School Programs
School Groups
Engage students in art, history, and botanical gardens with a field trip to Cheekwood. Cheekwood offers FREE ADMISSION for teachers and students with school groups from Tennessee, Southern Kentucky and Northern Alabama.
Students in grades pre-K-12 can explore the botanical gardens, experience the historic Cheek mansion, and tour art exhibitions in the museum galleries. Guided tours are grade level- and subject area-appropriate and are aligned with Tennessee Academic Standards.
• Tours are available Tuesday – Friday, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm.
• The minimum group size for scheduling field trips is 10 students. Groups smaller than 10 students must pay regular admission prices.
• The maximum group size for guided tours is 80 students and 150 for self-guided tours. Larger groups will be asked to schedule their tours on separate dates.
• Students and teachers are admitted free of charge. Adult chaperones (non-school employees) are required to pay the group rate of $16/person.
• Each guided tour lasts between 30 minutes to one hour. Self-guided tours are self-paced and can take anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours.
• Advanced reservations are required for all guided and self-guided tours.
• Teachers may be asked to present their teacher ID upon arrival.
Rain policy:
- Cheekwood reserves the right to cancel guided tours in the case of rain and/or inclement weather.
- Cancelled tours will be notified one day in advance of the scheduled tour date and will be given the opportunity to reschedule.
- Due to construction, we currently do not have the capacity to host field trip groups indoors. If you fear rain may interfere with your group’s outdoor experience, please contact Rachel to reschedule.
- Cheekwood anticipates regaining our capacity to host field trip groups indoors by the summer of 2018.
Contact Rachel Head at rhead@cheekwood.org if you have any questions.
Art Outreach
Bring Cheekwood to your school with Art Outreach, a free outreach program featuring expert teachers who engage students in hands-on art projects. Students will cycle through four Cheekwood-inspired art activity stations during the half day of programming at your school. In addition to the in-school activities, this program also includes brief pre- and post-visit lessons for teachers to present in their classrooms. Content of this program is age-appropriate and meets the academic standards detailed in this document.
Schools will be selected to participate based on need and availability of program. See descriptions of each activity station below.
Interpret an Invasive: Amanda Parer’s Intrude
At this station, students will learn about Australian-artist Amanda Parer’s Intrude installation, giant inflatable rabbits that represent Australia’s issue with invasive rabbits. In small groups, students will learn about the fire ant, an invasive species in Tennessee, and decide how they would interpret the insect as art. Groups will present their designs and reasoning.
Art and the Environment: Cracking Art
At this station, the Cracking Art installation will be used as an example of a creative way to recycle materials and protect the environment. Students will learn about recycling and humans’ interactions with the environment and earth’s natural resources before creating their own work of art using recycled materials.
Design Cheekwood’s Landscape: Architectural Blueprints
Students take charge of Cheekwood at this station, where they will use original early blueprints to determine how to design the landscape of the 55-acre estate. Geometry skills are honed as students learn to look with an architect’s eye.
Bloom with Cheekwood
At this station, students will learn how the natural world influences our art and culture. After viewing images of Cheekwood’s tulips, hyacinths, and daffodils, students will create a work of art inspired by the beauty of Cheekwood in Bloom.
Cheekwood Explorations
Cheekwood Explorations is now aimed at supporting students who are learning English as a second language while helping all students in grades 2-4 learn about science and nature. With pre-visit materials that prepare students for a multi-lingual tour of the gardens, day-of programming that highlights reading and creating, Explorations corresponds to art, English language arts, science, and social studies curriculum standards. This is a FREE program. Bus transportation will be paid for by Cheekwood.
For more information on School Outreach at Cheekwood, please contact the School and Outreach Programs Manager, Rachel Head, at rhead@cheekwood.org.
Homeschool Day
More 2018 information forthcoming