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Youth Activities

Visiting the Wildflower Center with your Youth Group

Requests for youth group visits can be made by visiting the Youth Group Visit Request page (click here).

GENERAL INFORMATION

These instructor resources are general in nature. They can be used to teach in a variety of settings, not just in conjunction with a visit to the Wildflower Center. To view a document, click the "pdf" link next to it's name; to download a document, right click the link and "Save Target As" (Mac users, click and hold).

  1. Wildflower Fun Facts pdf
    Botanical trivia to tantalize young minds
  2. Teacher Scavenger Hunt pdf
    Suggestions for a seek-and-find tour of the Wildflower Center
  3. Plants and Animals of the Front Pond pdf
    Meet our aquatic friends, from the Star sedge to the Widow skimmer
  4. Gardening and Landscaping with Native Plants pdf
    Native plants make for great gardens - find out why
  5. Creating a Wildlife Garden pdf
    Choosing the right plants can help attract birds, butterflies and more
  6. Plant Defenses Background Information pdf
    Strategies for staying in the garden and off the salad bar
  7. Habitats of the Wildflower Center pdf
    Four fascinating habitats under one roof
  8. Collecting and Pressing Wildflowers pdf
    Guidlines for which flowers to pick and how to preserve them
  9. Butterfly Gardening pdf
    Which plants to plant, and how to enhance your garden for butterflies 
  10. The Pollination Game pdf
    How plants play the field, so to speak
  11. Wildflowers of Texas: Legends & Folklore Part I & Part II
    Legends & folklore we love to know and share

PRE-TRIP ACTIVITIES

Use these fun activities to prepare your students for a visit to the Wildflower Center. The more they know before they get here, the more they'll remember after they leave! 

  1. Pollinator Pal Wands ( 6 & up) pdf
    Make pipe cleaner pollinators and explore pollination
  2. Mini Field Guide Fans. Color, cut out rectangles and attach the corners together using a brass brad to create a small field guide you can use at the Wildflower Center.
    a. Mint Family Fan (8 & up) pdf
    b. Mallow Family Fan (8 & up) pdf
    c. Composite Family Fan (8 & up) pdf
    d. Wetland Plant and Animal Fan (4 & up) pdf
    e. Wildflower Fan (6 & up) pdf

TRIP ACTIVITIES

The activities and lessons on this page will help your students notice the world around them as they explore the Wildflower Center.

  1. Hike Observation Sheets
    a. General (5 & up) pdf
    Search for natural objects
    b. Seeds (8 & up) pdf
    Explore seeds and how they travel
    c. Plant Families (9 & up) pdf
    Search for wildflowers from different plant families
    d. Pollination (7 & up) pdf
    Observe and record pollinators and the flowers they go to
    e. Wildflower Hunt (9 & up) pdf
    Explore wildflower details through measurements and scientific observations
    f. Wildflowers (6 & up) pdf
    Find wildflowers that fit each description
    g. Leaves (10 & up) pdf
    Search for trees and investigate their leaves
    h. Insect Evidence (7 & up) pdf
    Identify insects and evidence of their presence
    i. Lichen Survey (8 & up) pdf
    Search for the different types of lichens and determine related air quality
    j. Insect Scavenger Hunt I (7 & up) pdf
    Search for different types of insects
    k. Insect Scavenger Hunt II (9 & up) pdf
    Search for different types of insects
    l. Insect Scavenger Hunt III (10 & up) pdf
    Search for different types of insects
  2. Praying Mantis Lunch Hunt (8 & up) pdf
    Search for your lunch prey and win points!
  3. Plant Adaptation Scavenger Hunt (8 & up) pdf
    Look for adaptations that help plants obtain more resources or avoid predation

POST-TRIP ACTIVITIES

Once your kids have seen the Wildflower Center up close and personal, they will be excited about nature and eager to learn. The lessons and activities on this page are designed to seize that opportunity and help usher your students into a new era of environmental responsibility and involvement.

  1. Native Plant Growth Chart (7 & up) pdf
    Chart the growth of plants at home
  2. Compost Activities (4 & up) pdf
    Make compost cupcakes, sing songs and explore books and web sites about compost
  3. Tree Habitats (6 & up) pdf
    Learn about habitats by studying a tree
  4. Tree Habitat Chart (6 & up) pdf
    Keep a record of what you learn about trees
  5. Decomposition & Dirt (6 & up) pdf
    Do a compost experiment to learn about the origins of dirt 
  6. Tree Rings (8 & up) pdf
    Learn about tree rings and how to make your own personal tree cookie
  7. Plant Part Adaptation Charades (8 & up) pdf
    Act out different interesting ways that plants have adapted to their conditions