Community

Celebrate Diversity at Brooklyn’s Summer Day Camps

Even with mounting anecdotal evidence touting the effectiveness of immersive learning, many youngsters still spend countless classroom hours feeling disengaged. That is among the reasons why making the most of a child’s time away from the classroom is so important.

Summer day camp offers children a chance to capitalize on their interests in targeted learning environments. Many participants show a marked improvement in their social skills, or even a greater ability to tap into analytical thinking processes, prompted by the tasks of solving specific problems. Once out of the classroom, and beyond the rigors of test taking, children blossom in unexpected ways, unearthing new talents and interests.

Fortunately, living in a major city affords parents plenty of day camp options no matter their schedule or income level. We’ve rounded up some of Brooklyn’s most diverse choices.

Brooklyn Boulders
575 Degraw Street | (347) 834-9066 | www.brooklynboulders.com
Gender: Coed
Ages: 6–12
Activities: Yoga, roped climbing, slack-lining, bouldering, belaying (top-roping), crafts
Description: Summer Adventures is a unique day camp for energetic kids seeking something different. With plenty of individualized instruction (the staff to child ratio is always 1:5), kids are taught the fundamentals of rock climbing in a safe, fun-filled atmosphere alongside fitness enthusiasts who love what they do. Healthy snacks and refreshments are included
Availability: Runs biweekly from June 27– August 26 (9AM– 3:30PM)
Cost: $495 per week

Brooklyn Cultural Adventures Program (BCaP)
789 Washington Avenue | (718) 638-7700 | www.heartofbrooklyn.org
Gender: Coed
Ages: 7–12
Activities: Hands-on activities, arts/crafts, field trips, swimming, structured learning
Description: Parents rave about the Brooklyn Cultural Adventures Summer Camp program, which was recently recognized with a National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award. Campers visit cultural institutions each week where instructors reinforce curricula organized around a theme. This year’s theme is “Food is the Fuel of Life,” so expect lots of gardening, cooking, basic biology, and life cycle concepts.
Availability: Three two-week sessions: July 5–15, July 18–29, and August 1–12 (9AM-3:30 PM with early morning/after camp extensions available)
Cost: $600-$650 per session

Brooklyn Design Lab
413A Seventh Avenue | (917) 657-7441 | www.brooklyndesignlab.org
Gender: Coed
Ages: 5–12
Activities: Sketching, designing, painting, sculpting, printmaking, field trips
Description: Amy Yang, founder of Brooklyn Design Lab, loves the arts and has an enthusiasm for teaching that’s infectious. While imparting the fundamentals of design, she enables kids to express themselves visually in ways that develop skills in spatial relationships and the processes associated with making art. Kids develop the language to discuss their work and display it in the studio window and around Park Slope.
Availability: Weekly sessions (organized by age group); K-2: July 18–22 (Paper), 25–29 (3D), August 8–12 (Painting), 15–19 (Clay) 9AM–11AM; 3-6: July 5–8 (Lego Architecture), 11–15 (Information Graphics), August 1–5 (Toy Design) 9AM–3PM
Cost: $220 per session

Brooklyn Friends Summer Arts
375 Pearl Street | (718) 852-1029 | www.brooklynfriends.org
Gender: Coed
Ages: 8–14
Activities: Sketching, painting, ceramics, woodworking, photography, songwriting, film making, field trips, swimming
Description: Taught only by professional working artists, children will enjoy intensified study in distinct arts disciplines and practice and interact in the state-of-the-art facilities of the Brooklyn Friends School, which includes dance studios, music rooms, high-tech technology labs, and two massive gyms. Field trips include visits to professional studios and discussions with artists, such as sculptor Tom Otterness and musician David Byrne, as well as to major cultural institutions.
Availability: Three two-week sessions June 15–July 1; July 5–July 15; July 18–July 29 (9AM-3PM with early morning/aᴀer camp extensions available)
Cost: $792–$1,144 per session

