Children's & Family Programs |
A Letter from Bonnie Drexler, Program ManagerStudying nature through a computer can’t compare with catching real frogs, smelling live flowers (even skunk cabbage), or following rabbit tracks through the snow. Unless we are able to help young children connect with plants and animals during their early years, their link with the natural world just might not happen. “Nature deficit disorder” is the way author Richard Louv describes this disconnection in his recent book, Last Child in the Woods (Algonquin Books, 2006). Since its founding over 100 years ago, New England Wild Flower Society has been encouraging children to learn about their plant and animal neighbors. This fall and winter we are pleased to offer children and their families many opportunities to step outside and connect with the big beautiful world of nature. You and your children can explore Garden in the Woods looking for turtles and frogs in early fall, track animals in the snow along an icy brook in mid-winter, and search for the first salamander eggs to appear in our ponds in early spring. Students plant seeds, build experiments, and make crafts to take home, while learning about the nature all around us. We’ve got the cure for “nature deficit disorder.” It’s just outside the door. Bonnie Drexler enjoys her job as Program and Volunteer Manager at New England Wild Flower Society because it allows her to share her love of nature with people of all ages. She is the author of Bugology and the recipient of the National Garden Club of America’s Hull Award for Environmental Education of Youth. This is her 13th year at Garden in the Woods. When naturalists refer to “herps,” they mean amphibians and reptiles (herpetofauna), wonderful creatures that play an important part in our ecosystems. Do you know which reptiles and amphibians live in our woods? Which ones have slimy skin? Which ones lay eggs with leathery shells? Which ones can we find at the Lily Pond? We will explore the Garden and do some pond-dipping at the Pond. After the walk, we’ll have a snack and make a “Book of Herps” to take home. Tuesday, September 25, 3:30–5:30 p.m. Garden in the Woods, Framingham, MA Children in Grades 1–3 Course Code: CHP3500 Instructor: Jini Foster Fee: $12M/$14NM per person Limit: 12 What different plants and animals will we find as we explore the Garden’s high, dry ridges and its low, swampy spots? Who lives up in the tops of trees and down under the lowest rotting logs? What mysteries can we solve using binoculars and magnifying glasses? We will use a simple map to find high and low elevations and then guide ourselves through the Garden. Limber up your necks to look up and down and get a different view of nature’s wonders. Following our walk, we will enjoy a natural snack and customize our own maps to take home. Sunday, September 30, 1:30–3:30 p.m. Garden in the Woods, Framingham, MA Family Program: Children with Adult Companion Course Code: FAM5100 Instructor: Bonnie Drexler Fee: $7M/$8NM per person (for each adult and each child) Limit: 24 Do you love Harry Potter and enjoy exploring secrets of the forest? Join our group of student wizards as we learn some of nature’s magical tricks. We will study plants with special powers, concoct “potions,” make “quicksand” in a bottle to take home, find a magic wand, and make a special quill pen to write with in your own book of “spells.” Discover the mystery and magic right here in our own woodlands. Tuesday, October 16, 3:30–5:30 p.m. Garden in the Woods, Framingham, MA Children in Grades 3–5 Course Code: CHP9000 Instructor: Bonnie Drexler Fee: $12M/$14NM Limit: 12 Are you always asking, “What would happen if ... ?” Now is your chance to try some exciting experiments and discover some answers. Using everyday items like eggs, flowers, soap, food coloring, ice, yeast, baking soda, fruit, vinegar, salt, oil, and milk and experimenting with mixtures, different temperatures, and pressure, who knows what we can discover! Bring your curiosity, wear old clothes, and prepare for some fun. Wednesday, November 14, 3:30–5:30 p.m. Garden in the Woods, Framingham, MA Children in Grades K–2 Course Code: CHP6250 Instructor: Bonnie Drexler Fee: $12M/$14NM per person Limit: 12 Near the night of the “Beaver Moon,” we will venture out into the dark forest to enjoy the nighttime sights, smells, and sounds. Who is still awake? What stars or planets can we spot? What tricks can we use to find our way? After our walk, we will enjoy hot cocoa and make a booklet of full-moon activities for months of full moons to come. Monday, November 26, 6:30–8:30 p.m. Garden in the Woods, Framingham, MA Family Program: Children with Adult Companion Course Code: FAM6500 Instructor: Bonnie Drexler