Join Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) naturalists at the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden every second Tuesday this spring for nature-themed lessons. Each month offers a different topic geared for home-school students ages six through 12 years (grades kindergarten through sixth).
Each student is to bring a notebook or field journal as programs include sketching and note-taking. All other materials are provided.
Dress for the weather as every program will have an outdoor component; some may not be inside at all. Wear appropriate footwear for hiking woodchipped trails.
The fee for the program is $6 per student; $15 per student for the series. All programs meet at the front gate of the garden.
Register your child or children online at www.minneapolisparks.org – Quick Links – Program Registration or call the program coordinator at 612-363-4722. Registration is limited to ensure small group sizes and the best possible learning environment, so please register ahead of time.
Buds, Bark, and Twigs: Looking for Signs of Spring – April 13*, 1-3 p.m.
Younger students (kindergarten through second grade) look for signs of spring in the garden, take a close look at tree twigs, learn where new leaves come from and what seeds need to grow.
Older students (third through sixth grade) learn how to identify common Minnesota trees by their bark and twigs. Students examine twigs closely and the stages of bud development.
* Make up date April 20 if needed.
Botany 101: Woodland Wildflowers – May 11, 1-3 p.m.
Future botanists are introduced to the different parts of plants, including flower parts. Younger students (kindergarten through second grade) learn the parts through sketching and word play. Older students (third to sixth grade) learn what key characteristics to look for when identifying wildflowers and how plants are grouped. Everyone has a chance to look at flowers and other plant parts under microscopes and magnifiers.
Quaking Bog Explorations – June 8, 1-3 p.m.
What is a bog? Why are bogs special? Young wetland ecologists find the answers by taking a plant and animal survey within our very own quaking bog. Younger students (kindergarten through grade) discover the special relationship of plants and animals within the bog ecosystem. Older students (third through sixth grade) compare and contrast the bog habitat to the woodland habitat that surrounds the quaking bog. Students learn how bogs form and about unique adaptations plants make to live within the bog.
The Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden is located at Theodore Wirth Park at Wirth Parkway and Glenwood Ave. in Minneapolis.
