A continuum of nature-based educational programs serving infants through retirees is offered year-round at the Chicago Botanic Garden. With curriculum ranging from free, informal drop-in activities to professional certificate programs, the Garden meets the needs of learners of all ages, abilities, interests and income levels. Our educational initiatives are integral to fulfilling the Garden’s mission: We cultivate the power of plants to sustain and enrich life. Here’s an overview of programs that will be housed in the new Regenstein Foundation Learning Campus.

Youth and Family Programs

Our Youth and Family Programs enable children ages 2 to 18, together with adults, to connect the world of plants with science, art, history and culture. Sessions encourage exploration of the Garden’s 385-acre campus through a series of interactive, hands-on activities. Here’s a look a key components of our Youth and Family Programs:

Free Drop-In activities

• Story Time: Nature-themed stories and activities are offered most Monday mornings January through May in the Lenhardt Library.
• Family Drop-In Activities: A series of programs to explore how plants grow and provide food, held daily in the summer season, and weekends in September.
• Summer Nature Explorer: Reading and Activity Program. Children of all ages can earn prizes (and stem summer learning loss) by reading books and participating in Family Drop-In Activities.

Nature Nights

An evening picnic and discovery-based activities allow children ages 4 to 10 and adults to roam the Garden after hours and uncover the mysteries of nature at night. Themes include a woodland walk, nature’s music, seed scatter and harnessing the flame—a program exploring the importance of fire to Native American cultures, everyday life and woodland and prairie ecosystems. Registration and fees are required.

Weekend Family Classes

Diverse Saturday and Sunday classes are offered to adults and children fall through spring. The Gumballs and Superballs curriculum shows how people use parts of rainforest trees to make chewing gum and rubber. Students make their own bouncing balls and flavorful gum to take home. The Homemade Ice Cream class explores the only orchid grown for food: vanilla. Registration and fees are required.

Little Diggers

Preschoolers ages 2, 3 and 4, and their caregivers, explore nature in interactive, hands-on activities in sessions that run once a month in fall and winter. All classes include a plant-potting activity and a walk in the Greenhouses or outdoors, weather permitting. Registration and fees are required.

Youth Programs

The Garden offers an ACA-accredited camp program engaging infants through 15 year olds in enriching outdoor experiences to learn more about science, nature, art, ecology and cooking. Camps are offered during school holidays, including spring break. Seasonal workshops help scouts work toward merit badges, while campouts offer an easy introduction to sleeping outdoors. Here’s an overview of our signature Camp CBG summer offerings:

• Bloomin’ Garden Strollers is a social play program for caregivers and campers ages 6 months to 24 months. Sessions include a brisk walk, an encounter with a Garden expert and an activity suited to our youngest learners.
• My First Camp 2 is a one-hour Tuesday and Thursday camp focusing on parent and child interaction with nature, science, art and garden activities. Programming is designed for a 2-year-old's fine and gross motor skills and social development.
• My First Camp 3, designed for 3 year olds, meets Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
• Green Sprouts invites campers ages 4 and 5 to investigate science and nature through such one-week, half-day programs as “Bug Brigade,” “Fun with Physics,” “Garden Expedition” and “Super Seedlings.”
• Green Thumbs allows children ages 6 and 7 to dig a little deeper into science and nature with such camps as “Expert Wizardry,” “Incredible Edibles” and “Grossology.” The half-day programs run for one week.
• Rovers offers full-day, two-week programs for campers ages 7, 8 and 9. “Create & Grow” explores the Garden through art, music, cooking, yoga and planting. “Science Explorer” is a new two-week camp where ecology plus botany, physics and chemistry, equals a whole lot of fun.
• Explorers engages children ages 8 and 9 in hands-on, inquiry-based activities. Camp offerings include “Camera Craft,” “Garden Caching” and “Surviving Outdoors.”
• Adventurers offers full-day camps enabling middle-school students ages 10 to 12 to discover the role plants play in art, chemistry, cuisine and ecology.
• Leaders in Training is the perfect summer experience for teens interested in pursuing careers in science and education. Participants help prepare camps, assist teachers and acquire job-related skills.

Student Field Trips

Garden field trips enrich classroom learning by allowing students to directly observe and interact with nature. Guided field trips led by trained facilitators provide hands-on learning experiences in environmental and plant science for all grade levels. Programming is aligned with Illinois Learning Standards and Next Generation Science Standards. Self-guided field trips allow teachers to lead their students through the Garden while they explore science, geography, art, history and other subjects in our many garden spaces.

Teachers

Workshops are offered year-round to help teachers increase their understanding of plants and nature, and build their repertoire of teaching techniques. Professional development and graduate credit are available.

Adult Education

The Joseph Regenstein, Jr. School of the Chicago Botanic Garden offers life-long learners classes in garden design, horticulture, birding, photography, botanical art and more. Certificate programs, taught by Garden staff and industry experts, help adults prepare for green industry careers such as landscape maintenance professional, garden designer or professional designer. Symposia & Professional Programs brings in internationally acclaimed experts on a range of landscape maintenance and conservation issues. In conjunction with the University of Illinois Extension Service, the Garden offers a Master Gardener Training Program covering the basics of horticulture to produce a corps of volunteers who can educate the public about gardening issues.

Wellness and Fitness

Our adult education offerings include a series of wellness and fitness classes that aims to help participants attain a balanced holistic lifestyle. Classes include fitness walks, tai chi and yoga.