Educators

Professional Development
Fairchild offers professional development courses for educators focusing on botany, ecology, and South Florida natural history. Courses are designed to increase your knowledge and understanding of the importance of plants, plant uses, and conservation efforts for the future.

Important Info:

  • All workshops are hosted in person at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden.
  • MDCPS teachers register through Frontline Portal when approved by MDCPS. Contact MDCPS for registration issues.  
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Cultural, Medicinal, and Historical
Uses of Plants
April 1, 2023
10:00am - 3:00pm

Ethnobotany is the study of how people around the world use plants in their lives, both historically and in modern-day times. Plants have many significant uses, including use as medicine, food, shelter, tools, transportation, and religious purposes. Join the Education Department at Fairchild in this workshop, sponsored by the Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center, as we explore the historical, cultural, and economic significance of plants through time. 


Tropical Botany: Back to the Basics
April 7, 2023
10:00am - 3:00pm

Explore the wonderful world of troical plant conservation! From roots to shoots, extreme adaptations learn how to become environmentally versed through the power of plants. This course will provide an introduction for teachers to plant classification, morphology and plant-pollinator interactions. Using appropriate grade level pedagogy and a combination of teaching methods including lecture, plant dissections, lab activities, independent and cooperative inquiry, and guided outdoor instruction, teachers will learn interdisciplinary teaching methods to easily adapt to the classroom. This workshop is generously sponsored by the Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center US Department of Education Title VI Grant.

Tropical Botany: Back to the Basics
April 8, 2023
10:00am - 3:00pm

Explore the wonderful world of tropical plant conservation! From roots to shoots, extreme adaptations learn how to become environmentally versed through the power of plants. This course will provide an introduction for teachers to plant classification, morphology and plant-pollinator interactions. Using appropriate grade level pedagogy and a combination of teaching methods including lecture, plant dissections, lab activities, independent and cooperative inquiry, and guided outdoor instruction, teachers will learn interdisciplinary teaching methods to easily adapt to the classroom. This workshop is generously sponsored by the Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center US Department of Education Title VI Grant

Plumeria 'Singapore Dwarf Pink'

Tropical Botany Bootcamp
July 10 - 14, 2023
9:00 am - 4:00 pm

Topical Botany Bootcamp for K-12 educators is a week long course hosted at Fairchild, with an introduction to botanical concepts. This course explores plant classification, morphology, plant-pollinator interactions, ethnobotany, and botanical history. Through a combination of teaching methods including lecture, plant dissections, lab activities, independent and cooperative inquiry, and guided Garden walks, educators explore ways to integrate plant science into the classroom. This workshop is generously sponsored by the Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center US Department of Education Title VI Grant.


MDCPS registration is available via Frontline when approved.

Registration issues must be directed to Frontline administrative staff. 

All other educators are welcome to register directly with FTBG, please email education@fairchildgarden.org