Events and Programs
Field Studies
Awbury’s long-standing interactive Field Studies Program provides students an immersive environmental experience. Over the years, thousands of children (preschool through middle school) have participated in these experiential learning opportunities, allowing them to engage with the historic, environmentally rich and beautiful landscape of Awbury Arboretum. Core areas, such as The Farm at Awbury, ponds, wetlands, meadows, woods, and the Francis Cope House, together create a one-of-a-kind outdoor urban learning environment for school students.
Awbury Arboretum’s Field Studies program offers in-person and virtual ecology lessons in partnership with Let’s Go Outdoors (LGO).
Over the past 13 years, LGO has facilitated fun outdoor experiences in collaboration with and on-site at Awbury, making this a natural organizational partnership. In 2021, Awbury hired LGO to helm its Field Studies programming.
Schools, youth groups, homeschool groups, and daycares are encouraged to experience the historic and natural beauty of the Arboretum through Field Studies—immersive environmental experiences mixed with lessons in ecology and history. Let’s Go Outdoors will facilitate one-of-a-kind, engaging, and fun outdoor learning sessions that highlight Awbury’s core areas, including The Farm at Awbury, the Wingohocking creek, ponds, wetlands, meadows, woods, and the Francis Cope House.
Learn more or register for Awbury Field Studies Programs by clicking here. Should you have any questions, you can email us at info@letsgooutdoors.net.
Programs are suitable for pre-K through middle school and are free to public & charter school students in the School District of Philadelphia
(Generally does not include transportation, which must be handled by school/organization, but we offer limited funding for school buses)
Public schools must pay a $50 refundable deposit to hold the date. If the school cancels within 72 hours of the trip for reasons not involving severe weather conditions, Awbury will keep the deposit. The deposit will be refunded within 2 weeks after the field trip takes place.
Non-district schools, private schools/organizations, youth groups, or daycares: $18 per student (up to 50 students), payable in advance.
Our field studies lessons take place rain, shine, or snow! We will only cancel a visit in extreme weather, such as torrential rain, lightning, or when excessive heat warnings have been issued by the National Weather Service. We will reach out to you by 9 am the day of the lesson if we need to cancel for weather.
Available Field Studies Programs:
We offer various field study programs that support science, arts, and a number of education areas. Each allows a mixed experience of walking/traveling through varied ecosystems (highlighting trees, birds, animals, and plants), includes a hands-on component, and lasts between 1.5 to 2 hours.
History, Nature, and Play
is a great introductory field study for any grade level. It incorporates three core areas of the Arboretum – the Cope House, habitat discovery with nature investigation, and play in the English Picturesque Landscape.
Wildlife, Water, and Wilderness
is a combination of watershed learning and pond exploration. In addition, students will gain an understanding of the animals, plants, trees, and nature that connect with these Awbury waterways. Perfect as a support to science curriculum, food web, and/or water cycle or watershed learning.
Awbury Landscapes – Travel from Farm to House
is a thought-provoking, scenic journey that starts with basic map reading, tours Awbury’s urban farm, travels along the rolling, open grounds that illustrate the English Landscape style, and finishes at the Victorian-era Cope House. Perfect for groups seeking a relaxed, free-flowing program, ties to built vs. natural environment, or interested in architecture, design, and its relationship with nature.
Go A-P-E: Agriculture, Partnerships, and Environment
gives students an appreciation of the role agriculture plays in the world and the chance to learn about the inner workings of an urban co-op farm. Touchpoint topics include food (in)justice, sustainability, and gardening. We will highlight Awbury’s on-site partners as resources for the community and introduce intertwined environmental factors such as pollinators, invasive species, and wetlands.
Happy Healthy Habitats
offers the opportunity to learn, connect with, and understand three habitats that exist within the landscape of Awbury: 1) woodland (tree canopy), 2) watershed/wetland (creek and ponds), and 3) meadow (native grasses and wildflowers). Attendees will learn and be able to point out types of plants and animals (flora and fauna), with a focus on those specific to Awbury or within city/urban environments.
Lenape Life
teaches students about the Lenape tribe that once inhabited the land on which modern-day Awbury Arboretum stands. This field study includes a brief history of the tribe, and a study of their dwellings, agriculture, culture, and pastimes, as well as an examination of Lenape artifacts.
Little Explorers
gives younger children (toddlers or schoolchildren in pre-K – 1st grade) a chance to explore nature, to encounter animal habitats, and to engage and interact freely with the Awbury landscape. Choose either The Farm Experience, where they’ll travel along paths to encounter goats, chickens, beehives, fruit trees, and gardens; OR The Pond Experience, where they’ll travel along trails leading to a creek and two ponds, where they can investigate nature, enjoy a water-themed story reading, and see animals that may live in the wetland habitat.
On the Go with Awbury – Virtual/Traveling Connection to the Arboretum
No worries if you can’t visit in-person, as we can travel to your site or connect remotely. We’ll provide an interactive lesson that builds on many of the above lessons in a condensed format for class timeframes. Perfect as a pre-visit lesson before the on-site field trip OR as a stand-alone introduction to Awbury.