for educators

School Tours

Minnetrista offers a variety of multi-disciplinary school tours for Grades Pre-K through 5. These programs are active and engaging, while also standards-based and content-rich for your educational demands. Minnetrista is the perfect place for homeschooling families to gain alternative educational experiences! Check out the age-appropriate school tours below to get started.

request your school tour reservation
prepare for your visit

School Tour Details

60 Minute Experience
Available for Pre-K
Cost: $5/student

  • One guided tour

  • Lunch space (must reserve)

  • Exhibition/gallery time (guided) additional $2/student

Half Day Experience
Available for grades K & up
Cost: $5/student

  • One guided tour

  • Lunch space (must reserve)

Full Day Experience
Available for grades K & up
Cost: $7/student

  • Two experiences (guided tours or exhibition walk through)

  • Lunch space (must reserve)

  • Visit The Orchard Shop

Special rates apply to some tours. A minimum of ten paid admissions is required for all tours. There must be a minimum of one adult for every ten students. Teachers and homeschool parents are admitted at no charge. One chaperone is free for every five kids. $8 will be charged for additional chaperones. Maximum of four classes per tour. School tours are offered Wednesday through Friday.

We have field trip scholarships available for Delaware County Schools when the number of students participating in the free/reduced lunch program is fifty percent or higher. Ask about this opportunity when you email schooltours@minnetrista.net or call
765.287.3552 to book your visit.

School Tour Programs

Pre-school
grades k–2
grades 3–5

Exhibition Experience
Available for Pre-K & up
Cost: $5/student

  • Exhibition/gallery time

multi-grade
Students learning from Johnny Appleseed at Minnetrista.
Students exploring the Nature Area with binoculars.
Students operating a cider press at Minnetrista.
Students watching a cider press demonstration.

Pre-School Tour Programs (60 minutes each)

Johnny Appleseed

September – Mid-November

Johnny Appleseed knew that tiny seeds had great potential. On this tour, students will learn that although small in size, an apple seed has the potential to grow into a magnificent tree. Each seed and apple holds great possibility to become many different things.

    • Meet Johnny Appleseed in person

    • See a modern cider press; use a hand-crank press to make cider, then taste-test the results

    • Use their five senses to learn about different apples and the trees they grow on

    • Receive an apple to take home (While supplies last)

    • Understand that Johnny Appleseed was a real figure in history

    • Use their five senses to determine differences in both trees and apples

    • Examine and understand how machines have changed over time

    • Understand that a tree and the fruit that grows on it is a living thing

Garden Explorers

Mid-March – May

Students will explore gardens up close to discover how flowers grow and observe different bird calls. They’ll use binoculars to spot birds and learn that crows “caw” while robins “sing.” Through sensory exploration, they’ll look for colors and shapes in nature using their eyes, ears, nose, and sense of touch.

    • Explore Minnetrista’s gardens to find colors and shapes in nature

    • Plant a seed to take home

    • Listen to bird calls

    • This tour enables children to make use of their motor skills, senses, sorting skills, and simple direction following

    • Through active play students will learn that bees get their food from flowers

    • Seeds need soil, sun, and water to grow

    • Birds make different sounds

Grades K–2 Tour Programs (90 minutes each)

Garden Detectives

June – August

Become a garden detective at Minnetrista! Students will follow clues to identify plants, animals, insects, and more in our gardens and discover how life grows and works together.

    • Students will explore several Minnetrista Gardens

    • Students will get to plant a seed to take home

    • Students will learn about the life cycle of snails

    • Students will learn by participating in educational hands-on-activities

    • Students will explore the life cycle of a snail

    • Students will learn that plants, insects, and other animals are important to one another

    • Students will understand that plants need sunlight, water, and soil to grow

Nature Adventure

June – August

Embark on an exciting adventure at Minnetrista's Nature Area! Students will delve into Indiana’s three distinct habitats—wetland, woodland, and prairie. They will engage in bird-watching, identifying various species, and enjoy a thrilling scavenger hunt.

  • • Students will hike along trails in Minnetrista’s Nature Area

    • Students will engage in activities to learn about plants and animals native to Indiana

    • Students will explore Indiana’s three main habitats: wetland, woodland, and prairie

  • • Students will learn the similarities and differences between some of Indiana’s birds.

