Educational Events & Programs
Create with Nature

Do you like art and music? Create with Nature gives children from K through 6th grade the opportunity to engage with new nature topics in a hands-on way through art and music. Students begin with a story time in the Garden featuring a book on nature. Following the reading, kids join a local artist to complete an art or performing arts project that features some aspect of the book they read. Create with Nature strives to enhance nature literacy by encouraging children to engage with new nature topics through hands-on opportunities. Through this creative outlet, our goal is to improve nature literacy and promote greater interest in the environment. If time allows, groups are invited to attend a nature walk around the Garden following the reading and project.
Who: Kids ages K through 6th grade
How long: About 1.5 hours
How many: 10-15 students per group (not including adult chaperones)
FREE and Open to the Public
Email us at programs@piedmontgarden.org if you’re an artist or musician interested in leading a session OR if you’d like to sign up a group!
Explore to Read

Come explore the Garden with us! Explore to Read encourages children to join together reading and exploring the outdoors. We invite children ages pre-K through 3rd grade to journey along the Garden trails searching for the enlarged pages of a book about nature. You have to find the pages to finish the story! Through Explore to Read, we hope to offer fun opportunities to practice and improve reading skills while also developing an appreciation for the outdoors. Kids can also participate in a nature scavenger hunt around the Garden, led by a volunteer naturalist. The activities include a complimentary snack time and an opportunity for freeform play in the children’s garden or craft area.
Who: Kids ages pre-K through 3rd grade
How long: About 1 hour
How many: 10-15 students per group (not including adult chaperones)
FREE and Open to the Public
Email us at programs@piedmontgarden.org to inquire about signing up a group!
Stream Restoration

Get your hands wet! Stream Water Testing is a citizen science opportunity for students to learn about stream health, water quality, what it means, and how to monitor it. We observe health and water quality through measurements and records taken of the Garden stream’s various features. In partnership with the Rivanna Conservation Alliance, we provide stream water test kits to students so they can learn about temperature, pH, organisms, as well as how to use the tools used to monitor these traits. We are monitoring the urban stream that runs through the Garden over time and are sharing the results on the website.
Who: Middle and high school students
How long: About 1.5 hours
How many: 10-15 students per group (not including adult chaperones)
FREE and Open to the Public
Email us at programs@piedmontgarden.org to inquire about signing up a group!
Questions? Contact our Education Coordinator Bruce Gatling-Austin.
Minors under 18 must be accompanied by a supervising adult approved by the legal guardian.