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Upcoming Closure: the Arboretum will be closed to the public Monday May 29. All other garden areas remain open.

School Programs: ECE & Kindergarten

Combining interactive hikes, sensory activities, and play-based learning, RBG’s ECE and Kindergarten programming provides positive experiences for the youngest students. Walking, hiking, and observing together, students develop a new appreciation for the natural world. Our programs give students the chance to develop as healthy, confident explorers of the outdoors!

  • Two-hour outdoor programs
  • Up to 30 students per group
  • 1 free adult per 4 students

Program Types

We offer programs that specialize in many different areas:

Early Years Exploration

Come outside and learn how to use your eagle-eyes, owl-ears and fox nose! Nature is full of new sights, sounds, smells, and textures, and this program encourages young learners to take it all in. This program emphasizes sensory activities and open explorations.

This program aligns with expectations to Ontario Curriculum Kindergarten Program 2016 curriculum elements. 

Submit a Booking Request

All kinds of animals call RBG home, but how do they survive in nature? Through role-playing and guided exploration, students search for animals, their homes, and the signs they leave behind to learn more about their habitats and how animals interact with each other.

This program aligns with expectations to Ontario Curriculum Kindergarten Program 2016 curriculum elements. 

Submit a Booking Request

Bright, noisy, and active, birds are a great introduction to nature. Discover more about their body parts, food, habitats, and behaviours as we head outside to spot some of RBG’s feathered inhabitants as they fly, feed, and flock.

This program aligns with expectations to Ontario Curriculum Kindergarten Program 2016 curriculum elements. 

Submit a Booking Request

Exhibit and Holiday Programs

Amphibians are amazing animals! In this fun and interactive program, students will learn about the different kinds of amphibians we have in our local wetlands and in other habitats around the world. There will be stories, rhymes, discovery stations, and a chance to explore of our Frogs! exhibit.

This program aligns with expectations to Ontario Curriculum The Kindergarten Program 2016 curriculum elements. 

*Special Program

Submit a Booking Request

Discover the world of wetlands while exploring our winter exhibit Frogs! Your self-guided visit grants you access to Frogs! exhibit, indoor Mediterranean Garden, and Hendrie Park.   

Cost: $12.00 per person and includes an indoor classroom 

*Special Program

Submit a Booking Request

Self-Guided Exploration

Come explore the gardens or trails with your class. The Arboretum offers trails through the forest down to the shoreline of Cootes Paradise Marsh with great opportunities for bird watching.

Submit a Booking Request

Come explore the gardens or trails with your class. Hendrie Park has beautiful flower beds, a Natural Playground, and a vegetable village for your students to explore.

Submit a Booking Request

Discover the world of wetlands while exploring our winter exhibit Frogs! Your self-guided visit grants you access to Frogs! exhibit, indoor Mediterranean Garden, and Hendrie Park.   

Cost: $12.00 per person and includes an indoor classroom 

*Special Program

Submit a Booking Request

School Program Fees

RBG accepts cash, cheque, debit, VISA, MasterCard, and American Express. Invoicing is available upon request.