• Chaperones: The USBG asks all school groups to have one chaperone for every seven students.
• Time frame: Plan 1 to 3 hours for your field trip depending on the Visit Option you choose (see below).
• Food: The USBG does not have food service of any kind, nor do we have an area where groups can gather to eat. Plan to have students eat before or after the visit.
• When you arrive: See the Your Visit page for information on location, parking, and accessibility. 
• What to bring: If you are using the online How Plants Work curriculum, described below, bring copies of the Student Discovery Journal and corresponding Teacher’s Edition with you. We do not have copies available at the USBG. Also make sure students have clipboards or notebooks and appropriate writing or drawing materials.
• Museum etiquette: The USBG averages 500,000 visitors per year. Because of this, we ask visitors not to touch the plants on display unless we have specifically invited them to do so. Groups also need to stay with their chaperones and avoid loud behavior, running, and walking in the beds. Please make sure students and chaperones are aware of these policies.

Self-Guided Tour (allow 1 hour)
If your group is interested in a general overview of the USBG Conservatory, consider the self-guided tour. A map of the Conservatory with the name of each area is located at the Information Desk at the entrance. Throughout the Conservatory, you'll find interpretive signs that explain more about different ecosystems and the plants that live in them.

How Plants Work Exhibit and Curriculum (allow 1 to 3 hours) This permanent exhibit in the East Gallery reveals the secrets of how plants – seemingly sedentary organisms – manage to survive in every corner of the planet. There are larger-than-life models, interactive features, and a host of live examples that help students, and their adult mentors, understand and appreciate their green partners and man’s dependence upon them for survival. Companion online curriculum materials for grades 3-5 feature standards-based activities to engage students before, during, and after their visit. Click <here> to view the How Plants Work curriculum Web site.

Family Guide (allow 1.5 to 2 hours) A Family Guide to the Conservatory will be available in the fall of 2008. It will use fun activities to help visitors explore the importance of the plants and ecosystem represented in each area. If you have less time than the 1.5 to 2 hours we recommend, you can focus on specific Conservatory rooms. Copies of the Family Guide will be available at the Information Desk at the Conservatory entrance.