Adkins Arboretum offers environmental education field trips for school groups. Programs are held between 10 am and 1:30 pm.

Teachers are free.
Public school fees are $10 per student.
Private school fees are $10 per student and chaperone.
This change in charging private schools’ chaperones ensures we can continue offering quality programming to as many students as possible. Private school bookings often accommodate smaller groups, and each booking reserves a valuable time slot that could otherwise serve a larger public school group—typically 60+ students. This adjustment helps offset the cost of hosting smaller groups while keeping our offerings accessible and impactful.

For more information or to schedule an environmental education program, contact Youth Program Director Madison Palmer at mpalmer@adkinsarboretum.org or 410-634-2847 ext. 310.

Nature’s Changes
Students will compare and contrast the unique and diverse life cycles of birds and oak trees as they explore the Arboretum’s paths and gardens. Activities include peeking inside bluebird boxes, embarking on a woodsy scavenger hunt, and searching for caterpillars among milkweed. This program is offered in Spring and Fall. (NGSS LS1-1)

Growing Up Green
This field trip introduces students to the wonders of nature through interactive stations focused on the life cycles of butterflies, birds, oak trees, and frogs. Students engage in hands-on activities, such as pretending to be caterpillars, building bird nests, and catching tadpoles, to better understand metamorphosis and ecosystems. The trip encourages observation, exploration, and conservation, fostering a deep connection to the natural world. This program is offered in Spring.

Bees, Seeds, and Healthy Streams
This program explores how animals, plants, and waterways contribute to a healthy ecosystem. Students rotate through three stations: Seeds on the Move, Pollination Station, and Healthy Plants, Healthy Streams. Through these stations, they investigate how seed dispersal, animal and plant pollination pairs, and how plants maintain water quality in streams. Activities include hands-on experiments like testing seed floating and using dip nets to collect aquatic organisms. The trip fosters an understanding of biodiversity, plant-animal interactions, and environmental health through observation and interaction with local ecosystems. This program is offered in Spring.

Rooted Wisdom: Nature’s Role in the Underground Railroad
In this inspiring program, students will explore the role of nature in the Underground Railroad, specifically as it relates to Maryland’s Eastern Shore. They’ll learn how local freedom seekers provided food for their families, including native edible plants. They’ll conduct an experiment to determine whether moss growth aided navigation, use their natural environment for camouflage and shelter, and discover the perils and advantages of seeking refuge in swamps. Activities are reinforced with firsthand accounts from Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Lucy Delaney, John Brown, and many others. This program is offered in Fall. (NGSS LS1-1, ESS2-2 and MSDE Standards for Social Studies 5C4a–c; 6D1c.)

The Climate Challenge
What is the relationship between trees and climate? How are trees affected by global warming, and how can they help us adapt and mitigate in the face of a changing climate? Through hands-on learning, students will review why overall temperatures are rising and act out the carbon cycle both pre- and post-industrialization. They’ll study tree rings to make predictions about climate change, complete a stream corridor and habitat assessment, and learn how to calculate their own carbon footprint. This program is offered in Spring. (NGSS HSESS2-6, HS-ESS3-5)

Option for additional field experience: Students will measure the height and diameter of a collection of trees to calculate the amount of carbon they store, then visit a forest plot and conduct random sampling to estimate the number of trees per 100 square feet. Using a grid overlay on a satellite image of the Arboretum, they’ll determine the square footage of forest cover. Students will combine these figures to gain an appreciation of the carbon sequestration potential of the Arboretum.

Tree and Watershed Investigation
In this “hands dirty, feet wet” program, students will learn how trees are vital to healthy watersheds. They’ll measure temperature and turbidity in a stream, search for macroinvertebrates to make predictions about water quality, and conduct experiments to increase their understanding of infiltration, sedimentation, and pollution. Throughout the field experience, students will examine how their personal and collective actions can help protect and restore sustainable forests and healthy watersheds. This program is offered in Spring. (MSDE Environmental Literacy Standards 1, 2, 3, 5, and 8.)