At UCLA’s botanical garden, science blooms for young students
Madeline Adamo from the UCLA Newsroom accompanied a group of fourth graders from Toluca Lake Elementary on an exciting trip to the UCLA Mathias Botanical Garden. These admission-free field trips are a key part of the Garden’s K-12 education program, designed to bring classroom science to life for thousands of students and community groups through guided tours and hands-on activities. Notably, about half of the participating groups are from Title I schools, which benefit from bus grants generously funded by donors.
During the visit, educators Amanda Bueno-Kling and Boaz Solorio led small-group activities. Bueno-Kling engaged one group in an interactive activity focused on plant anatomy through flower dissections. Meanwhile, Solorio guided the other group on a tour of the 7.5-acre Garden, where they had a memorable encounter with digger bees. Chantal Ochoa-Clark, the Manager of Education and Outreach who leads the program, hopes these experiences will stick with the students and foster a deeper appreciation for science and nature. Garden Director Victoria Sork expressed, “Perhaps some of them will discover their passion for studying nature and pursue careers as scientists, helping to demystify what it’s like to be part of a university campus.”