Carmelo, the Science Fellow
300 Atlantic Avenue | (718) 722-0000 | www.carmelothesciencefellow.com
Gender: Coed
Ages: 5–11
Activities: Hands-on learning, structured age-appropriate activities, Ḁeld trips, swimming
Description: Every Brooklyn parent knows Carmelo Piazza, the cool science teacher who lets children play with mealworms, build dinosaurs, and create their own silly putty. Piazza’s talent for seamlessly teaching basic concepts in science, however, is his best trick. His popular day camp is themed, with each week focused on specific curricula, such as geology, biology, chemistry, and physics. Field trips reinforce learning and days are structured around a lively schedule that includes plenty of hands-on activities/experiments.
Availability: Weekly from July 5–August 25 (9AM–3PM, with early morning/aᴀer camp extensions available)
Cost: $275–$425 per week

Creative Arts Atudio
310 Atlantic Avenue | (718) 797-5600 | www.creativeartsstudio.com
Gender: Coed
Ages: 5–13
Activities: Dance, theater arts, visual arts, swimming, field trips
Description: While investigating weekly themes, campers will be encouraged to express themselves as individual artists and as a group. Teachers specializing in specific media help guide instruction, which includes lessons in ballet, tap, and modern dance, drama, singing, puppet-making, writing, and the visual arts. Weekly swimming lessons are provided at the St. Francis College Aquatic Center in Brooklyn Heights. Availability: Two four-week sessions: July 11–August 5 and August 8–September 2 Cost: $425 a week; $1620 for a four-week session; $3,080 for an eight-week session

Kim’s Kids Summer Camp
378 Third Street | (718) 768-6419 | www.kimskidscamp.com
Gender: Coed
Ages: 4–11
Activities: Hiking, swimming, running, daily field trips
Description: Flexible scheduling and instruction by certified teachers make Kim’s Kids Camp—now celebrating its 31st season—a welcomed member of Brooklyn’s day camp family. With vigorous activities planned for each day, such as visits to the New York Aquarium, Bronx Zoo, or hiking in Prospect Park, campers are always engaged. A special end-of-the-summer visit to Sesame Place is also a big hit.
Availability: July 5–August 12 in daily or weekly sessions (9AM– 3PM, with early morning/after camp extensions available)
Cost: $780–$2,015

Park Slope Day Camp
241 Prospect Park West | (718) 788-7732 | www.parkslopedaycamp.com
Gender: Coed
Ages: 3–14
Activities: Sports, swimming, arts and crafts, horseback riding, rock climbing, gymnastics, martial arts, drama, climbing wall
Description: This long-time day camp leader offers plenty of flexibility, transportation options, and a varied schedule of activities that are targeted to specific age groups, such as the Cirque d’été acrobatic camp for its Pre-K group. Weekly field trips for all campers keep boredom at bay.
Availability: June 29–August 26 (8AM–4PM, with after camp extensions available)
Cost: Prices vary depending on child’s age and desired session with daily, weekly, and multi-week rates available, starting at $90 per day.

Willie Mae Rock Camp For Girls
87 Irving Place | (347) 599-0716 | williemaerockcamp.org
Gender: Girls only
Ages: 8–18
Activities: Instrument instruction, workshops, songwriting/band practice, live performances by visiting artists
Description: Intensified instruction makes Willie Mae Rock Camp one of Brooklyn’s most popular day camps. Girls form bands, write songs, and gain first-hand exposure to visiting professional musicians like Amy Ray (Indigo Girls), Kathleen Hanna, Kimya Dawson, and Martha Wainwright. The end of the session culminates in a performance at the Music Hall of Williamsburg.
Availability: Two weekly sessions July 11–16 and August 22–27 (9AM–5:30PM, 11AM–3PM on Saturdays)
Cost: $525 per week

Brooklyn pride runs deep. It’s evident in the quantity of t-shirts touting slogans like “Made in Brooklyn” or digits like “11215”, or simple letters, like “F”, which hold meaning only to the chosen ones. That Brooklyn pride has extended beyond the corner bodegas and health food stores to a place without limit, a place without zip code, a place we call cyberspace. Once you start looking online, you’ll find as many people blogging about Brooklyn as you will skinny jeans in Williamsburg. Their expertise ranges from health food to hot dogs, it’s up to the minute, and it’s open for discussion. The blogging community brings a whole new dimension to the borough – one where we can share our likes, our dislikes, our common ground, and our differences. All under the comforting veil of anonymity that a screen name like FunnyBunny718 can create.

