Garden Detectives

Caring about the plants and animals begins with knowing their names.

This is the idea behind the Garden Detectives program, now in its fourth year at Seth Boyden. The program was created by Jane Conrad, a parent at Seth Boyden, who compiled picture binders featuring over 150 species of trees, shrubs, flowers, weeds, birds, butterflies and insects present in the school yard where children play.

The program is available on a "drop-in" basis to all children at the school during their recess periods in spring and fall. During recess, children (the Garden Detectives) leaf through these binders and choose which items they'd like to hunt for that day. Parent volunteers are on hand to assist children, or to lead impromptu tours or hunts according to their own inclinations.  Kids record their findings by drawing and writing about them in their 20-page Field Notebook, complete with fold-out map of the schoolyard. 

When a child fills their book with 20 finds, the school principal awards them a Garden Detective Badge (more awards are available for additional finds).  A set of the picture binders is also available to all teachers to use in lessons.

While hunting for things, Garden Detectives get lots of practice looking closely at plants and insects and seeing them change over time.  Doing this leads to amazing discoveries - for instance that apple blossoms are followed by tiny fruit you can see growing right on the tree, or that boy Cabbage White butterflies look different from girl Cabbage Whites.  The Garden Detectives program helps keep the schoolyard "alive" by familiarizing everyone with the natural world around them every day.