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Community Programs

| Libraries | Community Gardens | Children's Program | School Gardens | College First |

Garden offers programs with libraries
Local Chicago Public Library branches offer a range of free gardening programs in cooperation with the Chicago Botanic Garden.

Blooming Branches features gardening topics of interest to urban gardeners. Branch libraries across the city use the Garden's materials for special programs.

Blooming Branches at the Chicago Botanic Garden

 

Community gardens flourish

The Neighborhood Gardens program brings beauty and cohesiveness to neighborhoods from Pullman to Edison Park.

To create these community gardens, the Chicago Botanic Garden works with diverse community organizations, including neighborhood development associations, AIDS agencies, domestic violence shelters and churches.

Since 1980, the Garden has been involved in more than 200 community gardens, and 22 more were developed or enhanced in 2001. With the support of Senator Richard Durbin, Neighborhood Gardens is funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. See a map of community gardens (view with Acrobat Reader).

Children’s program mixes fun, learning
On a summer Thursday in the Children’s Garden, 30 children weed, water and explore science as they take part in a nine-week program offered through the Department of Children and Family Services.

Science activities and art projects provide an excellent opportunity for these children in foster care to explore personal interests and expand their learning.

For the seventh year in a row, the Garden has developed and delivered a program for DCFS foster children at the request of the agency, where coordinators recognize the importance of connecting these young people to rich educational environments.

Based on the premise that growth develops through play, each week the children’s activities include tending the garden, engaging in a science activity and having an art program. They are proud of the vegetables and flowers they grow in their garden plot. Children’s Garden programs are supported in part by the Siragusa Foundation.

Garden helps develop school gardens
The Garden is working with schools to develop teaching gardens on their campuses, providing learning laboratories for plant science education.

New gardens this year include projects at Lawndale Prep, Lee School and Harlan Community Academy on the South Side, as well as Murphy School and Langston Hughes School on the West Side and Dewey School in Evanston.

A new element of the program is expansion to suburban Lake and Cook counties.

 Child at the Chicago Botanic Garden
Each school garden evolves differently to meet an individual school’s needs. Educators are asked what they want to teach in their garden, and their ideas for environmental science, art and creative writing are incorporated into the garden design.

See a map of school gardens (view with Acrobat Reader).

College First mentors high schoolers

Through the Garden’s College First program, a number of city high school students interested in attending college can receive mentoring, paid summer apprenticeships and other support.

Three Chicago public high schools are participating in the program: Amundsen High School, Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences and Hyde Park Academy. These schools were selected either because of their horticultural focus or their need for programs to serve at-risk students.

Library at the Chicago Botanic Garden

Participants are selected during their sophomore year. College First works with one group of students from sophomore year through high school graduation. Students receive one-on-one mentoring from a Garden staff member; a paid, eight-week summer apprenticeship at the Garden – including round-trip bus transportation; exposure to various colleges and careers; and advice on applying to colleges.

Since 1994, 35 students have completed the program and entered college or other post-high school programs. Twelve additional students plan to begin college in 2001.

Click here for a brochure. You will need Acrobat Reader to view this pamphlet.
For more information, e-mail wmoss@chicagobotanic.org.

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1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL 60022
The Chicago Botanic Garden is owned by the Forest Preserve District of Cook County.

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Last revised on: Wednesday, April 30, 2003