Wildlife in the Backyard: Birds (Ages 14+)
In this active field-study class, students ages 14-adult will learn more about our resident and migrating birds. We'll discuss identification and the New England avian lifestyle, from habitat to birds’ roles in the balance of the ecosystem and how we can better support them in the changing climate. We suggest students bring a pair of binoculars.
Please note this class requires participants to show proof of having received all eligible Covid-19 vaccinations, as recommended for their age by the CDC, in order to participate. Because of the dynamic nature of this situation, we ask that you agree to abide by potential future changes in CMBG’s Covid-19 policy designed to address evolving public health recommendations.
Calling all young birders and aspiring birders! Join us on a walk to identify birds migrating through Maine as well as those that spend the season nesting and raising their young here. Learn to identify birds by their calls and identifying features as well as how to use eBird to keep a record of birds observed.
With all the flowers that we care for at the Gardens, it’s no surprise that we are regularly and frequently visited by all sorts of pollinators! Explore the Gardens with us as we search for these busy creatures and discover more about who they are, what they’re up to, and why they’re important. We’ll also get an up-close look at how pollination works as we take apart a flower together. Participants will plant a flower to take home with them that pollinators will be sure to enjoy!
This fun and family-friendly hands-on workshop will have you exploring your gardening creativity—in miniature! First, learn about and draw inspiration from several different types of miniature gardens including “fairy gardens” and Japanese gardens. Then, using wide shallow containers, small plants, fairy garden accessories, and other tiny elements, create a personalized miniature garden to take home. All materials are provided, and registration includes admission for a parent and child. Families are encouraged to work together, but if parents would like to make their own miniature garden, please register separately so that we can plan for supplies.
The Gardens is full of beauty and wonder thriving aboveground, but there’s plenty to discover below the surface! Join us as we explore the life thriving in the depths and shallows of our ponds. Together, we’ll search for aquatic critters, learning about their lives in the process. Participants will create a fun frog craft to help them remember everything they learned during the program.
While the Gardens is home to many beautiful, cultivated plants, there are quite a few wonderful wildflowers that pop up all on their own! Join us to walk the Gardens and trails together in search of these wild beauties, discussing their importance, some interesting facts, and their histories along the way. Learn basic identification skills to employ on your next wildflower hunting adventure!
This workshop introduces young artists to color and to the abundant life that emerges when we translate a 3D garden landscape into 2D. With the help of experienced instructors, participants will explore their botanical and landscape interests, learning how to translate those ideas into beautiful pastel paintings. Technique, demonstration, and personal guidance gives young artists confidence in navigating the pastel medium. Participants receive a small kit of pastel materials and paper and will leave with one piece matted and sleeved for presentation. Instructor Barbara Farcione is a member of the Pastel Society of Maine and on the Board of Directors.
Continuing our botanical explorations, we’ll go in search of some of the wildflowers calling the Gardens home. If still blooming, we’ll revisit specimens from the previous session in more depth along with any new flowers that have sprung up. Participants will practice thinking like a botanist, learning more about the plant identification process and using a key to identify specific characteristics of these wildflowers. Participants do not need to have taken the beginner class in order to participate in this class.
Do you have a nature-loving child interested in attracting more pollinators to the garden? This kid-friendly gardening class delves into our native pollinators’ unique adaptations and special flower preferences, reviewing the process of pollination through a flower dissection. Class will then head out into the Gardens to discover some of the best flower choices for a diverse pollinator garden, and participants will receive plants and seeds to take home. Parents are welcome to attend. Registration for this class includes Gardens admission for one child and one adult.
Planting a container garden is enormous fun. Loaded with creative possibility, it’s a perfect activity for gardeners of every age and ability, no matter if your containers are destined for your front stoop, patio, balcony, or planned as a focal feature in a perennial bed. In this hands-on workshop, Jen Dunlap, horticulturist and container garden designer, will guide you through the process of selecting, planting, and caring for whatever annuals you choose—sun- or shade-loving and with a myriad of flower and foliage options. All supplies provided.
Monday, June 27-Friday, July 1
Summertime is prime butterfly time! Join us to explore our Native Butterfly and Moth House, as well as other butterfly hot spots at the Gardens. We’ll learn about life cycles, special connections to plants, unique adaptations, and how to tell the difference between butterflies and moths. Students will leave with an even greater appreciation for—and understanding of—these lovely creatures. At the end of the program, participants will craft a colorful reminder of the butterfly life cycle to take home with them. This unique adult/child program is free for members and $10 in addition to admission for nonmembers
Wednesday, July 6-Friday, July 8
Monday, July 11-Friday, July 15
Discover all that you can see, smell, hear, feel, and even taste as we tour the Lerner Garden of the Five Senses together, experiencing nature and the Gardens in a whole new way. Participants will finish the program by potting up an herb to take with them, carrying forward and cultivating that sensory experience at home! This unique adult/child program is free for members and $10 in addition to admission for nonmembers
Unique, exceptional and magical are just some of the adjectives used to describe kokedama, the Japanese art of growing plants in a moss-covered ball of soil, 6-8 inches in diameter. They can be displayed on a decorative surface of your choice, hung from a tree branch, pergola ceiling, arbor, or bracket. In this class for all ages, horticulturist Jen Dunlap will guide you in creating three kokedama projects for your home garden. These verdant, living globes add whimsy, mystery, and vertical interest to your outdoor living space. All supplies provided.
