Education
School Tours
School Tour/Activity Package | School Programs | School Tours | Self-Guided Discoveries
School Tours are hour-long, curriculum-based, interactive experiences led by trained volunteer docents. Cost: $3 per student.
Guided tours are not recommended during our annual exhibitions: Christmas and Holiday Traditions Around the World (mid-November through December) and Butterflies Are Blooming (March through April). Otherwise, all tours are offered year-round unless otherwise noted.
Choose from the following:
Leaf Looker Tour
Offered only in the fall, this tour is a perfect way for 3-, 4- and 5-year-olds to learn colors, sizes, shapes and number skills while exploring our various plant conservatories. Children will rake a rainbow of leaves and hop-scotch across a terrazzo forest floor. Download PDF
Science Tour
Adaptable for all grade levels, this tour focuses on biomes and plant adaptations as well as ethnobotany and pollination concepts. Students will compare a rainforest and a desert environment with Michigan’s own temperate deciduous forest. Students will ponder why cacti have spines and why the largest seed in the world can be found in only one spot.
Art Tour
Adaptable for all grade levels, this tour introduces the student to creative decision-making and the artistic process while exploring the works of major modern and contemporary artists such as Auguste Rodin, Alexander Calder and Dale Chihuly. Whenever possible, this tour will include the current Sculpture Gallery exhibition.
Surviving the Tropics
This tour is best suited to upper elementary and middle school students. Pretending they are stranded on a tropical island, students are challenged to survive. They will develop life-saving skills as they search for hidden water sources, create a shelter, find food and signal for help. Focusing on the many unique adaptations found in the tropics, they will learn typical rainforest plants, animals and climate conditions.
Sculpture Park
Adaptable for all grade levels, this outdoor tour uses the work of world-renowned sculptors to illustrate certain artistic concepts. Among the principles explained are scale, materials, placement, style (realistic, abstract and non-objective), surface treatment and setting. Students will appreciate what makes Meijer Gardens unique, and understand why we enjoy an international reputation for our permanent sculpture collection. Students should dress for the weather. Download PDF
Big Picture
Adaptable for all grade levels, this overview tour focuses on the uniqueness of Meijer Gardens combining both horticultural and sculptural elements. The students will visit our indoor gardens and galleries and receive a brief introduction to each area. Highlights include grass that grows taller than a house, plants that can count and a sculpture with more than 1500 pieces.
