Connect Your Kids with Our Natural Wonders
Take a look at these programs and activities for young visitors at Garden in the Woods
Children find our rolling, wooded landscape naturally compelling. Slivers of light break through the branches, forming patches on the forest floor. Flowers hum with bees, and leaves rustle with birds and breezes. Chipmunks skitter across the trails. At the pond, frogs plop into shaded shallows, while turtles soak up sun on a rock.
You'll find several ways to share experiences like these with your kids at Garden in the Woods. Watch them play on their own or with other kids in the Family Activity Area, sign up for a Saturday morning of plant play, or enjoy a scavenger hunt or other self-guided adventure on the trails (see below).
Are you a Massachusetts elementary-school teacher, grades K-4? Take a look at our school programs, designed to meet the state's curriculum standards.
Family Activities and Plant Play at Garden in the Woods
Mark your calendar for Saturday morning activities for families and children
Sing, dance, and create among the plants at beautiful Garden in the Woods! Click Plant Play on our Events calendar to see the dates of selected Saturdays on which we offer an hour of nature-inspired stories, songs, and crafts at Garden in the Woods. It's free with Garden admission.
Elaine Kessler facilitates this hour-long program, which includes a mix of nature-inspired songs, stories, and crafts on select Saturdays from 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Plant Play is geared towards children ages 3-5, and all children must be accompanied by a caregiver. No reservation necessary. Gather in the classrooms of the Education Building when you arrive.
Children's Drop-in Tours (Free with Garden Admission)
Channel your curiosity and wonder into an hour-long exploration of Garden in the Woods
Facilitated by our expert team of Teacher Naturalists, these tours are a perfect fit for young learners who love to ask questions and who want to explore the hidden secrets of the Garden's plant and animal life in a supportive environment. Whether you're a long-time explorer of the natural world or a new woodland adventurer, join us for an engaging and fun hour of walking and interactive learning, including time in our forest playground. See the dates below for the schedule of Children's Drop-in Tours.
Tours are geared towards 8–12 year olds, but learners of all ages are welcome to join. All participants must be accompanied by a caregiver. No reservation necessary. Teacher Naturalists will meet participants in the picnic area next to the Education Building. Afterward, children are invited to explore the local flora and fauna in the Garden, play in the Family Activity Area, or pick up a scavenger hunt sheet at the Visitor Center and take a walk through the woods.
We offer Children's Drop-in Tours of the Garden on these dates:
- April 26
- May 24
- June 21
- July 19
- August 16
- August 30
What to Do Any Old Time
Activities to delight and inspire
The Basics
The main trail (about one mile long) is wide enough for strollers and carriages. Secondary trails pass over some more-challenging, hilly terrain. Bathrooms in the Education Center have changing stations and are accessible. More bathrooms are located in the Visitor Center.
Like all other visitors, children must stay on the paths and out of the garden beds, pond, and stream. Our native plant collections contain rare and endangered species that cannot be replaced.
Some Things to Do
Follow the main path over hills, through deep woods, and along the edges of bogs, a brook, and a pond, where you can spot turtles, frogs, and other water creatures.
Embark on a scavenger hunt, challenging everyone in the family to use all five senses to explore the Garden: Pick up lists for kids of different ages at the Visitor Center, which also sells snacks and drinks, plus eco-friendly games, toys, and clothing.
Go wild in our Family Activity Area, where children can unleash their energy and imaginations. Kids can enter through the magic cottage door and create their own critter cottage under the pines, build a fort with branches, climb through our giant hollow log, and fill up a habitat box with a variety of natural materials. You never know who might move in . . . .
