Kids Programs
Queens Botanical Garden’s Kids Programs bring together youngsters from around New York City to enjoy seasonal, hands-on learning and gardening experiences year-round. Through exploration, nature study, and craft activities, we explore concepts of gardening and environmental stewardship at age-appropriate levels within each program.
For information, contact [email protected] or 718.886.3800, ext. 218.
Winter registration now open!
Garden STEAM Team
Ages 4-10
Drop-off
Four Days: Tuesday, February 21 through Friday, February 24, 2023
9am – 3pm
Four-Day Savings Bundle: $400 Non-Member / $360 Family-Level+ Member
Single Day: $110 Non-Member / $99 Family-Level+ Member
Register for individual days, or save by selecting the “Four-Day Savings Bundle” ticket, for all four days, after selecting any date in the series.
Join QBG’s Garden STEAM Team this winter for fun scientific exploration and art making. Practice your scientist skills, create art using botanical materials, and explore the achievements of Black scientists in honor of Black History Month, while connecting with new friends.
Each day, we will use indoor and outdoor tools to explore themes of sustainability, botanical arts, food preservation, hibernation, composting, the many powers of herbs, winter gardening, wildlife resiliency, and bug anatomy!
Snowing & Growing
Ages 4-10
Drop-off
Five Saturdays: February 25, March 4, 11, 18, & 25
10:30am to 12pm
$180 Non-Member / $162 Family-Level+ Member
Queens Botanical Garden is beaming with life and wonder in the winter! Snowing & Growing embraces all that winter has to offer for wildlife, plants, and humans too! Explore how ecosystems change during the cold season and learn how nature’s creatures survive and thrive in winter. Each session will be packed with fun outdoor nature exploration and hands-on indoor activities that will foster curiosity and love for nature. Together, we will investigate what grows and blooms during the cold season, what happens to the soil under the snow, and much more.
Children’s Garden Family Day
Sunday, March 12, 2023, 1 to 4pm
$5 suggested donation; FREE; Drop-in
Dig in! Learn about the Children’s Garden at Queens Botanical Garden! Join us for planting activities and crafts, and learn about all the wonderful programs we have for children ages 2 to 12. Activities resume while supplies last. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Check back for a link to register!
Coming this spring!
Spring Children’s Garden
Ages 4-10
Drop-off
8 Saturdays or Sundays
Saturday, April 15 – Sunday, June 11, 2023
Skips May 27 & 28
1 to 3pm
$400 Non-Member / $360 Family-Level+ Member
The Children’s Garden sponsored by HSBC is a fun and exciting place where kids spend time planting, playing, observing, and learning in a nurturing environment. This eight-week program creates an immersive experience–a blend of structured and freeform exploration designed to provide children the support they need to express their natural curiosity with nature discovery, hands-on time in the garden, thematic activities, art, and science investigations.
Registration opens February 2023!
The Children’s Garden is sponsored by HSBC Bank.
Spring Garden Buds
Ages 2 & 3
Child + Adult
Six (6) Fridays, Saturdays, or Sundays
Friday, April 21 – Sunday, June 4, 2023
9:30 – 10:30am or 11am – 12pm
$200 Non-Member / $180 Family-Level+ Member
We welcome you and your toddler to join our Garden Buds program! Tailored to our youngest gardeners, these classes let children explore the wonder of nature through hands-on work and play in the garden, taste garden produce, and create botanical crafts. Registration includes one child and a participating adult.
Registration opens February 2023!
Summer Children’s Garden
Ages 4-13
Drop-off
Session I: Mondays – Thursdays, July 10th – July 20th, 2023
Session II: Mondays – Thursdays, July 24th – Thursday, August 3rd, 2023
Session III: Mondays – Thursdays, August 7th – Thursday, August 17th, 2023
Session IV (four days): Monday – Thursday, August 21st – Thursday, August 24th, 2023
9AM to 3PM (extended hours until 5:30PM, additional $35/day)
Fees:
Two-Week Sessions (8 days): $800 Non-Member / $720 Family-Level+ Member
One-Week Session (4 days): $400 Non-Member / $360 Family-Level+ Member
The Children’s Garden, sponsored by HSBC Bank, is happy to welcome back families for our DROP-OFF Summer Children’s Garden!
Enjoy the great outdoors and learn about environmental themes such as gardening, discovering our animal neighbors, using our natural world to create art, and much more! Each Summer session will be taught by dedicated and experienced staff excited to welcome back families to Queens Botanical Garden.
Each session incorporates the Garden as a resource to support nature discovery, hands-on activities, thematic activities, art, and science investigations.
A limited number of scholarships seats are available by request. Please email [email protected] to inquire.
Registration opens February 2023!
The Children’s Garden is sponsored by HSBC Bank.
Know Before You Go
Information for participating families of kids’ programs.
What to Bring
- Water bottle
- A breathable mask for you and your child. Please pack one to two extras.
- Seasonal and weather-appropriate clothing: raincoat/poncho, rain boots, sweater/jacket/coat, gloves, hat, sunscreen for summer programs, etc.
- Seasonally appropriate shoes that will stay attached to your feet and can withstand getting muddy.
- Hand warmers (optional)
Health & Safety
For the safety of students, staff and families, QBG is closely following CDC guidelines. As such, the following health and safety measures are in effect for 2023 programs. We will continue to monitor and update parents with any changes.
- QBG has an indoor face mask requirement. All individuals entering a QBG building, staff and kids included, must wear a mask indoors.
- There will be very limited shared materials. Anything that is shared will be wiped down before sharing.
- Programs will have no more than 18 total people per group, including students, staff and volunteers.
- Before the beginning of each program, staff will use sanitizing wipes or spray to wipe down benches, tables, surfaces, and materials touched and used.
- Staff and students are required to stay home if they or anyone in their household tests positive for COVID-19, or other contagious viruses. For reference, please review CDC guidelines.
- We ask all participants to consider the following three questions before coming to a QBG program. If you answer yes to any of these questions, please stay home.
- In the last 48 hours, have you experienced symptoms of COVID-19 or other contagious viruses?
- Have you tested positive through a diagnostic test for COVID-19 or another contagious virus in the past 10 days?
- Has anyone in your household tested positive for COVID-19 or another contagious virus in the past 10 days?
- What happens if I or someone in my group tests positive?
- Please notify us if your child (program participant) tests positive for COVID-19 or another contagious virus..
- When we are notified of a positive case in a program, we will notify families via email that someone in their group tested positive
- If a student becomes ill with symptoms during the day, a staff member will quarantine the student away from the group and notify a parent/guardian for pickup. We will follow the most current CDC guidelines on when that child and others can come back to class.
Parking
- Parking for all programs is $5.00, an exclusive rate for kids programs participants.
- Families have a 15-minute window for drop off at the parking circle.
- For information on how to get to the Parking Garden, please reference this page on the website.
Payment, Cancelations, and Refunds
- 10% discount off program fee for members
- All programs are rain or shine.
- We have a no-refund policy within 30 days from the program start date. If you must cancel after registering, notify the Kids Programs staff at 718-886-3800 x218 or [email protected] at least 30 full days before the start of the program and the Garden will refund 75% of the program cost.
- Refunds and credits are not issued for partial attendance or after the program begins. Registrations are nontransferable.
- There will not be make-up classes for absences due to illness from common contagious viruses, including COVID-19.
Please email [email protected] for additional questions, scholarship information, or to be added to our email list and newsletter!