Garden on the Road
When the plants are dormant in January & February, the Garden goes on the road to visit area daycare centers, preschools, and kindergartens.
This program engages student interest in the world of living things through lively audio/visual presentations, role-playing, and craft activities. Garden on the Road is appropriate for children 4 to 6 years of age.
The fee is $2/child, minimum group size is 10–24 children. For groups smaller than ten, $20 will be charged.
Contact Idaho Botanical Garden to be added to the mailing list, (208) 343-8649.
Youth Group Tours
These tours are designed to supplement school science curricula. They run mid-April through October and last approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes.
To accommodate and encourage smaller group sizes during COVID-19, IBG is offering a $25 flat rate for tour groups of 16 or fewer individuals (children and adults combined).
If you have a larger group and would like to schedule a tour, please contact the Youth Education Coordinator (208-275-8612) to discuss rates and options.
Click here for this year’s brochure
Dates/Times
Monday–Friday, April-October
Spring/Fall tour times: 9:30 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m.
Summer tour times:
Call for availability, Wendy Irwin, Youth Education Coordinator, (208) 275-8612.
Tour Types
Ready, Set, Grow!: Pre-K – 1st Grade
Ready, Set, Grow!: Pre-K – 1st Grade-Download Tour Packet
Download Our Tour Packet (PDF) +
This introduction to Idaho Botanical Garden encourages young students to use their senses to explore nature. During this lesson they will compare plants to themselves, learn about plant parts, meet a pill bug, and go on an exploratory walk through the Garden.
Wonders of the Water Cycle: Kindergarten – 1st Grade
Wonders of the Water Cycle: Kindergarten – 1st Grade
Download Our Tour Packet (PDF) +
The water cycle plays a major role in determining day-to-day weather. Through song, role-playing, a colorful experiment, and a nature walk, children gain a concrete understanding of what the water cycle is all about.
Habitats – 1st–2nd Grade
Habitats – 1st–2nd Grade
Download Our Tour Packet (PDF) +
Students are introduced to Garden plants and animals, and they discuss what those living things need to survive. Tour includes a song, a game, and a walk.
Flower Power (May Only): 2nd–3rd Grade
Flower Power (May Only): 2nd–3rd Grade
Download Our Tour Packet (PDF) +
Students participate in activities emphasizing the structure and function of flowers. Each student will help Idaho Botanical Garden bloom by planting a flower.
Seed Sense (Fall Only): 2nd–3rd Grade
Seed Sense (Fall Only): 2nd–3rd Grade
Download Our Tour Packet (PDF) +
Participants germinate and grow a fresh understanding of the importance of
seeds─their structure, function, and dispersal methods─through a variety of
instructional outdoor activities.
Lewis and Clark: 4th Grade
Lewis and Clark: 4th Grade
Download Our Tour Packet (PDF) +
During a tour of the Lewis and Clark Native Plant Garden, students will discuss the purpose of the expedition and acquire an increased awareness of and appreciation for the role plants played in the lives of Idaho’s Native Americans and the Lewis and Clark Expedition members. They will practice conducting scientific plant research and will take back to school a plant sample to turn into an herbarium specimen.
Nature’s Garden: 4th–8th Grade
Nature’s Garden: 4th–8th Grade
Download Our Tour Packet (PDF) +
This tour is designed to awaken a naturalist’s curiosity about Boise Foothill ecology. The students on this ¾ mile hike will interpret the environment and discover the vital role plants play in this sagebrush ecosystem.
Fire!: 4th–8th Grade
Fire!: 4th–8th Grade
This tour discusses the role plants play in Idaho’s wildfires. Topics include native versus non-native invasive plants; factors that make a plant more, or less, flammable; and how to protect homes from wildfires.
Custom Tours, Elementary–Post-Graduate
Custom Tours, Elementary–Post-Graduate
Would you like to bring a group out to the Garden for a guided tour but none of the listed topics suit your needs? Contact (208) 343-8649 to request a custom tour. Let us know what you would like the guides to cover and we will work with you to create a tour that meets your interests.
Nature Camp
Nature Camps are science programs designed for children ages 4-9 to participate in games, crafts, and nature walks at Idaho Botanical Garden during July and August.
Following registration, you will receive a confirmation letter and an emergency medical form that must be returned the first day of camp.
COVID-19 Planning and Camper Safety
To keep camp participants and staff safe, we are implementing the following policies:
- Group sizes will be reduced until the pandemic situation improves
- Teachers will sign the children in and out
- At check-in, your child’s temperature will be checked with a touchless forehead thermometer, and they will wash their hands
- Campers and staff are required to wear face masks
- Hand washing or sanitizing will be practiced frequently during the day
- Camps will be fully outdoors. Campers will have access to shade and open-air shelters during the camp day
- Campers will be provided with their own supplies (scissors, crayons, tape, glue, etc.) to use during the week to minimize the sharing of items between individuals
- Please know that we as staff will also be doing daily health checks and practicing vigorous hand-washing and sanitizing
2021 Mini-camps
Do you want to give your child a new experience this year but can’t swing the typical summer camp pickup times? This is for you, working families! Our one-day mini-camps take the best activities from our popular week-long camps and serve them up in a sampler size.
