Something's always growing and there's always something new to discover at the Conservatory!   Garfield Park Conservatory is a fantastic place to bring family members of all ages. Something’s always growing, and there’s always something new to discover! To make your “growing” experience here even more enjoyable, we offer a number of special educational opportunities FREE for kids and families! Come visit the Elizabeth Morse Genius Children’s Garden, which is open during normal Conservatory hours, or visit us during one of our scheduled activity times.   Did you know that Chicago’s botanical gem under glass, the Garfield Park Conservatory, has been home to rare tropical plants for almost 100 years? (The Garfield Park Conservatory opened to the public in April of 1908.) Grab your party hats, and get ready to help us celebrate the Conservatory’s birthday on April 13th, 2008, 9 am to 5 pm during our Grand Centennial Opening.   Meanwhile, prepare to be a gracious guest at this birthday bash by brushing up on your Conservatory history. The Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance is offering a number of exciting programming events that will enhance the family-oriented visitor’s experience of both history and horticulture. Please join us as we highlight the past, present and future of the Garfield Park Conservatory’s plants, people and place. For information please call 773-638-1766 ext 23.
	Winter/Spring Programming
			Paper Scavenger Hunt: Hunting for History Daily Program Date: Available beginning in November of 2007 Time: Scavenger sheet available during all exhibit hours/ Activity will be available at front desk Location: Conservatory and outdoor gardens Cost: Free Come find some time with your family or school group at the Garfield Park Conservatory by joining in on our time-traveling pursuit.  Do you know which plant at the Conservatory holds the record for being the oldest? Ever glimpsed the 100 year old waterfall whose design was inspired by a simple piano tune? During this self-guided scavenger hunt, we’ll let you in on exciting historical secrets, introduce you to centennial celebrities, both plant and mineral, and generally show you a good (literally) old time.  In this fun self-guided hunt (available free  to all visitors),  families, kids, students, and teachers work together using educational hints and photo details to find time in the Garfield Park Conservatory.
			Mobile Exploration Station: Conservatory’s Birthday Booth Thursdays, Saturdays & Sundays Date: November 1, 2007  - June 1 , 2008 Time: Thurs. evenings - Drop in anytime between 4 - 6:30 pm Saturdays & Sundays: Drop in anytime between 11 am -  4 pm Location: Palm House in front of the Fern Room stairs. Cost: Free Come help blow out some candles for the Conservatory at this historically-themed discovery cart. Learn about Conservatory history, take a seed i.d. quiz, or make a Conservatory Birthday hat. Listen to Mendelssohn’s Spring Song, said to have inspired the soft trickle of the prairie waterfall in the Fern Room, and see if you can hear the similarities. Staff and additional resource materials will be on hand to answer questions and get you in the swing of things at this Conservatory Birthday Booth.
			Family Exploration Station: Past, Present, & Future of Plants Saturdays & Sundays Date: November 3, 2007  - June 1, 2008 Time: Drop in anytime between 11 am and 4 pm Location: Elizabeth Morse Genius Children’s Garden Cost: Free There’s always something special in the Children’s Garden to help celebrate our special upcoming birthday bash. Read a plant’s future by examining our seed collection, explore a plant’s past by digging for plant fossils, and get a close-up look of the green and growing present by viewing leaves on our light table. Enjoy our soil table by planting a pretend garden, building a mini-banana habitat or digging for dinosaur bones during this special staffed drop-in time (Note: dig themes rotate weekly). Help decorate a special conservatory birthday cake and, before you go, make sure to slide down our flower-stem slide. (See also Family Make & Take.) (Themes and programs are subject to change.)
			Family Make-&-Take Sessions: Scentennial Celebrations ... & More Saturdays & Sundays Date: November 3rd , 2007  - June 1st , 2008 Time: Drop in anytime between 1 pm and 3 pm Location: Elizabeth Morse Genius’ Children’s Garden (Activity will be stationed near the giant seed in the Children’s Garden) Cost: Free Our traditional take-home activity time gets a special historic twist this fall, as we celebrate the Conservatory’s centennial. Come share in some hands-on family fun with activities that explore the Conservatory’s plant collection. Sessions will include See-Through-Seed Bracelets, Conservatory Charms, Prehistoric Plantings, Pound-A-Plant Bookmarks, Pet Conservatories, & Scentennial Celebrations. (Themes and programs are subject to change.)
			Mobile Exploration Station: Sugar-Making 101 Saturdays & Sundays Date: Beginning March 1, 2008 Time: Drop in anytime between 11 am and 4 pm Location: Sugar from the Sun Cost: Free Stop by the center of the exhibit for on-going demonstrations about how plants are using sunlight, air, and water to make sugar - the fuel and building block for life on Earth. Stop by the center of the exhibit for on-going demonstrations about how plants are using sunlight, air, and water to make sugar - the fuel and building block for life on Earth.