Fee: $7M/$8NM per person (for each adult and each child) Limit: 24 Using the “gifts” we find in nature, let’s create gifts for our friends and families for the holidays. Learn how to string seed pods and cranberries to make chains for a tree or to feed the birds. We will set up a natural print shop to make our own wrapping paper, gift tags, and greeting cards. And we’ll pot up a topiary wreath that will continue growing for years. With a variety of materials from the woods, we will make special gifts for special people, and at the same time learn about plant conservation. Join us to combine crafts, beauty, conservation, and fun! Grades K–1, Thursday, December 6, 3:30–5:30 p.m. Garden in the Woods, Framingham, MA Course Code: CHP7101 Instructor: Bonnie Drexler Fee: $14M/$16NM (includes materials) Limit: 12
Grades 2–5, Friday, December 7, Garden in the Woods, Framingham, MA Course Code: CHP7102 Instructor: Bonnie Drexler Fee: $14M/$16NM (includes materials) Limit: 12 Our easy-to-use, powerful stereo microscopes will allow us to zoom in for a close look at some of nature’s most magical creations. How would a flower’s petal, a butterfly’s wing, or a feather look 40 times bigger? Are you brave enough to face a giant centipede or spider? We will take a brief walk outside to collect a few winter twigs, buds, and over-wintering insects to examine too. Each child should bring three small objects from home to observe under high magnification. Thursday, January 24, 3:30–5:30 p.m. Garden in the Woods, Framingham, MA Children in Grades 1–3 Course Code: CHP6300 Instructor: Bonnie Drexler Fee: $12M/$14NM per child Limit: 12 Come to Garden in the Woods to see a puppet show about winter survival, make a “track-finder,” walk through the wintry woods, and enjoy hot drinks and a winter craft activity. We will hike down into the snowy woods, over an icy brook, and beside a meadow looking for signs of winter residents and their activities. Learn how our foxes, rabbits, squirrels, turtles, frogs, trees, and wildflowers survive the long, snowy months. Sunday, January 27, 1:30–3:30 p.m. Garden in the Woods, Framingham, MA Family Program: Children with Adult Companion Course Code: FAM1800 Instructor: Tracy Phipps Fee: $7M/$8NM per person (for each adult and each child) Limit: 24 Our feathered friends could use a little help from humans this time of year. Come to the Garden to learn how some birds survive the cold and ways we help them. How do bird beaks, feet, and feathers work to keep these little bundles of energy alive? How do they find food, water, and shelter when the temperatures fall so low? We will build several kinds of bird feeders and make a mini field guide to help us identify the birds that might pay you a call. Sunday, February 10, 1:30–3:30 p.m. Garden in the Woods, Framingham, MA Family Program: Children with Adult Companion Course Code: FAM4200 Instructor: Leslie Wood Fee: $7M/$8NM per person (for each adult and each child) Limit: 24 The winter woods are alive with plant and animal wonders. Become a winter naturalist and learn to track animals in the snow, find how plants and animals survive the deep freeze, plant a “winter-come-to-life garden,” play games, hear stories, and create nature crafts. We will explore a different area of our 45-acre Garden each day, so please wear boots and dress for the weather. Grades K–3, Tuesday–Friday, Garden in the Woods, Framingham, MA Course Code: CHP8000 Instructor: Bonnie Drexler Fee: $70M/$80NM Limit: 12 Do you know how to tell tomorrow’s weather by looking at today’s sunset? How are tornadoes formed? What does “wind chill” really mean? As winter gives way to spring, we will take a look at the tools and skills used to study and predict changes in the weather. Build a weathervane and a rain gauge, create a cloud chart, and find out how to predict the weather using a homemade barometer. Tuesday, March 25, 3:30–5:30 p.m. Garden in the Woods, Framingham, MA Children in Grades 2–5 Course Code: CHP6400 Instructor: Bonnie Drexler Fee: $12M/$14NM per person Limit: 12 Join our annual celebration of this shy and beautiful woodland creature. Come to learn about several special kinds of salamanders that live at Garden in the Woods. Some may even live in your own backyard. We will enjoy a puppet show and a short slide program, and then walk to a vernal pool to seek out some salamanders and their eggs. Children will make a salamander craft and a life cycle flip-book to take home. Sunday, March 30, 1:30–3:30 p.m. Garden in the Woods, Framingham, MA Family Program: Children with Adult Companion Course Code: FAM3600 Instructor: Bonnie Drexler Fee: $7M/$8NM per person (for each adult and each child) Limit: 24 |
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