Blogs are like the meeting ground between print media and front stoop conversation. They can be eloquent or biting as a magazine article, but they retain the currency of a conversation over a morning cup of coffee. Blogs are happening today, they are unedited, and they are uncensored. They are the opinions of your neighbors and they open up the thread for community discussions. And Brooklyn blogs, like Brooklyn residents, range in style and substance from efficient purveyors of pertinent information to lyrical meanderings of subjective opinions. Whatever blog you follow, you’ll find a community within the community, and it will open you up to Brooklyn in a whole new way.

“It aint easy,” Tupac once said, and those of us trying to feed our art while we feed ourselves know it’s true. Brooklyn may be the place to be, but that has also made it a hard place to be poor. The goal of Brokelyn.com is to make it a little easier to have fun and live well even if you don’t have money. “We’re trying to take the shame out of not having money,” says Faye Penn, who started the blog in May of 2008. “We’re an upbeat recession blog that aims to show readers how to explore new ways to have fun in Brooklyn with less money.” Brokelyn did a great Staycation series mapping out an entire weekend in Brooklyn for those of us who couldn’t afford to get away last summer. From fishing out in Sheepshead Bay to riding the Wonder Wheel at Coney Island, Brokelyn.com shows that you can make a vacation in your own backyard. You can also find tips on the best places to get cheap clothes from expensive designers and the best diners in the borough.

Brokelyn has not been without controversy, however. When Penn posted directions on how to get food stamps, there was a major debate. Some people thought it was encouraging freeloading, but Penn argued that food stamps are there to help people who can’t afford food on their own. The no-insurance guide posted on Brokelyn also got people’s emotions running high. “People get really worked up about certain things,” Penn says. “The Food Co-Op in Park Slope gets people really worked up, and so does hair. Especially curly hair.”

In working on this blog, Penn has found a lot of people with cheap secrets they want to share. And especially now, with the economy in the toilet, her blog has become extremely relevant. “Brooklyn has changed,” she says. “Conversations used to be about renovations, and now they’re about dumpster diving and DVD swaps. We’re just sharing clever, fun ways to survive the recession.”

Brooklyn is a city unto itself, and it does not belong in any shadow, not even Manhattan’s. Charles McVey, founder of NeverLeaveBrooklyn.com, set out on a mission to help Brooklyn residents discover that there is no need to go into Manhattan to find the rich cultural life. Rather, “Brooklyn has all we could possibly want to meet our cultural and lifestyle needs.” McVey grew up in Bed-Stuy, and he knew that Brooklyn had a lot of faces, all with something different to offer. But residents were isolated in their own neighborhoods. People in Park Slope didn’t know how to even get to Greenpoint, much less know what cafes to check out upon arrival. NeverLeaveBrooklyn helps residents broaden their Brooklyn horizons to see how much the borough truly has to offer. NeverLeaveBrooklyn shows up-to-the-minute information about music, art, fashion, food, and events in the borough. Broken down into neighborhoods, with unique information about each one, this site helps you access the spectrum of Brooklyn’s offerings. Since its inception in October of 2007, “Never Leave Brooklyn has grown in leaps and bounds,” says McVey. “It’s gone from posting events to posting lifestyle needs. For example, if we post something on a local DJ, instead of just saying there’s an event with this DJ, we’ll also post the music on the site so you can listen to it right there.” They also have exclusive interviews of artists and post links to other artists you might like. It’s a site that lifts the veil from some of the borough’s best kept secrets, revealing the talents right here in our own community.

Warning: if you get hooked on the following Brooklyn blog, clear your computer’s history before your mom uses it to check her email. Because when the words “Fucked in Park Slope “ get thrown in her face, she’s not going to believe it was for “research”. But truly, the site is only as devoted to human coitus as it is to weird advertisements on the F train and Almondine’s cheese-stuffed pretzels (which only have home delivery on Sundays).  FuckedinParkSlope.com (FIPS) was founded by Erica Reitman in November, 2008 in response to what she called a lack of “snarky Park Slope blogs.” The blog is a forum for cool people living in Park Slope, described in the FIPS dictionary as “ballers” and “breeders,” to “bitch about the stuff that bothers them.”  What it’s become is a hilarious, smart, and honest blog with witty contributers and an ever-growing following.

