Introducing Verdant Gardens in the WILD!

Wander. Imagine. Learn. Discover.

What if we could bring a little bit of Verdant Gardens to you?

Verdant Gardens in the WILD — Wander, Imagine, Learn, Discover — is our traveling nature party and workshop program, bringing hands-on gardening, ecology, and nature experiences to birthdays, schools, libraries, community groups, and special events throughout the Greater Rochester area.

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Maybe your nature-loving kid has a birthday coming up. Maybe you have a group of kids who would happily spend an afternoon looking for caterpillars, digging in the dirt, examining flowers, or talking about birds. Or maybe you're simply looking for an activity that feels a little different—something fun and creative that also gives kids an opportunity to explore the incredible natural world around them.

That's exactly why we created Verdant in the WILD.

The spirit behind Verdant Gardens has always been about helping children experience the wonder and magic of nature at every level—from the smallest caterpillar munching on a leaf to a tiny warbler traveling thousands of miles across continents. Our traveling programs take that same spirit beyond the garden. We bring the lesson, exploration, supplies, and creative project to you. And because no two little naturalists are quite the same, we offer a variety of themes that can be tailored to your child's age and interests.

So, what exactly does a Verdant in the WILD experience look like?

Discover, Explore & Become a Naturalist

Our parties and workshops come in three tiers—Discovery, Explorer, and Naturalist—with each offering a different level of hands-on exploration.

No matter which you choose, our programs follow a simple Verdant formula:

Discover something fascinating. Explore it with your own hands. Create something to take the experience home.

Let's take a look at a few of our themes!

Discovery: Join the Caterpillar Club

Our Discovery Experiences are typically about one hour long and are perfect for younger naturalists or groups looking for a fun introduction to nature exploration. One of our favorites is the Caterpillar Club, recommended for ages 4–8. There is something almost universally fascinating about caterpillars. They're tiny, they're often colorful, they're very hungry—and somehow, after disappearing inside a chrysalis, they emerge as butterflies!

During our Verdant Mini-Lesson, we'll discover how caterpillars become butterflies and learn why butterflies are so particular about the plants where they lay their eggs.

Hint: It has everything to do with what those very hungry caterpillars will need to eat!

Then it's time to investigate.

Kids will match familiar—and perhaps not-so-familiar—caterpillars with their host plants. Once they've learned how these special relationships work, they'll get to invent a caterpillar of their own and imagine the perfect plant it would need to survive. Finally, we'll create a caterpillar-to-butterfly life cycle wheel for each child to take home. They leave with a craft—but also with a new reason to turn over the next leaf they see outside.

Explorer: Follow the Great Bird Migration

Ready to travel a little farther?

Our Explorer Experiences run approximately 75–90 minutes and give kids more time to investigate a topic through hands-on activities. For our Great Bird Migration experience, recommended for ages 6–11, we'll follow some of our favorite feathered travelers on their incredible seasonal journeys.

Why do birds migrate? Where do they go? How do they know where they're going? And what happens when a migrating bird can't find a safe place to stop and rest? We'll explore the challenges migratory birds encounter along the way and discover why stopover habitat—including the habitat we create in our own communities—is so important.

Then each child will choose a migratory bird and trace its flyway across a large map. Once they know where their bird is headed, they'll put themselves in the role of a habitat designer and imagine an ideal place for their tired traveler to stop, eat, rest, and refuel.

We'll finish by painting a wooden birdhouse for each child to take home.

For groups interested in going one step further, Verdant also offers the option to upgrade to a species-specific nesting box, turning the take-home project into real backyard habitat.

Suddenly, the birds passing overhead aren't just birds anymore. They're travelers with destinations, challenges, and stories of their own.

Naturalist: Become a Junior Botanist

Our Naturalist Experiences, typically 90–120 minutes, give us even more time to encourage the junior scientist that lives inside every curious kid. In Junior Botanist, we'll slow down and look closely—really closely—at the plants growing all around us. What does a botanist notice when they look at a leaf? What do they collect, measure, sketch, and record? Why does careful observation matter?

Using magnifying glasses and a small microscope, we'll examine leaves, flowers, and other botanical specimens and practice recording some of the same details a field scientist might notice.

Each Junior Botanist will receive their own field journal to use during the program and keep for future adventures. We'll talk about field journaling and how drawing, writing, measuring, and simply taking the time to notice can help us understand the natural world.

Finally, we'll learn the art—and science—of pressing plants. Each child will receive a small wooden flower press to take home, giving them the tools to continue building their own botanical collection long after our workshop ends.

The goal isn't just to learn the names of plants. It's to start noticing them.

More Than a Nature-Themed Party

There are plenty of ways to throw a fun birthday party. With Verdant in the WILD, we want kids to have all of that fun—but we also hope something from the experience follows them home. At Verdant Gardens, we want to ignite a sense of curiosity and wonder wherever a child happens to be and help them understand that some of the best places to begin exploring are right in their own backyards.

The birds changing with the seasons.

Seeds floating on the wind.

Bees moving from flower to flower.

A caterpillar hidden beneath a leaf.

These are things children may pass every day. We take those everyday wonders and give kids the opportunity to stop, investigate, ask questions, get their hands involved, and discover just how extraordinary the ordinary can be.

Through a combination of discovery, exploration, and creativity, we hope to nurture the kind of curiosity that doesn't end when the workshop does.

Maybe the next time a child sees a butterfly, they'll wonder where it laid its eggs.

Maybe they'll recognize a migrating bird passing through their backyard.

Maybe they'll pick up a fallen leaf, pull out their field journal, and take a closer look.

And that's how their curiousity grows wild!

Take Verdant into the WILD

Wander. Imagine. Learn. Discover.

Verdant in the WILD brings the magic of Verdant Gardens to birthday parties, schools, libraries, community programs, and special events throughout the Greater Rochester area. Choose from one of our nature-inspired themes, or reach out to us about creating an experience around something your child or group already loves. From caterpillars and butterflies to birds, wildflowers, gardening, wildlife, and more, there is always something new to discover.

Because we truly believe that connection to nature and community can grow anywhere.

Ready to take your next party, class, or event into the WILD? Check out our Catalog to explore our current themes and find the right experience for your group. Then reach out to us to book!