    • Students will learn which animals live in which habitat

    • Students will learn that animals and plants have adaptations that help them to survive

Backyard Ecology

Mid-March – May

Pairs well with:

  • Tours—Creepy Crawlies

Step into the buzzing world of Backyard Ecology at Minnetrista! Students will be immersed in hands-on activities, from planting seeds to exploring seed dispersal mechanisms. They'll uncover the interdependence of plants, insects, and animals and gain a deeper appreciation for the natural world.

    • Students participate in game based educational hands-on-activities

    • Students will learn by exploring Minnetrista’s gardens and grounds

    • Students will get to plant a seed to take back to class with them

    • Students will learn by participating in game based educational hands-on-activities

    • Students will explore the life cycle of a plant

    • Students will learn that plants, insects, and other animals are important to one another

    • Students will understand that plants need sunlight, water, and soil to grow

  • Kindergarten

    • Life Science: K.RV.2.2, K-LS1-1, K-ESS3-1, K-ESS2-2., K-ESS3-1, K-ESS3-3.

    • Language Arts: K.SL.2.1, K.SL.4.3., K.SL.2.3, K.SL.2.5, K.SL.3.2, K-ESS2-2.

    • Mathematics: K.NS.10 , K.G.2, K.G.2

    First Grade

    • Life Science: 1-LS1-1, 1-LS1-2.,1-LS3-1

    • Language Ats: 1.SL.4.1, 1.SL.4-2, 1.SL.4.3 , 1.SL.2.3

    • Mathematics: 1.DA.1 , 1.G.1,

    Second Grade

    • Life Science: LS2-1., 2-LS2-2., 2-LS4-1.

    • Language Arts: 2.SL.2.1, 2.SL.2.3, 2.SL.2.4, 2.SL.3.2, 2.SL.4.3

    • Mathematics: 2.G.1

Johnny Appleseed

September – Mid-November

Pairs well with:

  • Tours—Creepy Crawlies

Johnny Appleseed’s stories and antics will captivate your class. Your students will not only discover why apples are an important part of the Ball family and Minnetrista history but also why they’re important to people and the earth.

    • Meet Johnny Appleseed in person

    • Compare Minnetrista’s old growth apple trees to those from the younger apple orchard

    • See a modern cider press; use a hand-crank press to make cider, then taste-test the results

    • Explore the life cycle of an apple

    • Realize that small things have great potential

    • Understand that Johnny Appleseed (actually John Chapman) was a real figure in history

    • Use their five senses to determine differences in both trees and apples

    • Examine and understand how machines have changed over time and have impacted how we get the goods we need and want

    • Understand that a tree and the fruit that grows on it is a living thing with many parts

  • Kindergarten

    • Social Studies: K.1.1, K.1.2, K.1.3, K.2.3, K.2.4, K.2.2, K.3.2, K.3.3, K.4.2

    • Language Arts: K.SL.2.1, K.SL.4.3., K.SL.2.3, K.SL.2.5, K.SL.3.2, K-ESS2-2

    First Grade

    • Social Studies: 1.1.1, 1.1.3, 1.1.4, 1.1.8, 1.2.2, 1.2.3, 1.3.3, 1.3.9

    • Language Arts: 1.SL.4.1, 1.SL.4-2, 1.SL.4.3 , 1.SL.2.3

    Second Grade

    • Social Studies: 2.1.1, 2.1.2, 2.1.3, 2.2.5, 2.4.2, 2.4.7

    • Language Arts: 1.SL.4.1, 1.SL.4-2, 1.SL.4.3 , 1.SL.2.3

Creepy Crawlies

Mid-March – May; September – Mid-November

Pairs well with:

  • Tours—Habitat Hunters

Kids are often afraid of spiders, touchy about insects, and spooked by things that crawl. This program will bring your students up close and personal with the amazing and important world of nature’s most prominent, yet misunderstood animal populations.

