Atlanta Botanical Garden Comes Inside TMSA’s K – 8 Classrooms This Fall

From October 26, 2022 through December 8, 2022 the Atlanta Botanical Garden will come inside The Main Street Academy’s K – 8 classrooms! Since opening its doors to the metro-Atlanta community in 1976, the Atlanta Botanical Garden’s mission is to develop and maintain plant collections for the purposes of display, education, conservation, research, and enjoyment.  Atlanta Botanical Garden offers the free Title I Outreach Program to Title I designated schools in metro Atlanta, including TMSA. The program will bring the garden into TMSA’s K – 8 classrooms by way of 50-minute interactive, hands-on presentations supporting Georgia Standards of Excellence.

Special thanks to TMSA third grade teacher, Mr. Hasahn Aiken, for coordinating this initiative for TMSA!

Listing of Grade Level Presentation Schedules and Topics

Kindergarten: November, 3 2022
Spectacular Seeds

Students will use their sense of exploration to investigate if seeds are living or non-living, and create their own clay mandalas to display their seeds forever!

Grade 1: October 26, 2022
Leaf Explorers

Large, small, fuzzy and smooth. Leaves grow in all shapes and sizes. Students identify the parts of a plant and discover the important functions of leaves.

Grade 2: November 9, 2022
Busy Busy Bees

Bees are fascinating creatures with very busy lives. Students learn about the life cycle of honey bees and the important roles they play in their hive and in the ecosystem.

Grade 3: October 27, 2022
Georgia’s Amazing Amphibians

Could a Poison Dart frog live in Georgia? What about a Gopher frog? Students examine different amphibian adaptations to discover which regions of Georgia are best suited for survival and get to meet live native amphibians.

Grade 4
Carnivorous Plants - Producers or Consumers

In most food chains, animals eat plants; not the other way around. Students discover the fascinating world of carnivorous plants by examining live specimens and decide what role these meat eaters play in their communities.

Grade 5: November 16,  2022
Be a Plant Taxonomist

Animals have different characteristics that help scientists sort them into groups, and plants do too! Students will investigate and draw their observations of a given plant specimen. Based on the plant characteristics they discover, students will be able to classify their plant and extend their knowledge to other plants they see in their communities.

Grade 6: November 30, 2022
Investigating Plant Ecology

Can you build the perfect plant? Students design a plant with various adaptions and see if their plant will survive the longest!

Grade 7: December 1, 2022
Investigating Plant Ecology

Can you build the perfect plant? Students design a plant with various adaptions and see if their plant will survive the longest!

Grade 8: December 8, 2022
Fibonacci Sequence in Nature

In addition to being oxygen, shade, and sometimes food providers, plants are mathematicians too! Students will discover how and why many plants use the golden ratio to create beautiful and effective spirals in nature through hands-on investigations.Title I Outreach Program