Children's Programs
Children's Day
Classes and Workshops
Summer Camps
Children's Discovery Benches
Saturday Morning Story Time
Children's Garden
Programs for Schools or Youth Groups
"Wings of Fancy" Butterfly Exhibit Tours
Art in the Garden for children.Children's Day
Saturday September 18, 2010
11am- 4pm
It’s an “Adventures with Food” Children’s Day, a free annual special event at Brookside Gardens. Learn about fruits and vegetables, participate in a variety of hands-on activities, and listen to a special band whose musicians use hand-made, home grown gourd instruments! Learn where your food comes from, see a “gourd petting zoo”, plant a salad, play games and have lots of fun! Please bring a can or non-perishable food item to donate to our local food bank. Check in at the information tables to obtain your “passport” for a schedule and map of the day’s event.
Entertainment: Richmond Indigenous Gourd Orchestra
Original music played on handmade instruments made from locally grown gourds, the Gourd Orchestra plays its own brand of paleolithic lounge music – mixing past with present, rhythm with melody, and chaos with order.
Shows at 12noon & 2pm
Crafts, Activities, and Displays (ongoing from11am-4pm):
Montgomery County Beekeepers Association
See a live bee hive and learn about the honey bee plus other very important pollinators. Try on a bee keeper’s suit and play the “Pollination Game”.
Botanical Art Society of the National Capital Region
BASNCR artists will provide an assortment of fruit and vegetable images for our young visitors to paint or color.
Story Time
Listen to an inspiring story every hour starting at 11:30am; 12:30pm; 1:30pm; 2:30pm & 3:30pm.
Grow a Mini Salad Garden
It’s not too late to grow vegetables! Plant your own “mini-salad” to grow and harvest later this Fall.
Face Painting
Pick out your favorite fruit or vegetable design to show off on your cheek or hand.
Plus… play our Fruit and Veggie Bingo game and complete a “Food Scavenger Hunt."
Classes and Workshops
Introduce your child to plants and instill a lasting love of gardening and the many facets of protecting our environment by enrolling in one or more of our spring and summer workshops or camps. Brookside Gardens will focus on FOOD in 2010 and our youngest gardeners will discover how the food we eat gets to the dinner table by growing and preparing their own vegetables and herbs.
For a special treat, bring a friend or a whole group to our Garden Tea Parties, offered on Sundays in September and October (registration opens Aug. 15). Fanciful tables, tea, and treats will brighten children’s eyes when they come to tea. Children will learn proper tea etiquette, socialize, and play flamingo croquet weather permitting.
For details please see the Brookside Gardens Children's Xperience Guide to all children's programs and events, or visit www.parkpass.org.
Summer Camps
For current listings, check the Brookside Gardens Children's Xperience - Guide to Programs and Events, or visit www.parkpass.org
Saturday Morning Story Time
Participate and listen to nature and seasonal stories that will encourage a child’s imagination and creativity. Each week a different story will be read followed by a hands-on craft.
Saturdays, October 2 - December 11, 10:00am
Free; Ages 3- 6; no registration required.
Story time is held in the Visitors Center Children’s Classroom.
back to top
Children's Discovery Benches
Self-guided exploration, hands-on activities, educational games, books, and puzzles are available in the Visitors Center Children's Classroom Tuesday - Friday*.
Hours: September through June- 2:00-5:00p.m.
July and August-9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Appropriate for children ages 2-7
*Children's Discovery Benches are open based on staff availability.
Children's Garden: Nature’s Fun in your Backyard
The Nature’s Fun in Your Backyard theme continues throughout the summer and fall seasons. Don’t forget to look for pollinators visiting many of the colorful annuals and perennials in the garden. Children will be inspired by colorful fun plants, insect and animal activity, plus enjoy exploring simple, natural materials provided in the “Nature’s Art” area. Gain a few ideas for creating fun in your backyard from our tree house made out of reclaimed construction materials. See what’s inside a gnome hut, follow stepping stones to a tea party, build and stack natural wooden blocks, pretend you are a farmer, climb into a tree house, observe life around a water garden. Children’s imaginations will soar and a greater appreciation for nature will be instilled.
To volunteer with the Children's Program, call the volunteer coordinator, 301-962-1429
Montgomery County Department of Parks