Wizarding Mini-camp - June 21
Ages: 7-9
Camp date / time: Monday 6/21, 9a-5p
Price: Members $45, Non-Members $60
Welcome to our one-day magic camp for aspiring witches and wizards. From 9a-5p, campers will experience all the fun of our regular wizarding camps including fairy garden design, Quidditch, and wand crafting. (P.S. Don’t tell the muggles!)
Outback Idaho Mini-Camp - June 22
Ages: 7-9
Camp date / time: Tuesday 6/22, 9a-5p
Price: Members $45, Non-Members $60
G’day, campers! Grab your walking shoes and get ready to go on nature hikes and explore the best of Idaho’s diverse landscapes in a single day. Discover the plants and critters who live in Idaho’s dry deserts, winding rivers, and Rocky Mountains.
Creepy Crawly Mini-Camp - June 23
Ages: 7-9
Camp time: Wednesday 6/23, 9a-5p
Price: Members $45, Non-Members $60
Does it bug you that you can’t sign up your kid for all the amazing summer camps around town? We invite children to come explore the world through the eyes and senses of all things creepy crawly at this one-day, day-long camp.
2021 Week-long Camps
Creepy Crawly Camp - July 5-9
Ages: 4, 5-6
Camp time: 9a-noon
Price: Members $85, Non-Members $120
Does the thought of a worm make your stomach churn? Are you shy around a fly? Would you ever hug a slug? Come explore the world through the eyes and senses of all things creepy crawly and discover how cool these creatures really are.
Wild Treasures Camp - July 12-16
Ages: 5-6, 7-9
Camp time: 9a-noon
Price: Members $85, Non-Members $120
Ahoy, Mateys! Who’s ready for a treasure hunt? The natural world provides us with a wealth of benefits, from the water we drink to the soil we plant our gardens in. During this week of adventure and exploration, campers will discover the wild treasures all around us.
Wizarding Camp - July 19-23
Ages: 5-6, 7-9
Camp time: 9a-noon
Price: Members $85, Non-Members $120
Calling young witches and wizards! Welcome to another term at the Idaho Botanical School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Play Quidditch and attend classes, from Care of Magical Creatures to Herbology. And, if you dare, follow the spiders to solve a Garden mystery.
Nature’s Tinkers and Thinkers Camp - July 26-30
Ages: 5-6, 7-9
Camp time: 9a-noon
Price: Members $85, Non-Members $120
Did you know that the engineer who invented Velcro got the idea after having to pull burrs from his dog’s fur? Humans are some of nature’s best tinkers and thinkers, and we get our most creative ideas from observing the world around us. This week, campers will be challenged to look to nature as an inspiration to solve problems, from creating a trap like a carnivorous plant to making a raft inspired by a coconut.
Dirt Made My Lunch Camp - August 2-6
Ages: 4, 5-6
Camp time: 9a-noon
Price: Members $85, Non-Members $120
…And it tastes so good! See how human and animal food comes from dirt. Dig in the dirt, make seed tape, harvest vegetables, play games, and meet an earthworm.
Due to high demand, each child may register for no more than two sessions. Payment is refundable up to two weeks prior to the first day of camp class, minus a $10 processing fee.
Children attending morning camps should bring a snack and water bottle each day; children attending full-day camps should additionally pack a bag lunch. We also ask that campers wear closed-toed shoes, sunscreen, and a face mask. Following registration, you will receive a confirmation letter and an emergency medical form that must be returned the first day of camp.
Seedlings
Children aged 3–5 years are invited to come, with an adult, to play and learn at Idaho Botanical Garden’s Seedlings program in July and August.
During this program children will listen to a story, go on a nature walk and make a craft related to that day’s theme. The program starts at 10 a.m. and lasts for one hour.
Each child should come with an adult who will help during the activities. There is limited space, so please register in advance.
To sign up, contact the Garden, (208) 275-8612 or register online. Let us know the child’s name, the adult’s name, a phone number we may call if there is a problem, and which time and date you would like. If registering online, enter the child’s name as the registrant and your name in the billing information.
Admission:
Applicable Regular Garden adult admission, plus $2 per child:
- Member adult/child pair: $2
- Senior Non-member/child pair: $8
- Adult Non-member/child pair: $10
Regisration coming Spring 2020!!
The Secret Gardeners Story Time
I’ve always talked to plants. It’s a totally normal thing to do, right? At least that’s what I thought, until one day the plants started talking back to me. That was the day I got initiated into the Secret Gardeners Club. I was given a special key that opens doors to secret gardens all over the city – And some of those gardens? They’re pretty wild.
From the Idaho Botanical Garden, welcome to The Secret Gardeners Story Time. It’s the podcast for people – like you! – who are tuned in to nature.
Activity Sheets
To help our youth stay active and teach them about nature!
Map Your Habitat Activity Sheet!
Roly Polies Activity Sheet
Signs of Spring Scavenger Hunt!
Lewis & Clark Adventure!