    • Search for live creepy crawlies in our garden spaces

    • Identify the differences between insects, arachnids, and other crawlies with our model collection

    • Through active play they will learn that insects have important jobs to do

    • See real preserved specimens in metamorphosis stages, then run in the metamorphosis relay

    • Identify how insect communication and senses are different from our own

    • Understand that not all creepy crawlies are the same

    • Identify anatomical differences

    • Discover the life cycle differences of various crawlies

    • Identify basic characteristics used for scientific classification

    • Follow instructions in the correct order to assemble an end product

    • Identify the role that creepy crawlies can play in our lives and ecosystems

  • Kindergarten

    • Life Science: K.RV.2.2, K-LS1-1, K-ESS3-1, K-ESS2-2., K-ESS3-1, K-ESS3-3.

    • Language Arts: K.SL.2.1, K.SL.4.3., K.SL.2.3, K.SL.2.5, K.SL.3.2, K-ESS2-2.

    • Mathematics: K.NS.10 , K.G.2, K.G.2

    1st Grade

    • Life Science: 1-LS1-1, 1-LS1-2.,1-LS3-1

    • Language Arts: 1.SL.4.1, 1.SL.4-2, 1.SL.4.3 , 1.SL.2.3

    • Mathematics: 1.DA.1 , 1.G.1,

    2nd Grade

    • Life Science: 2-LS2-1, 2-LS4-1, 2-LS2-2.

    • Language Arts: 2.SL.2.1, 2.SL.2.3, 2.SL.2.4, 2.SL.3.2, 2.SL.4.3

    • Mathematics: 2.G.1

Habitat Hunters

Mid-March – May; September – Mid-November

Pairs well with:

  • Tours—Creepy Crawlies

Explore three of Indiana’s natural habitats in the Minnetrista Nature Area—tallgrass prairie, woodland, and wetland. By applying observation skills, using scientific tools, and playing games, your students will discover the importance of each of these habitats and the plants and animals that call them home.

    • Explore the tall grass prairie to learn how things live above ground and underground

    • Use binoculars and listen to bird calls in the woodland to compare how some birds are alike and how they are different

    • Use insect models to learn how camouflage aids in an animal’s survival

    • Participate in activities to understand how plants and animals in different habitats are interconnected

    • Identify the three dominant habitats in Indiana

    • Understand that habitats are interconnected

    • Realize that living organisms include plants and animals

    • Understand that tools can help us to better observe and understand the world around us

    • Discover that exploration is a fun and scientific process

  • Kindergarten

    • Life Science: K.RV.2.2, K-LS1-1, K-ESS3-1, K-ESS2-2., K-ESS3-1, K-ESS3-3.

    • Language Arts: K.SL.2.1, K.SL.4.3., K.SL.2.3, K.SL.2.5, K.SL.3.2, K-ESS2-2.

    • Mathematics: K.NS.10 , K.G.2, K.G.2

    First Grade

    • Life Science: 1-LS1-1, 1-LS1-2.,1-LS3-1

    • Language Arts: 1.SL.4.1, 1.SL.4-2, 1.SL.4.3 , 1.SL.2.3

    • Mathematics: 1.DA.1 , 1.G.1,

    Second Grade

    • Life Science: 2-LS2-1, 2-LS4-1, 2-LS2-2.

    • Language Arts: 2.SL.2.1, 2.SL.2.3, 2.SL.2.4, 2.SL.3.2, 2.SL.4.3

    • Mathematics: 2.G.1

Grades 3–5 Tour Programs (90 minutes each)

Garden Detectives

June – August

Become a garden detective at Minnetrista! Students will follow clues to identify plants, animals, insects, and more in our gardens and discover how life grows and works together.

    • Students will explore several Minnetrista Gardens

    • Students will get to plant a seed to take home

    • Students will learn about the life cycle of snails

    • Students will learn by participating in educational hands-on-activities

    • Students will explore the life cycle of a snail

    • Students will learn that plants, insects, and other animals are important to one another

    • Students will understand that plants need sunlight, water, and soil to grow

Community Growth

Mid-March – May; September – Mid-November

Pairs well with:

  • Tours—Nature Connection

Students will explore water as a crucial natural resource for human survival. Using historical objects, dioramas, and water table models, they will explore how technology, land, and communities change overtime and how we can solve environmental issues.

