education

Free Drop-In Programs for Families

PHOTO: Free Drop-in Programs Early positive experiences in nature can foster a lifelong appreciation of and respect for the outdoors. Chicago Botanic Garden family programs integrate science, art, and language in activities that encourage families to learn together in an open-ended, enjoyable, and discovery-based environment.

PHOTO: Grow Up Great Backpacks Discovery Backpacks
Families visiting the Garden can borrow Discovery Backpacks from the Information Desk in the Visitor Center. Backpacks include two magnifiers, two binoculars, field guides, and journals and golf pencils to record discoveries. Discovery Backpacks offer a highly interactive experience for individual families. Backpacks may be picked up in exchange for a driver’s license; they are available during Garden hours year-round, and will be given out on a first-come, first-served basis.

PHOTO; Story Time Story Time in the Lenhardt Library
Mondays, January 9 – May 21
No Story Time on April 23
10 – 11 a.m.
Stop by for nature-themed stories and activities Monday mornings in the Lenhardt Library! Afterwards, pick up a Bingo activity card at the Information Desk and take a walk through the Garden and in the Greenhouses. Stories and activities are geared for children ages 2 to 5 accompanied by a caregiver.

PHOTO: Tu B'Shevat Tu B'Shevat
Sunday, January 29
1 – 4 p.m.
In celebration of Tu B'Shevat, the Jewish Festival of Trees, special free family activities will be offered in partnership with the National Council of Jewish Women, Chicago North Shore Section. A variety of fun, educational drop-in activities will focus on the joy trees bring to the world. Families can explore trees in the Greenhouses, plant a seedling to take home, enjoy a reading corner filled with books about trees and Tu B'Shevat, and more. Activities will be held in the Regenstein Center.

PHOTO: Three Friends Three Friends of Winter Family Activities
Saturday, January 28 & Sunday, January 29
10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Celebrate the beauty of winter at this special weekend of programming in honor of the Japanese tradition of Three Friends of Winter — bamboo, pine, and plum. Pine symbolizes endurance and longevity, bamboo symbolizes strength and flexibility, and plum symbolizes purity of character. Paint a scroll inspired by bamboo, pine, and plum. Enjoy traditional folktales and sumingashi, a Japanese marbleized paper art. Visit the Bonsai silhouette show in Burnstein Hall.

ScreenBreak (formerly TV Tune Out) Family Drop-in Program
Wednesday, March 7
9 – 11 a.m.
Stop by for hands-on fun with plants and nature in the Greenhouses — try a scavenger hunt, practice watering plants, and more! Activities are geared toward 2- to-5-year-olds with a caregiver. No registration is required. Parking is free from March 4 to 10 for families with a ScreenBreak button, wristband, or card. Offered in collaboration with the Winnetka Alliance for Early Childhood's ScreenBreak. For information about ScreenBreak activities at other locations, visit www.winnetkaalliance.org.

Japanese Garden Spring Weekend
Saturday, March 24 & Sunday, March 25
11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Celebrate spring by writing a seasonal haiku and making a cherry blossom hanging scroll, plus try other hands-on activities like a suminagashi demonstration. Enjoy traditional storytelling and a koto harp performance, and take a walk in the Japanese Garden.

Japanese Garden Children's Festival
Saturday, May 19 & Sunday, May 20
10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Learn about children's celebrations in Japan during this special weekend of activities. Listen to koto harp and shakuhachi flute music, enjoy traditional folktales, and watch a tea ceremony. Kids of all ages can make projects to celebrate Girls' Day and Boys' Day — design a kimono paper doll, create a miniature carp kite, construct an origami samurai helmet, and more at family-friendly hands-on stations.

10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Family Activities

10:30 a.m.
Tea Ceremony Demonstration by Dr. Seiko Nakashima and students of the Urasenke School

11:30 a.m.
Shakuhachi Flute Performance by Michael Chikuzen Gould

12:30 p.m.
Storytelling by Anne Shimojima

1:30 p.m.
Shakuhachi Flute Performance by Michael Chikuzen Gould

2:30 p.m.
Koto Harp Performance by Chicago Koto Group