Resources for teachers and educators including lesson plans, posters, and hands-on activities on topics such as horticulture, history, and sustainability.

See more ways to learn with Smithsonian Gardens.

Lesson Plans

Pink cymbidium orchid

Structure and Function: What Makes an Orchid an Orchid

Grades K–5

Learn the parts of an orchid by making your own 3D paper model.

Passionflower

The Language of Flowers

Grades 1–5

Learn about the Victorian tradition of floriography through coloring.

W. Atlee Burpee & Co Seed Growers Philadelphia

Archives Alive!

Grades K–12

Browse primary source-based activities that foster students’ historical thinking and visual literacy skills using records from the Archives of American Gardens and other collections.

People in a sunny garden with lined beds and a trellis

Garbage to Gardens

Grades 5–8

Learn about “recycled gardens” through hands-on activities.

Collage of four gardens

Design a Garden: Green Ambassador Challenge

Grades 6–12

Design and build a green space at your school over the course of two to three semesters.

Collage of four people outdoors

Interview a Gardener

Grades 6–12

Learn how to conduct an oral history, then contribute your documents to the Community of Gardens Online Story Collection.

Notebook page with a magnifying glass and butterfly on it

Pollination Investigation Field Journal

Grades 6–12

Get outside and learn about common pollinators and plants.

Straight paved path through a lush pollinator garden

Cultivating Habitat

Grades 9–12

Find connections between the natural world, biodiversity, and art through hands-on activities.