    • By using a watershed model, students will learn how communities can protect their natural resources

    • Observe how a community changes over time

    • Identify the importance of rivers to early communities

    • Use artifacts to understand how life in the early 1900s was different and similar from today

    • People in communities depend on one another

    • Communities change over time as resources and population distribution changes, but pieces of a community’s origins often remain

    • Models and simulations help us to understand and see real things by providing visual aid

    • We are all part of a community

  • 3rd Grade

    • Social Sciences: 3.1.1., 3.1.2, 3.1.3, 3.1.4, 3.1.6, 3.1.8 ,3.1.9, 3.2.5, 3.3.11, 3 .3.12 , 3.3.13 ,3.4.3

    • Life Sciences: 3-ESS2-3, ESS3-1, 3-5.ETS1-1, 3-5.ETS1-2, 3-5.ETS1-3.

    • Language Arts: 3.SL.2.3, 3.SL.2.5, 3.SL.4.3

    4th Grade

    • Social Science: 4.1.1, 4.1.2., 4.1.9, 4.1.11 ,4.1.12 ,4.1.18 ,4.4.1 ,4.4.7 ,4.3.13,

    • Life Sciences: 4-ESS2-1, 4-ESS2-2, 4-ESS3-1, 4-ESS3-2.

    • Language Arts: 4.SL.2.3, 4.SL.2.5, 4.SL.4.3

    5th Grade

    • Social Studies: : 5.1.1 ,5.3.7 ,5.3.11 ,5.3.13 ,5.4.3 ,5-ESS3-1.

    • Life Science: 3-5.ETS1-1., 3-5.ETS1-2, 3-5.ETS1-3.

    • Language Arts: 5.SL.2.2, 5.SL.2.3, 5.SL.2.5

Nature Connections

Mid-March – May; September – Mid-November

Pairs well with:

  • Tours—Community Growth

Explore three unique habitats in Minnetrista’s Nature Area: wetland, woodland, and tallgrass prairie. By applying observation skills, using scientific tools, and having fun, your students will discover the importance of each of these habitats and how both plants and animals adapt to them.

    • Explore the tall grass prairie using a nature journal to record your observations

    • Use binoculars and listen to bird calls in the woodland to compare how birds are alike and how they are different

    • Play a game about animal adaptations

    • Become part of the web of life

    • How habitats are interconnected

    • Living organisms include plants and animals; animals range from small to large

    • Exploration is a fun, scientific process

    • All living organisms have various adaptations that help them survive and live better in their respective habitat

    • When environments are changed, living organisms in those environments are forced to adapt, move, or become extinct

  • Third Grade

    • Life Science: 3-LS1-1, 3-LS2-1, 3-LS3-1, 3-LS4-4.

    • Language Arts: 3.SL.2.3, 3.SL.2.5, 3.SL.4.3

    Fourth Grade

    • Life Science: 4-LS1-1, 4-LS1-2, 4-ESS2-1, 4-ESS3-2.

    • Language Arts: 4.SL.2.3, 4.SL.2.5, 4.SL.4.3

    Fifth Grade

    • Life Science: 5-PS3-1, 5-LS2-1, 5-LS1-1, 5-ESS3-1

    • Language Arts: 5.SL.2.2, 5.SL.2.3, 5.SL.2.5

Nature Adventure

June – August

Embark on an exciting adventure at Minnetrista's Nature Area! Students will delve into Indiana’s three distinct habitats—wetland, woodland, and prairie. They will engage in bird-watching, identifying various species, and enjoy a thrilling scavenger hunt.

  • • Students will hike along trails in Minnetrista’s Nature Area

    • Students will engage in activities to learn about plants and animals native to Indiana

    • Students will explore Indiana’s three main habitats: wetland, woodland, and prairie

  • • Students will learn the similarities and differences between some of Indiana’s birds.

    • Students will learn which animals live in which habitat

    • Students will learn that animals and plants have adaptations that help them to survive

Multi-grade K-5 Tour Programs (90 minutes each)

Garden Detectives

June – August

Become a garden detective at Minnetrista! Students will follow clues to identify plants, animals, insects, and more in our gardens and discover how life grows and works together.

