Grow a Garden with Us! (Ages 4-11)

Starting May 2

Our popular family gardening program is back! Does your child love to grow things and explore the outdoors? Interested in learning how to garden as a family? Looking for a way to supplement your child’s homeschooling and get them outside at the same time? Join us this spring for a fun, rewarding program for ages 4-11. This parent-led program guides participants through growing a spring and summer garden; lessons combine gardening with science, math, English, social studies, and art. Weekly, families will receive fruit and vegetable transplants and/or seeds, many of which can be grown in containers, and planting instructions. Participants will also receive a special bag in which to keep tools for investigation and discovery, such as a magnifying glass, tape measure, clipboard, garden journal, and bug box. Families are welcome to join the program at any time this spring.

Beginning May 2, participants can visit the Lerner Visitor Center any day of the week at their convenience to pick up their first week’s activities and supplies. Every week thereafter, new activities will be made available each Monday for a total of six weeks. Each week includes activities to complete at the Gardens and at home at participants’ own pace, and recorded garden tutorials and in-person gardening Q & A sessions will also be available. Bloomz, an online platform, will be used to communicate with participating families; instructions will be provided in a confirmation email upon registration.

Activities at CMBG include themed investigations, searches, surveys, scavenger hunts, and a flower dissection. At home, participants will have lessons to complete, games to play, experiments to perform, observations to record, art projects to create, plants and seeds to start, and weekly book recommendations. Programming includes a variety of lessons and activities to suit the learning level of every child.

Weekly topics include:

Week 1: Planning a Garden/Plant Needs
Week 2: Plant Parts/The Life Cycle of a Plant
Week 3: Gardening for Pollinators
Week 4: Decomposers
Week 5: Plant Adaptations
Week 6: Five Senses in the Garden

The cost of this program includes complimentary Gardens admission for one child and one adult once/week. Participating families may also purchase a family membership for $50 (a 50% savings), which allows unlimited visits to the Gardens during our regular season. Please contact Betsy Angelico at 207-633-8013 if you would like to purchase a discounted membership.
Families who register more than one child for this program will receive a discount at checkout.