	PLANTING SEEDS FOR LEARNING (Family Preschool Programs) (top)
			Morning Glories for Families Every Monday Morning Date: Year Round Time: Drop in anytime between 10 am – Noon No registration required. Location: Elizabeth Morse Genius Children’s Garden Cost: $1 suggested donation per family Enjoy learning together with your preschooler in this weekly drop-in activity and story time. This season’s projects include planting sunflower seeds, mini-bug worlds, animal shakers, and much more! Each plant-related project takes 20-25 minutes, the last group is taken at 11:45 pm (see project listing below).   Important Morning Glories Information • If you are a Pre-K daycare group of more than 6 children,    please attend the Morning Glories session on Thursdays.    Please refer to the “Morning Glories for Schools” section    below for registration information. • Adult supervision is required for participation in the Morning    Glory Mondays Program. • For more information contact Kelly Katzmann at 773 638-1766    ext. 23 or email kkatzmann@garfieldpark.org.
	CLASSROOM CONNECTIONS (School and Teacher Programs) (top)
			Morning Glories for Schools Every Thursday Time: 10 am - Noon (Registration Required) Location: Discovery Area of the Children’s Garden Cost: Free If you are interested in bringing a larger group or an entire class for Morning Glories story-time project, we have a new feature just for you! Morning Glories for Schools allows larger groups of preschoolers to enjoy a project together. Please contact Yadira Correa at 773-638-1766 x25 or email her at correay@garfieldpark.org to learn more and to schedule a Thursday morning visit - registration is required.
	Special Family Fun Throughout the Conservatory (top)
			Children's Birthday Parties Location: Conservatory Cost: Call   Have you visited the Conservatory and thought it would be a great place for your child’s birthday party? Great idea! We welcome birthday parties here at the Conservatory, however there are a few details you need to know to make your trip more successful for everyone.   • At this time, we unfortunately do not provide any private   staffed birthday parties. We hope to in the future. • You can rent one of our rooms here to hold your birthday    party by contacting Joan Colon at 312-746-5250 or    joan.colon@chicagoparkdistrict.com. • Your party is welcome to participate in the public ongoing    weekend activities (See Kid & Family Fun). You can get    scavenger hunts for your group at the front desk (the    Conservatory is celebrating its’100th birthday this year!).   Your group can also make a Conservatory Birthday hat at the Birthday Booth (11am-4pm), play in the dig pit in the Children’s Garden (11am-4pm), and participate in the Make-and-take activity (1-3pm)!   • If you decide to participate in these programs, we ask that   you split your party up into groups of 6 or less and send them   to separate program areas. This allows other visitors an equal   opportunity to participate in the programs. • During your party, please be considerate to other visitors so    that everybody can enjoy the Conservatory spaces.   Any questions about participating in the weekend public programs, please contact Kelly Katzmann at 773-638-1766x23 or kkatzmann@garfieldpark.org.
			Origami Open House Presented by the Chicago Area Origami Society Second Saturday of Each Month (throughout the year) Hours: Drop in anytime between 1 pm - 4 pm Where: Classroom of the Conservatory Cost: Free   Origami is a fascinating, fun-filled creative activity for children as well as adults. With a minimum of folds and creases, you can transform a flat sheet of paper into a three-dimensional form like a swan, a boat, a flower or even a hat. So, if you're interested in creating animals, dinosaurs, flowers, decorative boxes and various other models, please join us.   Every second Saturday of the month in the Conservatory’s Classroom, the Chicago Area Origami Society presents a free drop-in Origami Open House to our visitors. Please drop by — both kids and adults are welcome, but children must be accompanied by an adult. Experienced folders welcome as well. Also, though there will be a limited supply of paper available, you are encouraged to bring your own. The workshop is FREE and OPEN to the public. For more information, please contact Robert by e-mail at robertcubie@earthlink.net, or visit their website: www.home.earthlink.net/~robertcubie/origami
			Eye Spy Conservatory Hunt Download the PDF Make the most of your family visit to the Garfield Park Conservatory; before your next trip to see us, download this free Garfield Park Conservatory Scavenger Hunt PDF, and print off a sheet for each member of your family. Not only will your kids enjoy hunting for answers, but their experience will also be active and engaging. Your family will be introduced to some of the most intriguing and unique plants the Conservatory has to offer. Good Luck!!   Eye Spy Hunt PDF
			Chicago Wilderness’s Leave No Child Inside New Website   As a Chicago Wilderness member, we’ve always known that connecting children with nature is the first step to conserving our natural heritage for the future. We’re now learning that this connection is just as important to healthy childhood development. That’s why we are a part of Chicago Wilderness’s Leave No Child Inside, a multi-year initiative to improve children’s health and foster generations of children that care for nature. Chicago Wilderness' new web site at www.KidsOutside.info is just for the Leave No Child Inside initiative. Throughout the initiative, this site will be a resource for parents and other caregivers with fun ideas on where to go and what to do outside with their kids.      Tips for Parents
	More Information     For more information on Kid & Family Fun or to volunteer in the Children's Garden  email Kelly Katzmann at kkatzmann@garfieldpark.org or call (773) 638-1766 ext. 23.