The 6th grade class went on a field trip to the Botanical Gardens on May 7th, 2026. The grade really enjoyed going there as it was very beautiful, fascinating, unique, and educational. We played a variety of games, walked around the campus, and learned new facts. We also had two creative and positive tour guides, who always kept the tour fun and interactive. During the trip we rode on a bus to the gardens, which was about a one hour ride. We ate our lunches and then got organized into our groups called the “Baker Butterflies” and the “Marge Marigolds.” The tour consisted of educational games, discussions, and experiencing nature with our own eyes.
The games we played with the tour guide were very interesting, fun, unique, and educational. One of the games was called “Zombie Ants,” and represented how some ants had a sort of zombie ‘disease,’ and would pass it on to other ants. Then almost immediately after, the ant would die. In the game, one of us was secretly chosen to be the zombie ant, and we would have to spread the disease and immediately die. Before the game started, the tour guide picked the ‘queen.’ The queen’s job was to try to find out who started the disease. This game really helped us students to understand and visualize how the ants survived and what could hurt them. Another game that the 6th grade played was a matching exercise with four categories. Each person would receive a card with two animals on it, and we would have to decide whether they were predators to them.
Our tour guides would stop us to talk about all the important details in her discussions. For example, she told us about what seemed like a big puddle or shallow creek, which, in reality, was a vernal pool. The guide also taught us that if we were to build a house on top of the water when it was not there, the water would come back, damaging the home. Finally, she taught us that it is important to keep the area safe since it is an important habitat for animals and plants living there.
During the field trip, we got to experience the real nature. It was very beautiful because of the weather, animals, and water. We saw lots of different kinds of nature like the different types of birds and plants. As we were walking around, we even saw a gardener snake who camouflaged itself into the bushes and plants next to it. We learned about trees, and how there could be gaps between them when cutting them down.
Overall, the 6th graders enjoyed the field trip very much! The people, animals, and beautiful scenery really factored into our opinions of the tour. We got to spend the remainder of the time at the gift shop, which was full of creative items such as flower seeds, plant lotions, plant stuffed animals, and so much more. It was a lot of fun, and I hope that if the next 6th grade class goes to the Botanical Garden, they will enjoy it as much as we did.
By: Isabella Tea ‘32, Contributing Writer
