Over the river, through the woods

For close to 30 Hyde Park preschool children, a recent trip to the Arnold Arboretum, the majestic 265-acre botanical garden run by Harvard University in Jamaica Plain, meant a journey to a world alive with natural wonders and surprises.

In a grove of horse chestnut and buckeye trees flooded with late afternoon sunlight and autumn’s shades of ginger and honey, the eager 3-, 4- and 5-year-olds filed off a bus and paired with volunteer guides from the arboretum. Together they explored their colorful environment, examining the leaves on the trees, inspecting their trunks, and carefully studying the fallen chestnuts that littered the ground.

“Somebody ate lunch and we can see the results of it,” said volunteer Barb Balasa to her two young companions, Xavier and Alianna, as she showed them a partially chewed chestnut. “Those are the teeth marks of the squirrel or the chipmunk,” she explained.

Education has always been a vital part of the arboretum, which was founded in 1872 with a grant from the trustees of New Bedford whaling merchant James Arnold, who gave a portion of his trust to Harvard College to create the arboretum in his name.

The curious students were part of the arboretum’s Field Study Experiences, which introduces kids to the plant life in its vast meadows and woodlands. Since 2004, the arboretum has worked with local chapters of Head Start, a national program that assists children from low-income families by providing a variety of child development services. Initially, the arboretum simply funded a bus to bring the young explorers to the grounds with their teachers and parent chaperones, but organizers soon realized something was missing.