The Chelsea Physic Garden invites you to join them for Family Activity Days. Learn about chocolate, Shakespearean herbology, art, flight, garden photography and more. Family activities scheduled for 2016 are for participants age 7 and older, unless otherwise specified.
Here is what’s new at Classes Near You > England:
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Chocolate Tuesday
May 31 and August 16
10:30 am – 3:00 pm
Investigate the history, geography and science of chocolate. Craft activities, a Garden tour, chocolate tasting and chocolate making too.
Potions and Poison: Shakespearean Herbology
Thursdays, April 7, August 18, October 28
10:30 am – 3:00 pm
Learn about the world of apothecaries through a Shakespearean lens. The Chelsea Physic Garden partners with Studio Cultivate to create new experiences for families.
Spectacular Seeds
Tuesday, March 29
10:30 am – 2:30 pm
Learn about seeds, make seed art and eat seeds too!
Water World
Wednesday, March 30
10:30 am – 2:30 pm
Learn about water through art, meteorology, physics and botany. Participants will make a wall fountain, rain gauge, water drop microscope and mini aquatic ecosystem.
Puppetry in Motion
Thursday, March 31
10:30 am – 3:00 pm
Design garden-inspired creatures with artist Hyunjung Choi.
Animal Encounters
Tuesday, April 5 or Wednesday, October 26
10:30 am – Noon or 1:00 – 2:30 pm
Children ages 4+ will learn about animals and their habitats and have the opportunity to hold the animals.
Art of the Garden
Create garden-inspired art and craft projects. Print, paint, sketch and build! Schedule options for this session are:
Ages 4+, Wednesday, April 6, 10:30-Noon or 1:00-2:30 pm
Ages 6+, Tuesday, October 25, 10:30 am – 2:30 pm
Marvelous Masks
Wednesday, June 1
10:30 am – 2:30 pm
Learn about masks from around the world and then make your mask using materials found in the Garden.
Thinking with Your Nose: An Introduction to Plant Perfumes
Thursday, June 2, 10:30 am – 2:30 pm
Participants ages 11+ will learn about perfumery and how how to make their own perfumes.
A Passion for Plants: Gardening for Beginners
Tuesday, August 2
10:30 – Noon or 1:00-2:30 pm
Gardeners ages 4 and up will learn how to care for plants and learn how to create garden-inspired gifts.
The Power of Plants: Ethnobotany for Beginners
Wednesday, August 3
10:30 am – 2:30 pm
Learn about the plants we use everyday. Did you know you will most likely use ten plants before arriving for this session?
Pulp Fiction: Paper-making, Paper Stixx, Wonderful Wire & More
Thursday, August 4
10:30 am – 3:00 pm
Artist, inventor and designer Darcy Turner will show you how to see paper, metal and wire in new ways. Also, learn how to make your own paper. For ages 6+.
Garden Safari
Tuesday, August 9
10:30 am – 2:30 pm
More animal encounters, plus explore the Garden’s jungle room, medicinal plants, poisonous plants and vampire plants. For ages 10+.
Recycled Garden Sculptures
Sculptor Michelle Reader will show participants ages 8+ how to use everyday items to create sculptures of garden plants and animals.
Flight Club: An Introduction to Things That Fly
Thursday, August 11
10:30 am – 2:30 pm
Learn about the science and history of flight by studying pollen, seeds, insects, birds and humans. Participants will make flying seeds, kites and paper airplanes. Rocket? Did someone say rocket?!
Garden Photography
Photographers ages 7 and up are invited to bring their cameras and smartphones to learn about lighting, composition, texture and form. They will also receive tips about wildlife photography and about how to make plant portraits.
Animation Station
Tuesday, August 23
10;30 am – 3:00 pm
Professional film-maker Emma Sullivan will lead this workshop for storytellers ages 11+. She will help them create characters and a story inspired by the Garden’s own plants and animals.
Living Color
Wednesday, August 24
10:30 am – 3:00 pm
Textile artist Lara Hailey will talk about textiles and dyes. Participants age 11+ will make their own dyed creations and plant a garden to take home.
Fire!!
Learn about the science, folklore, customs and beliefs associated with fir as the Garden marks the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London, the 150th anniversary of the London Brigade and the 50th anniversary of the Chelsea fire station. The Museum of London will lead activities and a fire engine will be onsite.
Fungi Town: An Introduction to the Weird World of Mushrooms
Thursday, October 27
10:30 am – 2:30 pm
Participants ages 8+ will learn about fungi through tasty treats and mushroom printing and continue their learning at home with their own mini growing kit.
Sunday Sundays
Don’t forget the drop-in activities for families scheduled from 12-4 pm on April 10 June 10, August 14 and October 2.
About the Chelsea Physic Garden
Hidden in the heart of London, Chelsea Physic Garden is both a peaceful oasis in the city and a center for learning. It was founded by the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries of London in 1673 for apprentices to study the medicinal qualities of plants and by the 18th century the Garden was one of the most important centers of botany and plant exchange in the world.
Today the Garden’s features include Europe’s oldest pond rockery, the Cool Fernery, the Garden of Edible & Useful Plants, the Garden of Medicinal Plants and the World Woodland Garden. Its education and outreach program reaches over 5,000 children a year from across London in addition to the program of Family Activity Days and Walks, Talks & Workshops.
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