Columbus Counts Program

Columbus Counts is Franklin Park Conservatory’s interactive educational program that provides 1st-12th grade students with important environmental knowledge about personal energy consumption and conservation, the global carbon cycle, and the carbon sequestration power of trees and plants.  The Columbus Counts curriculum was designed to work across disciplines (life sciences, earth sciences, mathematics, statistics, art, & writing) and to align with Ohio’s Academic Content Standards.  This multi-faceted program is unique in that your school can choose to participate in one element of the Program (Outreach Program, School Tour, or additional suggested activities) or your school can choose to fully participate in every aspect of the Program.  We are happy to work with your school to find a Program that best fits the needs of your students.

Interested in having your class participate in Columbus Counts?
Fill out and return the OUTREACH registration form

Or if you would rather visit the Conservatory, complete the
SCHOOL TOUR registration form

School Tours at Franklin Park Conservatory

Franklin Park Conservatory provides an active learning environment—a living classroom for your school tour.  Students interact with native and exotic plant collections while taking a guided tour through the Himalayan Mountain Biome, the Rainforest Biome, and the Desert Biome.  Students will examine these unique habitats through the lens of the carbon cycle and how humans and the environment interact.  Each school tour program lasts approximately 50 minutes and is tailored to the grade level of your students.

Outreach - Franklin Park Conservatory Visits Your School

Elementary School:
Columbus Counts is a cross-disciplinary, interactive educational program that will inspire your students by exposing them to the great outdoors in your school’s own backyard, while enhancing their environmental knowledge about personal energy consumption and conservation. During this one-hour lesson, your students will gain a deeper understanding of tree physiology and explore their creative side by drawing a life-sized tree! In the process, they will discover the important role trees play in removing carbon from the air we breathe.

Middle School:
Students will examine “tree cookies”and use practical math and science skills to quantify tree growth patterns of different tree species. Through this process students will make a comparison between carbon uptake and tree growth, explore carbon sequestration of trees in varying ecosystems and analyze human impact the carbon cycle. 

High School:
Students will participate in a one-hour, hands-on lesson to learn how to accurately collect authentic scientific data about the forest carbon content of Columbus’ urban forests.  Students will gain a deeper understanding of carbon sequestration and will have the skills to calculate the carbon content of a given stand of trees on your school campus, at Franklin Park or in the Community.  The collected data will act as a platform from which each student can evaluate his carbon footprint.