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Brooklyn Botanic Garden 2005 Annual Report
Family Programs
The Children's Garden, the oldest of its kind in a botanic garden in the United States, marked its 90th anniversary in September 2004 with a celebratory reunion for past and present participants.
The Children's Garden, the oldest of its kind in a botanic garden in the United States, marked its 90th anniversary in September 2004 with a celebratory reunion for past and present participants. More than 350 alumni and family members gathered to recount memories of their involvement in BBG's flagship education program, describe how it continues to influence their lives, and view an exhibit of historical documents and memorabilia from the BBG archives. The Children's Garden Story Project recorded the stories of 23 alumni in collaboration with StoryCorps, a national project that records American stories in sound and preserves them in the Library of Congress.
The Garden also presented its first Ellen Eddy Shaw Lifetime Achievement Awards, named after the founding instructor of the Children's Garden, to recognize alumni who have gone on to become leaders in their chosen field. Dr. Frank Macchiarola, president of St. Francis College in Brooklyn; Lucy Tolmach, director of horticulture at the Filoli Center in Woodside, California; and Juan Williams, author and senior correspondent for National Public Radio, were honored. The reunion culminated in a parade, organized by class decade, from the Lily Pool Terrace to the Children's Garden field. Following longstanding tradition, the parade was led by the smallest child in the program, riding in a wheelbarrow. She was accompanied by Ethel Heim, the most senior attending alumna (class of 1915). Many of the alumni and family members remained at the Garden all day to enjoy the festivities of our annual Harvest Fair.
Children's Garden programs continue to serve children ages 3 through 13, giving them direct experience in preparing soil, planting, tending, weeding, and of course, harvesting. Tool safety and maintenance, plant crafts, and cooking projects round out the curriculum. In the past year, 602 children enrolled in sessions that are held spring, summer, fall, and winter. The Summer Science Adventures program was expanded in 2004 to serve a wider range of ages. After a morning session in the Children's Garden, participants went on to explore science topics and plants from cultures around the world, using the BBG collections. This year, 128 children took part in Summer Science Adventures.
BBG launched the new Garden Apprentice Program (GAP) in 2004, with support from the Arthur M. Blank Foundation. Modeled after the Junior Keeper program at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans, GAP provides student interns in grades 8 through 12 with opportunities for personal growth and career development.
BBG launched the new Garden Apprentice Program (GAP) in 2004, with support from the Arthur M. Blank Foundation. Modeled after the Junior Keeper program at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans, GAP provides student interns in grades 8 through 12 with opportunities for personal growth and career development. The four-tier program includes training and increasing levels of responsibility in volunteer or paid placements that focus on horticulture, environmental education, science, and a variety of other fields. Interns with more experience assist instructors with lessons in the Children's Garden or help train and supervise younger interns. Thirty-eight interns made a yearlong commitment to GAP in its pilot year.
More than 6,500 children and adults enjoyed drop-in Discovery Workshops for families. The themed workshops are free, do not require registration, and are designed for a wide age range. Activities encourage hands-on exploration of plants and botanical materials; children typically make something to take home. The workshops enhance the ongoing popularity of the Discovery Garden, BBG's collection of living plants in a space designed especially for young children. Brightly colored leaves and flowers, delightful textures and smells, and small spaces that inspire imaginative exploration define this child-friendly garden-within-the-Garden.