NYBG spent years building science programming for classrooms, then put a good chunk of it online for free — germinating seeds on a windowsill, digging into what soil actually is, regrowing scallions from scraps, and cooking the results with Edible Academy recipes. Everything is led on video by the Garden's own educators, so it lands somewhere between a nature documentary and a kitchen-table experiment. If you have a curious four-to-twelve-year-old and a rainy stretch to fill, this is the deepest
What to expect
You get downloadable activity guides, step-by-step videos and printable garden-planning calendars, organized by theme rather than by grade. Families can start with an experiment — seed germination, soil investigation, weather watching — and follow it into the Backyard Botany video series or a herbarium-style pressing project. School groups get curriculum-aligned versions of the same activities.
Good to know
- Everything runs online — no trip to the Bronx required
- Best suited to kids roughly ages 3 to 12, with easier and harder versions of most activities
- Most experiments use pantry and windowsill materials rather than lab supplies
- Free to access; a Garden visit is a natural follow-up once you have done a few
- Teachers can pull the school-group guides for classroom use
- Pair the recipes with a stop at the Edible Academy when you do visit
Common questions
Does this cost anything?
No — the at-home activities, videos and guides are free to use on NYBG's website.
What ages is it for?
It is built for families with kids about 3 to 12, though the school-group guides scale older.
Do we need special supplies?
Most activities use household items — seeds, jars, soil, kitchen scraps — rather than bought kits.