On most days, the children’s adventure garden at the Dallas Arboretum hums with the chatter of curious kids.
But on one recent morning, the energy was dialed up even higher.
Dallas Independent School District students from 12 schools poured into the eight-acre garden, darting through its maze, studying the shapes of plant roots and experimenting with small wind turbines as they moved from one hands-on station to the next.
“I learned about the solar system,” said Alan Baragan, a fourth grader at Montessori Academy at Onesimo Hernandez Elementary, who sat in the shade of the garden’s Exploration Center with his classmates. “That the Earth and the moon move at the same time,” but the movement can’t be felt, he said.
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The entrance of the Dallas Arboretum’s Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden is pictured March 11, 2026, in Dallas. Dallas ISD fourth graders visited the garden as part of the STEM-related field trips funded in part by Lyda Hill Philanthropies.
Chitose Suzuki / Staff Photographer
Students like Alan had been to the arboretum before. But for many, it was their first time there.
Their visit came via a new program launched by Dallas ISD with funding from Lyda Hill Philanthropies. Called “Learning Voyages,” the program will give more than 48,000 Dallas ISD students — about 35% of the district’s total enrollment — the chance this spring to take part in field trips designed to reinforce classroom lessons with real-world science, technology, engineering and math experiences.
The initiative removes many of the financial and logistical barriers that can make educational outings difficult for schools to organize. Students from grades 1, 2, 5 and 7 will visit destinations such as the arboretum, the Dallas Zoo, the Environmental Education Center and the Perot Museum of Nature and Science.
“Our goal is to ensure that our students understand what STEM careers and opportunities are there,” LeVonue Brewster, executive director of academic enrichment services at Dallas ISD, said. “We’re enriching their futures and lighting their beacons of hope for what could be.”
Dallas ISD fourth graders visit the Dallas Arboretum’s Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden, Wednesday, March 11, 2026, in Dallas, as part of the STEM-related field trips funded in part by Lyda Hill Philanthropies.
Chitose Suzuki / Staff Photographer
Research finds field trips help students be more engaged and do better academically. A 2022 study of elementary school students found those who attended “culturally-enriching” field trips — such as to an art museum, a theater performance or a symphony concert — earned higher grades, had better attendance and fewer behavioral issues than students who stayed on campus.
Dallas ISD plans to make the program available to all students in the 2026–27 academic year, aligning with Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde’s broader effort to ensure students have access to meaningful field trips at every grade level.
Abbey Garrett, program teacher at the Dallas Arboretum’s Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden, talks about geophytes to Dallas ISD fourth graders who are part of the STEM-related field trips funded in part by Lyda Hill Philanthropies, Wednesday, March 11, 2026, in Dallas.
Chitose Suzuki / Staff Photographer
Supporting Learning Voyages was a natural fit for Lyda Hill Philanthropies, said Margaret Black, managing director of the philanthropic organization, which has long prioritized expanding STEM learning opportunities and exposure for young students.
“Places like the arboretum, the zoo and the Perot, they spark curiosity for my own children,” Black said. “They’re reasons I feel lucky to raise my children in Dallas,” she said, adding that “tens of thousands of Dallas ISD kids are now going to be able to share the same space.”
CORRECTIONS, 12:09 p.m., March 18, 2026: An earlier version of this story misstated which organization launched the field trip program. It was Dallas ISD. An earlier version of this story also incorrectly charactered Lyda Hill Philanthropies. It is a philanthropic organization. The photo captions have also been updated to clarify that the program is funded in part, not solely, by Lyda Hill Philanthropies.
Miriam Fauzia is a science reporting fellow at The Dallas Morning News. Her fellowship is supported by the University of Texas at Dallas. The News makes all editorial decisions.
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