Education

Weekend Family Classes

Together, adults and children can explore cool things about how plants connect to science, art, history, and culture. Each program includes a variety of hands-on activities and projects, as well as opportunities to bring the Garden home. Programs run from November through April on Saturdays.

Become a Garden Plus member today and enjoy a special discount.

registration

Download registration form

For more information, call (847) 835-6801.

Ages
Children ages 4 to 10 accompanied by adults. Limit of three children per adult, please. An adult MUST accompany children.

times
9:30 – 11 a.m. or 1 – 2:30 p.m.

Fees
$22 Nonmember per child
Garden Plus members receive
20% off

Registration Policies

class information

Attire
Dress for the weather. Wear clothes that are comfortable for outdoor and indoor activities, and hands-on, sometimes messy, fun.

Location/parking
Fruit & Vegetable Learning Center, Park in Lots 1 or 2 and allow 5-7 minutes to walk to your class.

Rave reviews

"Great class! It was very balanced, with lots of stimulating visuals. My 6-year-old said seeing the bugs under the magiscopes was the coolest!"

"We loved Pizza Gardens so much, we came back again this year."

"The hands-on discovery is more than any book could offer."

"We were 110% satisfied."

"This was informative, well-paced, and fun. Our family loved it!"

2011 – 2012 Class Schedule:

NEW! Bathtub Botany
Saturday, November 5

Mix up a bag of fragrant tub tea using dried flowers and herbs and create your own hand made soap using plant materials for the color, scent, and texture.

NEW! Play with Plants
Saturday, November 19

Design toys from all different kinds of plant parts! Explore seeds and use them to make an ancient board game, and examine leaves from corn and turn them into people or animals.

Joyful Gingerbread
Saturdays, December 3 or 17

Explore all the different plants and plant parts needed to make gingerbread. Take home a future ginger plant, decorate cookies, and mix up a batch of gingerbread to bake at home.

Pizza Gardens
Saturday, January 7

Sample some of the different plants used to flavor pizza, learn to mix and knead pizza dough, and plant a special Italian herb garden to make tasty pizza treats at home!

Gumballs & Superballs
Saturdays, January 21 or 28

Find out how people use parts of rainforest trees to make chewing gum and rubber. Create your own bouncing ball and flavorful gum to take home.

HOT Chocolate
Saturdays, February 4 or 18

Examine the cacao tree, learn how bitter beans make delicious desserts, mix up an ancient Aztec chocolate, and take home chocolate mint and chocolate pepper plants.

NEW! Deserts & Dinosaurs
Saturday, February 25

Walk through our greenhouses to see special plants that grow in hot, dry places and ancient plants that shared the planet with dinosaurs. Create your own plant fossil and take home a desert plant and a dinosaur plant—a fern cupcake!

Japanese Dry Gardens
Saturday, March 3

Cross bridges and count lanterns as we visit the Malott Japanese Garden. See the large dry garden and take home your own miniature dry garden designed with sand and rocks.

Homemade Ice Cream
Saturdays, March 17 or 31

Get an up close look at one of the world’s tiniest seeds from the vanilla orchid, make a batch of ice cream, and pot up a plant that can flavor ice cream.

Critter Crew
Saturday, April 7

Discover habitats in Garden and learn how important natural spaces are to our finned, feathered, and furry friends. Explore materials animals use in building their homes and construct an insect habitat.