Awbury Arboretum’s Field Studies program has resumed in-person (and virtually), now in partnership with Let’s Go Outdoors (LGO).

Over the past 11 years, LGO has facilitated fun outdoor experiences in collaboration with and on site at Awbury, making this a natural organizational partnership. LGO is excited for this enhanced relationship and looks forward to welcoming past and future Field Studies participants to Awbury.

Schools, youth 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 outdoor learning sessions/tours that are fun and 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 Program by clicking here. Should you have any questions, you can email us at info@letsgooutdoors.net.

Programs are suitable for all grades and offered free to Public School students in the School District of Philadelphia

(Generally does not include transportation, which must be handled by school/organization, but there is limited funding for school buses)

Non-district schools, youth groups or daycares: $165 (up to 30 students) or $230 (up to 50 students).

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 to 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, artistic-type journey that starts with basic map reading, tours Awbury’s mixed-use urban farm, travels along the rolling, open grounds that illustrate the English Landscape style, and finishes at the family-built 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 will include food (in)justice, sustainability, and gardening. Awbury’s on-site partners will be highlighted as resources for the community and environmental education topics (pollinators, invasive species, wetlands) will be intertwined.
• Happy, Healthy Habitats offers the opportunity to learn, connect with, and understand the three habitats that exist within the landscape of Awbury: 1) woodland (tree canopy), 2) watershed/wetland (creek & ponds), and 3) meadow (native grasses). 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: learn about the Lenni-Lenape tribe that once inhabited the land that modern-day Awbury Arboretum is situated on. This field study includes a brief history of the tribe, and a study of their dwellings, agriculture, culture, and pastimes.
• Little Explorers is tailored to younger children: toddlers or schoolchildren in pre-K – Kindergarten. This is a chance for them to be guided along nature paths, be introduced to habitats, and be allowed the opportunity to engage and interact freely with the Awbury landscape.  Choose either The Farm Experience, where they’ll travel along trails to explore nature, possibly seeing goats, chickens, beehives, and gardens; OR The Pond Experience, where they’ll travel along trails that lead 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 a stand-alone introduction to Awbury.