Nature Classes in NYC, New York

January 2, 2020 Thanks to its varied habitats and combination of native and introduced species, Central Park is a great place for edible and medicinal wild plants, even in the winter, as you'll see if you attend this special City Kids Home School Coop tour, where all adults must be accompanied with kids. Herbs, greens, fruits, and nuts will all...

For centuries herbs and spices have been prized not just for their flavors, but as state-of-the-art medicine. Learn about a variety of plants historically used for first aid, to revitalize the immune system, and to treat and prevent asthma, insomnia, sinusitis, bronchitis, colds and flu, and much more.  Join us—you'll be a much smarter shopper...

Bring your family for an immersive zoo vet experience! You will discover what it's like to care for our animals as you go backstage to meet a veterinarian and tour the Wildlife Health Center*, meet an animal guest up close, and use veterinary tools to examine, diagnose, and treat a plush patient of your own. You'll even get to take your patient home...

March 24, 2019 Central Park provides a great window into the world of wild foods of early spring. It's the start of the season for wild salad greens, and we'll be finding great quantities of these weedy delicacies. Pungent field garlic is everywhere. You use the leaves like scallions or chives, and the bulbs like onions. Spicy mustard greens, such...

Learn about the birds that call the Bronx Zoo home from an expert in our Ornithology Department. Find out more about what it's like to oversee the bird collection, get a sneak peek of the World of Birds after-hours, and meet a bird up close! Please Note: This program includes walking outside in dim lighting. All paths are wheelchair accessible....

In the Latin edition of Baruch Spinoza’s magnum opus, the Ethics, he writes, “That eternal and infinite being we call God, or Nature, acts from the same necessity from which he exists.” This formula – Deus sive Natura, God or Nature – is the cornerstone of a radical new philosophy that Spinoza fashioned in the wake of Descartes’ mind-body...

Discover the wonder of winter and what it awakens inside of you. Will the park be clad in snow? Will branches and twigs be wearing icy armor? We will engage in a variety of activities that will connect us with this time of year. Meeting location at the Loeb Boathouse in Central Park (East Drive parallel to about 75th Street), outside near the tables,...

How does a cactus protect itself from the harsh desert sun? Why do tropical plants often have purple pigment in their leaves? Over the course of 3.8 billion years of life on earth, plants have developed ingenious strategies to survive and thrive. The design concept of biomimicry looks to these natural processes and structures, using them as inspiration...

This vastly underappreciated park offers all the best wild foods of the rich seashore habitat. The sandy soil is poor, limiting tree growth but benefiting plants that can take advantage of the unblocked sunlight and nutrient-poor soil. Many species get a head start in late winter and early spring, and the same plants appear in late fall, induced to...

Conscious Living Conscious Dying: the Nature of Death and Dying and Beyond Every great religious and spiritual tradition has laid great emphasis on the meaning and understanding of death and the dying process. As we more deeply understand the dying process, death becomes one of our greatest teachers. During this workshop, we will explore the many-faceted...

Trees may appear to be strong and silent, but they can "talk"—to one another, to other plants, and to animals and insects. Discover how trees communicate via chemical signals in the air (to warn each other of insect attacks), as well as through complex fungal networks underground to transfer nutrients and resources to one another (sometimes to assist...

Forest Park is one of the best places for foragers in mid-spring. Get lost in this vast park, and you'll have plenty to eat (that is, if you can distinguish the gourmet plants from the deadly ones.) It boasts a large, mature, secondary growth forest, trail edges, thickets, and cultivated areas—all overflowing with wild plants. Burdock,...

Family Morning w/ the Animals: Snow Leopards (0-5 w/ Adult) Good morning to Zoo! Following playful animal-themed activities, children and caregivers visit the Zoo before it opens and watch as animals receive their breakfast. Snow Leopards What's a snow leopard's favorite food? Do snow leopards like meatballs for breakfast? Discover the answers...

Bring your small fry for a big adventure at the NY Aquarium! Explore, play, and move through our exhibits with your young aquarist before the Aquarium opens. Each week discover the secrets of spineless animals, participate in sensory play, and meet a live animal. This ticket is for one child ages 0-5 and a caregiver.

Prospect Park is a great place for foragers to explore at the end of the winter. Like Central Park, this Olmstead-designed landscape features a variety of habitats filled with delicious native and exotic plants. Wild coffee grows along the sidewalk that runs along the park's east side. Unrelated to commercial coffee, you can collect the seeds of...