I've always felt a commitment to helping our children learn about the beauty of our planet and the importance of spending time in the natural world. Growing up in Santa Barbara, I always heard stories about the beauty of Lotusland. It opened to the public in the early 90's and has been an incredible resource for the Central Coast community ever since. 

Lotusland's Fourth Grade Outreach Program started in 1998 with just four schools and now serves 2,500+ students from around Santa Barbara county each school year. The program emphasizes the interrelationship of our natural world, including plants, animals and humans through classroom curriculum materials, a docent presentation, and a field trip experience in the gardens. The critical role plants play in sustaining life on earth and our part in their conservation are key themes they read about and see firsthand. Students learn how oxygen, carbon dioxide, plants, animals, humans and our shared habitats are all bound together. The hands-on approach to studying botanical gardens is an important component of the program that dramatically increases student's retention of topics.

To learn more about Lotusland, please visit lotusland.org.