    • Students will explore several Minnetrista Gardens

    • Students will get to plant a seed to take home

    • Students will learn about the life cycle of snails

    • Students will learn by participating in educational hands-on-activities

    • Students will explore the life cycle of a snail

    • Students will learn that plants, insects, and other animals are important to one another

    • Students will understand that plants need sunlight, water, and soil to grow

Nature Adventure

June – August

Embark on an exciting adventure at Minnetrista's Nature Area! Students will delve into Indiana’s three distinct habitats—wetland, woodland, and prairie. They will engage in bird-watching, identifying various species, and enjoy a thrilling scavenger hunt.

  • • Students will hike along trails in Minnetrista’s Nature Area

    • Students will engage in activities to learn about plants and animals native to Indiana

    • Students will explore Indiana’s three main habitats: wetland, woodland, and prairie

  • • Students will learn the similarities and differences between some of Indiana’s birds.

    • Students will learn which animals live in which habitat

    • Students will learn that animals and plants have adaptations that help them to survive

2025 Exhibitions

Good Night Forest

June 7 – November 2, 2025

Visitors will feel like they are stepping into a beloved children’s storybook as they encounter whimsical scenes and engaging sensory activities in this nature-inspired experience. Designed to help build confidence and cultivate scientific curiosity, children will discover and learn about animals that emerge in their neighborhoods and local forests after the sun goes down.

Good Night Forest is organized and produced by the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites, with support from Ball Brothers Foundation and George and Frances Ball Foundation.

  • Kindergarten

    • Life Sciences: ESS2-2, ESS3-1

    • Language Arts: SL.2.1, SL.2.3, SL.2.5, SL.3.2,SL.4.3

    • Mathematics: RV.2.2

    1st Grade

    • Life Sciences: LS1-1, LS1-2

    • Language Arts: SL.4.1, SL.4.3

    2nd Grade

    • Life Science: LS4-1

 

Narwhal: Revealing an Arctic Legend

July 12 – September 28, 2025

The narwhal, with its unique spiral tusk, has inspired legend and fascinated people across cultures for centuries. Take a deep dive into the narwhal's Arctic world to explore what makes this mysterious animal and its changing ecosystem so important. Through first-hand accounts from scientists and Inuit community members, the exhibition will reveal how traditional knowledge and experience, coupled with the latest scientific research, heighten our understanding of these fascinating animals—and our changing global climate.

Narwhal: Revealing an Arctic Legend is organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service in collaboration with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.

  • Kindergarten

    • Life Science: LS1-1

    First Grade

    • Life Science: LS1-1, LS1-2, LS3-1

    Second Grade

    • Life Science: ESS2-3, LS4-1

    Third Grade

    • Life Science: LS1-1, LS2-1, LS3-1

    Fourth Grade

    • Life Science: LS1-1, LS1-2

    Fifth Grade

    • Life Science: ESS3-1

 

Open Space: Art About the Land

November 8 – January 4, 2026

Since 2001, Open Space: Art About the Land has encouraged artists to derive inspiration from the land. This year's offering will be shared between two venues, with one showing at Minnetrista and a sister exhibition hosted at the Anderson Museum of Art. As always, this project supports Red-tail Land Conservancy’s mission to preserve and restore vital habitats where people and wildlife thrive in East Central Indiana. 

Open Space: Art About the Land is in partnership with eKeeper Systems.

  • Kindergarten

    • Visual Arts: Cn11.1.K

    First Grade

    • Visual Arts: Cn11.1.1

    Second Grade

    • Visual Arts: Cn11.1.2

    Third Grade

    • Visual Arts: Cn11.1.3

    Fourth Grade

    • Visual Arts: Cn11.1.4

    Fifth Grade

    • Visual Arts: Cn11.1.5

 

A Community Portrait: Winter

November 22 – February 1, 2026

Back for the holidays with new images and stories to explore, A Community Portrait turns our neighbors into art through the beauty of portrait photography by Tom Styrkowicz. Join us for the culmination of this three-year-long project that seeks to illuminate our community through the unique individuals who call it home.

  • Kindergarten

    • Visual Arts: Cn11.1.K

    First Grade

    • Visual Arts: Cn11.1.1

    Second Grade

    • Visual Arts: Cn11.1.2

    Third Grade

    • Visual Arts: Cn11.1.3

    Fourth Grade

    • Visual Arts: Cn11.1.4

    Fifth Grade

    • Visual Arts: Cn11.1.5