The Brooklyn Botanic Garden, which I like to think of as part of my backyard, has a lot of wonderful areas to enjoy—the Magnolia Grove, the Rose Garden, the Lily Pools, the Japanese Garden and more—but one area is on my mind much more these days because of my youngest granddaughter.
The Discovery Garden is a special area set aside with exhibits, volunteer docents, staff members and special spaces where “kids of all ages can explore habitats and learn about garden wildlife.”
A bird-call machine, weather gauges and a ‘build a bird nest’ station
The Garden’s website describes it: “This immersive landscape—created especially for the Garden’s youngest visitors—encourages children to explore nature through hands-on experiences as they investigate plants and animals in different habitat spaces.
Hands-on workstations, some with adults to lend a hand, are all over
“Winding intimate paths lead through a meadow of tall native grasses and flowers that attract butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees. Raised boardwalks and platforms allow kids to get up close to leafy tree canopies in the woodland, and a circuit of split logs and boulders takes visitors throw a rich and diverse marsh habitat.”
And the Discovery Garden hides a secret: it’s just as much fun and educational for adults, especially if you have children to share it with. Just watching the dozens of families and day camp groups engaged and loving it is worth the visit.
At every turn, there’s something to think about, and, for children old enough, to discuss. By the way, the answer to the first question is “very definitely maybe.” At the table below, visitors are invited to leave things they’ve found in the garden to add to the ‘Curiosity Collection,’ and come back another time to see if it’s been explained.
There’s a rotating series of daily programs, short classes and drop-in activities for nearly all ages and a picnic lunch area for school and camp groups. Not to mention the sculptural ‘Pollinator Lounge,’ where bees and their like can stop in at any time to do what they do.
Each of the garden’s natural environments has guide signs and activities for families to follow. Dendrometer? Never heard of that before!
Sadly, over the years, the Botanic Garden has evolved from nearly-always free to nearly-always charging admission, and although children 12 and under are free, the admission is $22 for adults and $16 for seniors. But if you’re visiting Brooklyn with a kid or two, the Botanic Garden is still worth considering. And, it’s across the street from the magnificent Prospect Park.
In addition to the Discovery Garden and all its other wonders, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden has a Children’s Garden program, started in 1914, that allows about a thousand children, 2-17, to grow flowers and vegetables. I remember the year my kids and their friends had a huge surplus of zucchini to share!
GK Traumrunner/Wikimedia Commons
