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Alta Vista Elementary Students Explore Art, History and Science at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens Reading, art, history and botany were among the subjects covered as more than 200 first and second graders from Alta Vista Elementary School recently visited Marie Selby Botanical Gardens to explore its “Warhol: Flowers in the Factory” exhibition. Supported by funding from Community Foundation of Sarasota County, the visit was part of Sarasota County Schools’ EdExploreSRQ program, which helps schools and teachers identify interdisciplinary, active learning opportunities for area K-12 students. During their trip, the students and their teachers viewed the gallery of floral silk screens Selby Gardens currently has on display by pop artist Andy Warhol and learned about the story and history behind them. They then toured the Gardens’ conservatory and grounds for an in-depth look at the plants and animals that call the 15-acre property home and took a turn at creating their own paper and ink masterpieces inspired by Warhol’s flower prints Equally impressive was the preparation the students engaged in prior to their visit. In the weeks leading up to the trip, they met Warhol’s nephew, James Warhola, a noted children’s book author and illustrator, and read two books he created about his famous uncle. Both the talk and the field trip were designed to deepen the students’ understanding and knowledge of Warhol as an artist, while also underscoring the value of literacy to real-world activities for them. Connecting students and teachers with hands-on, interdisciplinary learning activities both inside and outside the classroom is at the heart of the school district’s EdExploreSRQ program, which was founded in 2011. Through this web-based program, local K-12 teachers are able to identify community organizations and teaching artists that offer opportunities in thirteen standards-based areas, including the arts, science, social studies and career exploration. Selby Gardens is one of more than 65 such local organizations and teaching artists that participate in the program. For more information, visit EdExploreSRQ.com.