Interactive Tours for Grades K– 5
Students in Grades K-5 can experience the museum’s permanent collection, traveling exhibitions and gardens while fulfilling the Tennessee curriculum standards. This one hour tour includes a guided interactive gallery or garden tour and a hands-on activity.
A maximum of 25 students per tour is offered on Fridays from 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. September – May. Gardens tours are only available September – November and March - May.
Interactive tours cost $2 per student for materials.
-Tours subject to availability
-Please plan for an adult to student ratio of 1:5
-All chaperones are free of charge
Making a Reservation:
Contact 761-5250 ext. 102 to schedule an interactive tour.
Have the following information ready when you call:
1. Your group’s name, mailing and email address and phone number
2. Grade level, number of students and number of adults
3. Preferred date/time and alternate date/time of tour
After your tour has been scheduled the tour guide will contact you to discuss further details regarding the goals and objectives of your visit.
Museum Tours
Museum tours emphasize critical thinking and visual literacy skills
The Gallery Guide will use the Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS), a school curriculum and teaching method, to facilitate open-ended discussions with students. After the tour, students will have the opportunity to apply a variety of techniques and processes to produce original works of art that reflect personal experiences. Examples of activities include but are not limited to creating an impressionist style landscape, multi-media collage or an assemblage sculpture.
Grades: K-2
Perfect for early learners and an introduction to the museum. Students will look at how artists use basic elements such as line, color, shape, form and texture to create works of art.
Grades: 3-5
With an emphasis on the discovery process, students hone observation skills and use evidence to construct meaning. They will learn about the elements of art and principles of design, how art can tell stories and gain an understanding of artistic motivations.
Curriculum Standards
Visual Art: 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, 6.0
Social Studies: 1.0, 5.0, 6.0
Math: 1, 3, 4 * K-2 only
Language Arts: 2, 7, 8
Garden Tours
Move your classroom outdoors to observe and explore nature on our 17 acres. Students will learn about the interdependence of all living things and the amazing biodiversity of our environment. Following the tour, each student will participate in a hands-on gardening activity designed to inspire the budding horticulturist. Possibilities include potting up a flowering plant, making a kitchen compost bin, pressing fresh leaves or flowers using a botanist’s plant press, or looking at plants and flower parts under a dissecting microscope.
Grades: K-2
How do scientists observe nature? Our youngest explorers will use their senses to discover many aspects of the plants and wildlife on the property. Each child will then participate in a seasonally specific gardening technique showing how to care for living things in the environment.
Grades: 3-5
Students will investigate first hand what plants need for healthy growth, from seed to adult, and their specific habitats. A related activity will follow to allow for further discovery about life cycles in the environment.
Curriculum Standards
Science: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12
Math: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5