Educator Challenge: Expedition Discovery – Ecosystem Quest

For Individuals or Groups — 50 bonus points (Maximum 1 entry per school)

YOUR CHALLENGE: Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden has been committed to education and inspiring younger generations since its opening in 1938. Recently named the Best Botanical Garden in North America, Fairchild’s collections and exhibits act as a living classroom, ripe with opportunities to harness and grow an interest in plants and botanical science. Our newest self-guided educational program, Expedition Discovery, utilizes the Garden’s grounds to take children along educational adventures. Your challenge is to design an Expedition Discovery mission and accompanying pin, highlighting Fairchild’s unique ecosystems. Downloadable PDF

ENTRY SUBMISSION: Monday, January 9, 2023 to Sunday, January 15, 2023

Electronically submit the following:

Uploaded PDF file to entry form includes:

  • Self-guided Expedition Discovery mission

  • Pin design

✓  Entry Requirements:
 Written mission and pin design must be saved as a single pdf file and uploaded on entry form. PDF file name must include school name and educator name
 Mission must be an original, ecosystem-themed challenge
 Typed mission must be maximum 3 pages including space for drawings, observations, etc.
 Pin design must be relevant to written mission
 Entry must be accessible to visitors of different abilities
 Bibliography must be submitted citing at least 5 sources, following MLA or APA format
 On-time entry submission (late entries may not receive points)

EVALUATION CRITERIA: 
For more information on how your submission will be evaluated, see Educator Challenge Evaluation Sheet

RESOURCES:
Expedition Discovery at Fairchild (Past Expeditions: Become an Explorer, Orchid Encounter, Jurassic Garden, Tree-vel the World, Layer Up!, Find the Flutter, Coco’s Adventure: From Bean to Bar)
Expedition Discovery example: Find the Flutter
Expedition Discovery example: Become an Explorer Junior
The Wild Report: Ecosystems Episode 1: What is an ecosystem? (video)
Crash Course: Ecosystem ecology: Links in the chain – Crash Course Ecology #7 (video)
United Nations Environment Programme: Integrating Ecosystem-based Adaptation in Education Curriculum: A Resource Guide