Education @ The IPFCGReady Set Grow… Plantplay! What to expect on visits to The Ian Potter Foundation Children's Garden
The Ian Potter Foundation Children’s Garden is a place where children of all ages and abilities are able to explore and discover in an interactive, hands-on environment, the wonders of plants and their importance in our lives. Delight in plants-spaces that will stimulate children’s senses, broaden their knowledge and invite exploration and adventure. Immerse your group in the magical world of a garden where experience-based learning creates connections through gardening, play and the inspiration of story…A place just waiting for the child’s imagination! Choose from the following programs. Student Programs
The Ian Potter Foundation Children's Garden Teachers Kit What's On at the Ian Potter Foundation Children's Garden OPENING HOURS
Map
Real gardening
Life-long and life-wide skills include growing a garden that is also good for you; understanding the systems and cycles that make up a healthy garden. Asking 'What is my role and where do I fit in?' leads to critical thinking and the development of problem-solving skills. Play and construction
"Children still need the peace of a long slow-paced active and engaged childhood with plenty of time to finger slime, peer into water and make hosts of new discoveries which consolidate the process of knowing self and the world." "Play is the perfect bridge between the world of nature and the world of others." Sally Jenkinson, The Nature of Play. Sensory immersion in intriguing plant landscapes
'In nature play, in which all the senses are active, a correspondence of feeling within the child, a symphony of responses to the world is aroused. Our first feelings are educated by our senses for it is our sense that begin the task of articulating and differentiating the feelings'. Sally Jenkinson. Exploring the fantasy and imaginary elements of plants
A child's imagination needs food; a garden is a place where the imagination grows! The power of story
Landscape tells the most exciting stories because children can become a part of the story itself, meeting the plant and animal characters that live there. The power of delight
"Surely a garden is not a success if it doesn't bring joy to children." Edna Walling People passion
Share discoveries and creations with the gardeners, volunteers and botanists who work at the RBG, while finding out what they do and what drives them. 'If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder…he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, discovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in'. Rachel Carson, A Sense of Wonder. A 'Hands…Heart…Head' experiential approach
We all love to touch, to do, to make, to discover. Using our hands and senses connects us to our emotions where passions are ignited! Our passions lead to a thirst for understanding. The most effective learning experiences for children involve all three levels of learning and values the connections between them. An integrated approach- Making plant connections
Although programs do have focus areas they are designed to support integrated curriculums through their content and strategies. Plants connect to everything about being human! The child's contribution
Whatever the child's contribution, artwork, gardening, landscaping, sculpture, dance, mudpies, a scarecrow...it is the most significant part of a changing and dynamic landscape. return to top THE IAN POTTER FOUNDATION CHILDREN'S GARDEN OPENING HOURS The Ian Potter Foundation Children's Garden needs time for rest and maintenance. It is closed for two months at the end of the Victorian July School Holidays. This year the Children's Garden will close on 14 July 2008 and reopen at 10am, 10 September 2008 Open 10am - 4pm, Monday and Tuesday* please note conditions apply!
10am - 4pm, Wednesday to Sunday
10am - 4pm, seven days per week during Victorian State School holidays *booked education program groups ONLY! Closed:
Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day and Good Friday
For two months at the start of third term (Victorian State Schools) return to top | 2008 information:Growing School Community Gardens short course
Teacher Professional Development
South East Water Teacher Professional Development Session
more information Careers Day -Cranbourne
This careers program will introduce students to the diversity of career options available within the fields of horticulture and conservation land management using the Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne as a case study.
more information School Partnership Programs -Melbourne
School Partnership Programs generate opportunities for long term, ongoing learning experiences for schools.
more information Free Bus Offer -Melbourne
One of the barriers to bringing school groups out on excursions is the expense of transport. To assist in overcoming this barrier, The Ian Potter Foundation is providing support that will cover the cost of transport in order for eligible schools to travel to the Gardens to participate in one of the Children’s Garden programs.
Since it opened, the children of Melbourne have received The Ian Potter Foundation Children’s Garden very enthusiastically and we are all keen for every school child in the state to experience the education programs that we provide. Please contact the Education Office on 9252 2358 to see if your school qualifies. 
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