micro-camera.

Grade 4: Pollination. Students find out how plants reproduce... with a little help from the birds and the bees! They identify the parts of a flower and learn how flowers attract insects, birds, and bats for pollination. Hands-on activities support concepts related to the plant / animal interactions necessary for fertilization and seed development. These activities are reinforced using flowers from the Butterfly Garden.

Grade 5: Forest Ecology. Students tour the nature trail with an environmental educator and discover how fires in the ponderosa pine forest benefit both wildlife and plants. They learn to recognize indicators of healthy and unhealthy forests, as well as signs of wildlife. During extended programs, students also find out how to identify and remove invasive species.

Grade 6: Biodiversity. Students are introduced to a selection of endangered plants. They explore conditions that cause species to become endangered (or threatened) and discuss our efforts to help them. This program includes a garden tour and a visit to meadows and forested areas.

Grades 7–12: Ecological Restoration. Middle- and high-school students tour the gardens and nature trail with an environmental educator, focusing on the importance of native plants in the landscape. They also work alongside researchers on a restoration activity.