Social stories aid children by helping them learn how to respond appropriately to daily activities or events.
Hello!
Today I am going on a field trip to Brookside Gardens!
I am prepared to spend the entire field trip outdoors.
I have used the bathroom before we left school so that I won’t need to while we are in the Gardens.
I wore comfortable, close-toed shoes and clothes that can get dirty.
I have a warm layer if it will be cold. If there is a chance of rain, I will wear waterproof shoes and a rain jacket. I might even bring an umbrella.
When I get to the main entrance of Brookside Gardens, the bus will drive over a grate that makes the bus very bumpy. It is made to keep deer outside the Gardens.
When I get to the Visitor Center, I know I might have to wait on the bus until it is safe to exit, and I might need to listen to announcements from our teacher or bus driver.
When I get off the bus, I will line up with my group (most likely my class), and we will meet our guide. We’ll say hello, learn the rules, and hear the plan for the trip.
Now it’s time to follow the guide! Here are some of the things we may do:
Outdoor Exploration
The guide will lead my group through the garden areas observing plant and insect activity. We will walk about a ½ mile of small hills on paved and natural surface trails.
I will be encouraged to look, listen, smell, and even gently touch different plants found in the garden. I may also see insects and animals that I will not touch.
Hands-On Activity
After the walk, I will work on a project with my class. To complete the project, I might have to touch soil and water. Each type of field trip has their own type of project, too:
- Plants and Pollinators – We might be potting a plant to take home.
- Water Quality – We might do chemical tests with a test tube and water samples from a bucket.
- Erosion – We might do a mapping activity and make seed balls to take home.
- Service-learning – We might learn how to weed and garden outside using gardening tools.
Conservatory
My group might go inside of the Conservatory, a room where plants live.
The conservatory might be hot and humid.
If I go inside this building, I will not touch any plants in there.
After all our adventures, we return to the bus area to leave the gardens with our group.
We don’t get on the bus until our teacher tells us that it is time to board.