“The blog has completely turned my idea of community on its head,” says Erica. “Mostly because, for some reason, I had no idea what a cool, fun, rad community would come together over our little blog…It’s been awesome to discover that there is a loud, proud community out there of people just like us living it up in Park Slope.”
One of the oldest and most well-known blogs in the borough is BrooklynVegan.com, which surprisingly has very little to do with food or nutrition. For the most part, it’s a music blog, and it is dutifully followed by people all over New York City and in the greater music community. The founder, who goes by his screen name BrooklynVegan or BV, started this blog without much of a goal in mind. “I originally registered the domain name BrooklynVegan.com with the idea that I might make a website talking about vegan food options in Brooklyn. I just kept writing about music, though, and especially live music in Brooklyn. Before I knew it, the site had a following, the name stuck, and it just got bigger and bigger.” And big it is. BrooklynVegan has become a self-sustaining entity with lots of contributors. It features music news, coverage of events, and show listings, and even hosts its own series of live shows under the BrooklynVegan name. There’s a BrooklynVegan radio show on Sirius-XM, and people from far and wide follow the blog to hear new artists and explore diverse music. “Blogging is just a medium,” says BV. “The point is different for whoever is doing it, though they all have one thing in common: the ease of publishing content to the Internet.”

The blogs of Brooklyn are a reflection of the borough itself: they’re diverse, opinionated, and unapologetic. And because the blogs’ writers are often working for nothing but the sheer joy of it, you’ll find honest, biting accounts of life as we know it. Updated around the clock and available to anyone with computer access, blogs offer us an eagle eye of the borough. Whether it’s a suggestion for what to do this weekend, a passionate rant on the Food Co-Op, or a sense of community you’re looking for, you’ll find it all in the untamed world of cyberspace.

I never liked school as a kid. As an adult, however, I love taking all sorts of classes that take my mind off of daily obligations. With school starting again, there’s no better time to build career skills, meet like-minded neighbors, explore extracurricular passions, and just plain enjoy yourself. This guide only scratches the surface of the wide range of classes, programs and lectures that exist in Park Slope. Use it as inspiration for further research!

The Body

Prospect Park Tennis
www.prospectpark.org/visit/activities/tennis • 718-436-2500
The Prospect Park Tennis Center offers classes for both adults and kids. Contact the park for details and pricing for group and individual classes.
Pop Quiz: What movie is set in Park Slope and starts with a mean game of tennis?
Answer: “The Squid and the Whale.”

Bootcamp Republic
www.bootcamprepublic.com • 646-460-6787
This green-friendly boot camp uses the environment and people’s own body weight to get in shape. Classes often take place in picturesque venues such as local parks, river promenades and beaches. Three-week boot camp sessions costs $250 and include nine hours of training.
Bonus Point: Bootcamp Republic has generously offered readers a 30% discount by signing up at www.bootcamprepublic.com and entering the capital-sensitive code: PSREADER. This code will expire 30 days after publication and is valid for outdoor or indoor sessions through December 2010.

Captain Quinn’s Fitness Boot Camp
www.captainquinnsbootcamp.com • 888-850-1674
This group exercise class “combines the camaraderie and results of military-style group workouts with school yard fun,” according to Jon Quinn, an Air Force veteran and the boot camp’s fearless leader. A typical 45-minute workout costs $10-15/session. Also ask about supplemental nutrition coaching, advanced training, and online programs.
“Paychecks don’t motivate me to get up at 5 a.m. every morning,” says Jon. “It’s about the joy of helping one person at a time, one class at a time, one day at a time to get healthier, happier, and yes: ‘hotter.’”

Take Me To The Water
takemetothewater.com • 212-371-9500
This swim school offers private and small-group lessons, warm pools and expert instructors with years of teaching experience. This semester will be held at the Berkley-Carroll School, which has a four-lane, 25-yard pool. Classes are held Saturday afternoons from September 25 through December 18.
Pop Quiz: Who said, “it’s only when the tide goes out that you learn who’s been swimming naked.” (1) Tony Blair, (2) Michael Phelps, (3) Warren Buffet, (4) David Mamet.
Answer: Warren Buffet.

Yee’s Hung Ga
yeeshung-ga.com
At this martial arts studio, students learn the southern style of Chinese kung fu called Hung Ga, as well as “Yang style Tai Chi Chuan,” which focuses on slow, graceful movements that cultivate Qi (energy). Yee’s has taught traditional Chinese martial arts in Park Slope for over 15 years. Classes are available for both adults and children.
Pop Quiz: What was the original meaning “grandmaster” when it entered the English language?
Answer: According to the Oxford English Dictionary, it meant “the chief officer of a royal household.”

