RBG can customize a school program for any grade to incorporate a visit to ‘Chocolate: The Exhibition’. Below are a few of our program outlines with direct curriculum connections.

• Grade 3 - Growth and Changes in Plants: Chocolate

  Chocolate may be the food of the gods to some but it has humble beginnings as the bitter tasting seeds of the Cacao tree in the rain forests of Central America. In this program students will explore the exhibit Chocolate and learn about the biology, ecology and history of this amazing plant. In our Classroom Lab, students will explore life cycle of the Cacao tree, the methods and tools of chocolate production, and some of the folklore. And of course there will be a chance to sample some of the different forms of Chocolate.
  
  

  Grade 4 - Habitats and Communities: Chocolate Ecosystems

  Most people think of Chocolate as a delicious sweet treat but few people think of role and impact of chocolate on the rain forest ecosystems where it is grows. As students explore the Chocolate exhibit they will learn about the role of chocolate in the natural environment; from the small midges that pollinate the flowers of the Cacao tree that is the source of chocolate to the role of chocolate in the deforestation of the rainforest.
  
  

  Grade 5 – Ancient Civilizations: Gifts from the Ancients

  There are many gifts that ancient civilizations have passed on to modern cultures; written language, irrigation, the wheel, and architecture - just to name a few. With all these technological gifts, it is easy to overlook the value and importance of the simple gift of the knowledge of plants and their uses. Imagine a world without corn, potatoes, spices or chocolate! In this program students will explore the exhibit Chocolate and our Mediterranean Garden greenhouse to learn how Mesoamerican (Mayan and Aztec) and Mediterranean cultures (Egyptian, Greek and Roman) used plants and how this knowledge has impacted the modern world.
  
  

  Grade 11 - Biology

  Chocolate is the product of the bitter tasting seeds of the cacao tree. It has also been many things to many people over the years. It was the food of the gods to the ancient Mayans; a form of currency to the Aztec; a sweet treat reserved for the rich and powerful in pre-industrial Europe; a global commodity and a threat to the world's environment. Students work in small groups to collect evidence from Chocolate: The Exhibition to support their group's point of view in the Great Chocolate Debate.
  
  

  Chocolate: From Treasure to Treat

  Grade 5 to 8 students who live too far away to experience the exhibit in person can join us for a one-hour distance learning program via interactive videoconference.
  
  

  Self-Guided group options available

  Call 905-527-1158 ext.276 for details
  

Call our Booking Clerk at 905-527-1158 ext.276 for further program information and to book your program today!

A note to teachers regarding Chocolate school programs and Board Nutrition Policies

We recognize that school boards across Ontario have updated their nutrition policies by committing to limit the salt and sugar intake of students across the board. Royal Botanical Gardens would like to assure teachers and school board representatives that our curriculum-connected school programs related to the Chocolate exhibit focus on the ecological, cultural and economic perspectives of cacao, and as a botanical gardens we are committed to teaching most often about the plants that sustain us, identifying where products come from that we use in everyday life, and the social and cultural implications of those choices on the different ecosystems around the world. Participants in our school programs will have an opportunity to sample cacao in its most basic form, ground directly from the seed, but in no way are we planning to feed children highly-sweetened chocolate products while they are here. Additionally, all of our school programs are peanut-free and have been for many years.

Thank you and please don’t hesitate to contact us with your questions or comments regarding these programs.