Delaware Botanic Garden’s new July Fridays

a group of people walking down a dirt road

Ray Sander, President of the Delaware Botanic Gardens said “We are happy to announce a new family-friendly program – Free Friday Craft Classes for children from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., run by our Director of Educational Programs and our trained volunteer teachers. Come, learn and enjoy the blessings of nature.

This four-week class program, includes a full range of nature topics like Explore camouflage and protective coloration in small creatures’ on July 7th. Students will, design their own creature. Registration for all the classes is required – go to delawaregardens.org/events. Garden admission for children 16 and under is free, when accompanied by an adult. Adult members have free admission, non-members admission fee is $15. Again, the Friday classes for children 6 to 12+ are Free.

Stephen Pryce Lea, Director of Horticulture and Educational Programs said, “Adults are welcome to observe the Friday hands-on craft classes, or they can visit the gardens on their own, while their children are in class, or take the 10 a.m. guided tour, which costs $10.”

The Free Friday July Garden Craft Class topics include:

July 7 – Who’s hiding in the garden? Explore the topics of camouflage and protective coloration of small creatures. Craft is designing own creature using colorful squares of tissue paper and pre-cut stencil of a butterfly or snake.

July 14 – Why are flowers so colorful? Take a walk through the Meadow to study the shapes and colors of flowers. Craft is to paint your own flower on a small cray pot and plant flower in pot.

July 21 – How do they recycle paper? Craft is Create your own sheet of recycled paper with embellishments you choose.

July 28 – The art of the flower. Walk through the new pollinator pathway, then choose one flower to cut, and put in small vase, and paint a picture of the flower.
Sheryl Swed, DBG Executive Director, noted, “In addition to the Free Craft Fridays in July, we offer other July family friendly events and classes. Come and see the beauty of the gardens in summer bloom.”

Other classes-tours include:

Thursday, July 13 at 11:30 a.m. “Bugs & Bogs” Class. Explore the hidden world of aquatic bugs, tadpoles and insects in the Learning Garden by the fresh water vernal pool. Cost is $10 for members and non-members.

Thursday, July 20/27 at 9:00 a.m. “Butterflies & Blooms” class. Learn about butterflies in the garden including Monarchs, Swallowtails, Fritillaries, Sulphur, Skippers. Hairstreaks and more, Also the role of nectar, host plants and life cycle of butterflies. Teacher is led by naturalist Margaret Kimmel. This class will continue every Thursday in August.

Saturday, July 22 at 11:30 a.m. “Summer Meadow Blooms & Pollinators Tour with Stephen Pryce Lea, Director of Horticulture and Educational Programs. Enjoy the scent of a summer meadow and enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of the 2-acre Piet Oudolf Meadow with 70,000 perennial plants and grasses.

Reservations are requested. Go to delawaregardens.org/events. Admission for members and the tour are free. Non-members admission is $15, and the tour fee is $10 for adults. Children 16 and under, when accompanied by an adult, admission and tour are free.

The Delaware Botanic Gardens are open to the public Thursday through Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and located at 30220 Piney Neck Road, Dagsboro, DE 19939. Go to www.delawaregardens.org.