Monday, July 18-Friday, July 22
Identify and collect summer wildflowers, learning to develop your botany skills with resident botanist and Director of Plant Science & Collections, Melissa Cullina. We’ll visit the herbarium, an exciting resource where Melissa and her volunteers have worked to preserve more than 5000 plant specimens! Students will join in, learning how to preserve the flowers collected during class. Each participant will receive their own plant press to take home. Gardens admission included.
Learn about what happens as a seed becomes a full-grown plant, then starts the entire cycle all over again! We’ll talk everything plants: life cycle, adaptations, and overall importance. We’ll dissect different parts of a plant, learn about their functions, and explore our Learning Garden, testing (and tasting!) what we’ve learned. Participants will take a plant home as a reminder of their botanical experience. This unique adult/child program is free for members and $10 in addition to admission for nonmembers
Monday, July 25-Friday, July 29
The Gardens is home to many (many!) plants. In turn, those plants become home to lots of interesting creatures! Come explore the Gardens as we look closely under leaves and up in the trees, aboveground, below, and in the pond for all sorts of signs of life. A scavenger hunt will help guide our search, and participants will leave having created their own portable habitat—a toad house—to take home with them. This unique adult/child program is free for members and $10 in addition to admission for nonmembers.
Monday, August 1-Friday August 5
Monday, August 15-Friday, August 19
Want to enter the world of beetles, butterflies, bees, grasshoppers, wasps, and flies? Ages 14-adult are invited to join us and learn about the insect wildlife to be found in backyards and gardens. Learn to identify the most common insects and the roles these important creatures play in their ecosystems. After an introductory slideshow, we'll explore the Gardens to observe and gain insight into insect behavior, identifying where insects prefer to live versus where they’re discouraged. We'll take a holistic approach to studying insects, recognizing that even the smallest patch of yard is inclusive of nature.
The famous and well-loved monarch is the inspiration for this program! Participants will learn all about this beautiful butterfly, from its anatomy to its life cycle to its migration. Participants will become community scientists as they help us tag monarchs at the Gardens for future monitoring on their autumnal journeys southward. Recently listed as an endangered species, monarchs need us to understand their importance now more than ever. Participants will leave with an appreciation for these creatures along with a monarch butterfly art piece that they create themselves. This parent/child class includes Gardens admission for one child and one adult.
The famous and well-loved monarch is the inspiration for this program! Participants will learn all about this beautiful butterfly, from its anatomy to its life cycle, adaptations, migration, and the effects of climate change on these creatures. Participants will become community scientists as they help us tag monarchs at the Gardens for future monitoring on their autumnal journeys southward. Recently listed as an endangered species, monarchs need us to understand their importance now more than ever. Participants will leave with an appreciation for these creatures that they can share with others. Registration for this class includes Gardens admission for one child and one adult.
Come and search for underground life with us! Participants will learn about the important role decomposers play in helping our gardens and forests grow, how to identify these critters, and some decomposer anatomy. Participants will leave with an understanding of how decomposition works along with their own handmade worm jars to inspire curiosity about decomposition back at home. This parent/child class includes Gardens admission for one child and one adult.
Join us for a scavenger hunt through the woods as we learn how to identify some of Maine’s native trees and discover why their leaves change color in the fall. Participants will learn how to distinguish a coniferous tree from a deciduous one. During our walk, we will collect leaves to make a leaf-rubbing banner to help us remember our native trees. This parent/child class includes Gardens admission for one child and one adult.
In this active field study class, students will explore the Gardens’ many habitats, learning how to identify signs of animals in their natural environment. We’ll focus on what animals do to prepare for the upcoming winter, covering topics such as food sources and acquisition, den preparation, hibernation and migration. We hope to spot as many as our native animals as possible, ending the session exploring the life in our ponds. Registration for this class includes Gardens admission for one child and one adult.
Does your child love nature and want to expand their identification skills? During this session, participants will expand their botany skills as they learn to identify fall wildflowers. Skills acquired during this session will help participants to identify plants on their own in the future. Registration for this class includes Gardens admission for one child and one adult.
During this session, participants will learn handy tricks for remembering both the coniferous and deciduous trees of the Maine woods. Participants will also gain an understanding of the science behind fall foliage and collect a variety of fall leaves along their walk to create a colorful suncatcher that captures the essence of fall. Registration for this class includes Gardens admission for one child and one adult.