The Mind and Spirit

Brooklyn Brainery
brooklynbrainery.com • twitter : @bkbrains
Wikipedia takes on human form at the Brooklyn Brainery, which organizes courses that its Web site says “don’t have real teachers.” Classes are highly collaborative; participants share their knowledge and experiences, and are guided by amateur experts or enthusiasts who keep courses on track. The 90-minute classes run for either two or four weeks and generally cost $25.
“Some of our most popular classes have been on perfume and anything related to food or drinks,” says Brooklyn Brainery’s co-founder Jen Messier. “ We’re about to start a class on coffee, which has been super popular, and last semester we did a seasonal cooking class that sold out in about two hours.”

Vajadhara Meditation Center
www.brooklynmeditation.org • 347-715-6999
Learn about meditation and Buddhist teachings. Get started with Vajradhara’s free, introductory talk “Meditation, Enjoyment and the Spiritual Path” on September 9. General classes cost $12 and are structured by an introductory guided meditation and talk, Q&A session and concluding meditation. The center itself has a small bookstore, Buddhist shrine and lounge area for socializing.
“The teachings themselves are presented in a practical, down-to-earth and lighthearted fashion,” says resident teacher Matthew Riechers. “This sometimes has a profound effect on people’s minds as they find themselves encountering a living spiritual tradition that meets them right where they are.”

Healing Reiki Energy
www.healingreikienergy.com • 917-375-7144 or 914-907-2037
Become a Reiki practitioner. Students at this school learn Japanese techniques to reduce stress, induce relaxation and promote healing. Reiki I and II are the most highly attended classes. The “Crystal Healing Workshop” is also popular. The instructors have used Reiki to center children’s energy, calm animals, treat veterans suffering from PTSD and promote spiritual well-being.
HRE’s master teacher Kristin Reed describes Reiki as “the ‘laying on of hands’ to balance the energy system of the body and can be used for self-healing or the healing and relaxation of another person. Although Reiki is a spiritual practice, it is not a religion and can complement whatever spiritual beliefs you hold and can do no harm.” »

The Arts

Brooklyn-Queens Conservatory of Music
www.bqcm.org • 718-622-3300, ext. 0

Have all sorts of fun at this music school, which offers everything from classical music lessons to R&B vocal workshops and classes on African drumming, music and computers, and music therapy professional development (offered in spring). The jazz vocal workshops and tango classes are especially popular.
“Our building is a Victorian house, it is very cool looking and quite stunning,” says marketing manager Lucy Walters. “It is fun to run up and down the large staircases. The concert hall is a great size, wonderful to see live music because it is intimate. We have a great garden where people come to hang out, which is very relaxed and beautiful when the cherry blossoms come out.”

Textile Arts Center
www.textileartscenter.com • 718-369-0222
Come here to learn and refine weaving, screen-printing, dyeing, embroidery, sewing, quilting, fashion illustration, and felting skills. This weaving studio houses 29 multi-harness floor-looms and 16 table-looms, as well as a fully equipped “surface design lab” for screen-printing and dyeing. Course costs range from $175 to $350 with materials.
This is a new business for Park Slope. “As we get our feet on the ground and plant roots in the neighborhood, we want people to get involved,” says owning partner Owyn Ruck. “We love meeting new people, experienced or novice, and getting involved with everyone who has interest!”

Sackett Street Writers’ Workshop
www.sackettworkshop.com
Look no further for courses on fiction, novel, nonfiction, and poetry writing. Sackett Street also offers MFA Application Prep Workshops, which are especially popular during the fall MFA application season. Last year, more than thirty MFA Workshop participants found acceptance at programs. Sackett Street workshops are limited to eight writers and meet in instructors’ home, lending a “salon” atmosphere to the classes.
Pop Quiz: Which of the following did not make “The Atlantic’s” list of top-ten creative writing graduate programs? (1) Boston University, (2) Brooklyn College, (3) Florida State University, (4) Cornell University.
Answer: Brooklyn College, but it made one of the “five up-and-coming programs.”

