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...

Get outside and appreciate trees! Embrace tree identification using bark, tree form, and other dangly bits as clues. Search for signs of Spring in the trees! Walks meet rain or shine. This walk will take place in Prospect Park in Brooklyn, and the exact meeting location will be sent the day before the walk. 

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,...

Looking for a unique way to spend Valentine’s day that sends shivers down your spine? Bring your Valentine and spend the evening at this exclusive after-hours event where you'll meet animals up close and learn all about the laws of attraction in the wild! (wine and chocolate included) This program includes walking outside in dim lighting. All paths...

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. PrimatesWhat does a lemur have for breakfast? Do monkeys use their feet to eat? Discover the answers and more during this caregiver and me program at the Zoo! This program is for children...

Family Morning w/ the Animals: Tropics (All Ages) 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. Tropics Zone -*All ages welcome for this session*Who wakes up first in the Tropics? Do birds and monkeys enjoy the same breakfast...

As the night sky changes with the seasons, a recurring treasure trove of celestial sights awaits our gaze. Learn to identify the bright stars and constellations of Brooklyn’s winter sky, and view star clusters and nebulae through a telescope. In case of cloudy weather, activities to hone your star-gazing skills will take place in the classroom....

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,...

Don't you love the incredible animal and plant facts that fly around social media? Mosquitoes helped researchers create ouch-less needles to administer vaccines. Glass sponges living on the ocean floor are inspiring the creation of invisible armor. Hawk moths are teaching us to make stable drones that fly flawlessly even in the worst weather. Nature...

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...

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...

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....

Come explore your wild Brooklyn backyard like never before! Zoo Rangers ages 6 and up meet every Saturday at Grand Army Plaza for an adventure through the park to the Zoo. Kids will embrace their inner explorer while discovering outdoor skills like shelter building, orienteering, and identifying flora and fauna. At the Zoo, Rangers will interact with...

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...