Governors Island is open to the public daily year-round and is a very unique experience for visitors. Governor's Island is located in New York Harbor and is only 800 yards from lower Manhattan and even closer to Brooklyn. Yet many NY residents haven't explored the wonderful flora and fauna and the year -round activities this 172 acre island has to offer.  

 

We have created a guide and activities you can use with your students on the island to extend your field trip. You can view more about Governor's Island info and events at GovIsland.com

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Governors Island Directions and Ferry Schedule​

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• ​Fun things to do: This map and guide details a few spots you can visit on the island, what you can do there, and approximately how long it will take you to travel to each location from both the Teaching Garden and the ferry. 

 

Pre-Visit:

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• Social Narrative can help students know what to expect on the day of their trip and make the trip run smoothly.​

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• History of Governors Island: This activity provides a brief history of Governors Island along with some interactive questions for students to answer. 

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• Fractals in Nature: This activity provides a brief description of what fractals are and how they appear in nature. It also includes an activity sheet for students to search for and draw examples of fractals they find in real life. 

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• Birding on Governors: Teach your students about birds in NYC! This birding observation sheet is a great way to introduce students to birding. This bird reference guide details common birds that can be found on Governors Island (and NYC in general) and includes a description of each bird, common behaviors, and their habitats. This resource guide provides educators with birding teaching tips, related scope and sequence units, and ideas for lesson extensions for all grades. In addition to the all seasons reference guide (linked above), we have created similar reference guides for Spring (March - June), Summer (June - September), and Fall (September - November) to cater to the date of your field trip. 

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Map to the Teaching Garden

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• Virtual Field Trips: Bring the garden to your classroom before your field trip! We have created virtual field trips based on NYC Scope and Sequence for educators to use in the classroom. Take a virtual trip to the Teaching Garden here!

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• Garden Videos: Check our our blog to watch informational videos for your class! 

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Post-Visit:

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• Curriculum: Interested in more curricula for the classroom? Created with New York City students in mind, our free curricula explore food access, justice, nutrition, and more. 

  • 5-6 Grade: Seed To Plate: Interested in bringing Nutrition Education to your school? Our Seed to Plate Program works with 5th and 6th graders to teach them about the importance of where their food comes from.

  • 6-8 Grade: Food Justice in the Community

  • 9-12 Grade: Farmstand Business Curriculum​

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• Root Camp: GrowNYC is partnering with Ample Table for Everyone to bring their Root Camp Curriculum to our middle schools during the 2022-2023 school year. This is comprised of 10 discrete 45 minute lessons introduced through a series of discussion questions and relevant vocabulary.

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• Education Resources: Interested in more resources for your classroom? Visit our Education site here to learn more! 

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• School Gardens: Do you hope to start a garden at your school? These resources may be of use to you as well as our School Garden Program.

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• Zero Waste Schools: Is your school a Zero Waste School? If not, learn more about GrowNYC's mission to help NYC schools create effective recycling programs with our Zero Waste Programs.

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That's not all! GrowNYC has many other resources and events available to you, your students and families. Please visit GrowNYC.org to learn more!