Purple Kale Kitchenworks
www.purplekale.com
Chef and owner Ronna Welsh organizes workshops and classes for those wishing to cook more frequently, frugally, thoughtfully at home. She also targets those who view cooking as a chore or anxiety-inducing exercise. Group workshops take place in a Brooklyn brownstone, with sessions spent around an old French farm table or surrounding a wooden chopping block near a modest stove. Also available: at-home small group classes, individual instruction, and workshops.
Pop Quiz: How often do New Yorkers dine out each week?
Answer: An average of 3.0 times per week according to Zagat’s 2010 New York City Restaurant survey of 38,869 local diners.

Spoke the Hub
www.spokethehub.org • 718-408-3234
Artistic director and founder Elise Long calls this eclectic center a “multi-purpose” arts and wellness organization. Classes are wonderfully affordable and range from Pilates instruction focused on back pain to “Hand-Hooked Rugs,” “Candle Making and Beeswax Decoration,” “Your Art on the Internet,” and a cardiodance-strength-and-stretch class called “Macho Girls Super (Fun) Workout.”
One student surprised founder Elise Long when he said he’d “astonished his doctor because he measured in two inches taller than his previous check-up – this was just from taking my ‘Men’s Workout’ for a year, where we concentrated on posture, flexibility and general fitness. “

The Family

Ellen Chuse Childbirth
www.ellenchusechildbirth.com • 718-789-1981
Ellen Chuse has an impressive resume and has offered childbirth classes in Park Slope since 1989. Classes meet in her home on Dean Street and cover topics such as labor, birth, breastfeeding and newborn care. The cost is $375 per couple, with a cap of eight couples.
Ellen says that her classes “are known for creating a wonderful sense of community for her students while providing the tools for them to move through the process of labor, birth and new parenthood with confidence.”

Birth Day Presence
www.birthdaypresence.net • 917-751-6579
Take classes here for physical and emotional assistance before, during and after childbirth, including postpartum support and professional birth photography. The company is owned by two Park Slope moms, doulas and childbirth educators.
According to co-Director Jada Shapiro, students often “thank us for creating the space to spend enjoyable time with their partners and with the other couples in the classes. Many of our students end up becoming friends for years.”

Everything Else!

Babeland
www.babeland.com/events
This well-known sex shop offers workshops as well as toys! The fall workshops range from “The Art of the Blow Job” on November 14 (a popular workshop in previous seasons) to “Hit the G Spot” (September 12, $35), “Sex During and After Pregnancy” (September 28, free), and “Kinky Crafting: Ho-Ho-Ho-Holiday Cards” (December 7, free).
Pamela Doan, Babeland’s public relations director, explains that many people come to the class “feeling apprehensive about what to expect, and they appreciated the ease and comfortableness of the class. They love the role play; it’s an informative and engaging experience.”

Makeville Studio
www.makeville.com • 917-873-5542
Come here to try shop-class again as an adult. Popular classes include “Getting Started in Furniture Making” and the “Workshop Certification,” (certified students can pay reasonable space rental rates and build projects on their own). A relatively new class called “Bent Lamination Workshop: Make an Eames-Style Chair” is also available.
Owner Robyn Mierzwa feels that many come to Makeville seeking “the unique feeling of satisfaction and creativity that comes with making something with your own hands … people are looking for alternatives to their increasingly ‘virtual’ ways of living, socializing and working.”

Matter of Heart Organizing
www.matterofheartorganizing.com • 917-449-4402
If you struggle with clearing and organizing space, the fall group workshop “I’m Ready to Let Go of Clutter” combines education and opportunities to map out and follow a personalized action plan. Workshops are facilitated by Elizabeth Quincy, a professional organizer who has been featured on Martha Stewart Living radio and as a guest expert on best-selling author Victoria Moran’s teleclass “Come Into Your Own” in 2009 and 2010.
Pop Quiz: Which of the following words is British slang for something that is useless, junk, trash? (1) Dekko, (2) Duff, (3) Bomb, (4) Flutter.
Answer: Duff. It describes a person or object that doesn’t do the job it was intended for. For example, “that politician is duff!”

Brooklyn Botanical Garden
www.bbg.org
This venerable institution’s educational programs include the popular “edible” series, as well as fall classes on foraging and food preservation, rose gardening, preventing/managing rat infestations, and the “Certificate in Horticulture.” For those contemplating new careers in horticulture or floral design, this is a great place to start.
When asked about the garden’s instructors, continuing education coordinator Rachel Ferm said, “they are all very passionate about what they teach, be it soil chemistry, floral design, botanical watercolor painting, garden maintenance, photography—you name it!”