BBG's Children's Garden now and then: The black and white is a 1928 photo of the garden by Louis Buhle; the color image is a 2010 photo of the Children's Garden by Antonio Rosario. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden's Children's Garden and related educational programming reaches over 150,000 children each year.
Photos courtesy of Brooklyn Botanic Garden

The Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Founded in 1910, celebrates this year the centennial of its pioneering Children's Garden (1914), the cornerstone of BBG's educational programming"?uteaching youths about gardening and plant science, instilling healthy eating habits (imagine), and fostering environmentalism.

Nearly five generations of children have grown flowers, vegetables and herbs in the Children's Garden. From March through October, BBG is honoring that legacy with "Let's Grow!", a series of classes, workshops, tours, exhibits and other programs for visitors of all ages.

Scot Medbury, president of BBG, said the Children's Garden program is just as valuable an experience for urban youth today as it was in the beginning of the 20th century. One imagines youth today is generally further removed from a connection and understanding of planting and growing vegetables than their 1920s counterparts!

The Children's Garden was founded by trailblazing educator Ellen Eddy Shaw, author of The Library of Work and Play: Gardening and Farming (1911). She was a hands-on learning advocate, and so, early on, the Children's Garden offered urban children a chance to plan, plant, tend and harvest their own garden plots.

Today, 2 to 17 years old work in the garden under the guidance of BBG instructors. Participants collectively grow over 800 pounds of produce each summer to take home to their families, and share with the community. Younger children combine planting, tending and harvesting with craft making and creative play. For older children, lessons in science and urban ecology supplement the gardening. Many teenagers who complete the program stay involved as junior instructors.

BBG's other youth educational initiatives include "Garden Apprentice," a hands-on program for teens to deepen their knowledge of urban agriculture and the environment; "Discovery" programs for younger children; school group visits; "Project Green Reach," an onsite, in-school science curriculum; and the Brooklyn Academy of Science and the Environment, a public high school that partners with BBG on hands-on research.

BBG is offering greatly expanded free discovery workshops and nature adventure walks. From April through October, staff will lead drop-in interactive workshops and tours for families following seasonal themes and special projects, including musical instrument making, kitchen botany lessons and potting plants. BBG's Kids' Discovery Guide for the Garden's youngest visitors is available year-round.

As part of the Children's Garden centennial celebrations, BBG will present "100 Years and Growing: A Century in the Children's Garden," a special exhibition on the history of the Children's Garden and the education programs that have grown out of it. Historic images, archive artifacts and visitor-contributed stories, recipes and artwork will illustrate the forward-thinking philosophy of the Children's Garden's founders. The exhibition will take place May 10 to September 21, with a reception on June 7.

In spring 2014, BBG will publish The Kid's Guide to Exploring Nature, a new handbook of activities for families and a companion to the popular Gardening with Children. For more information visit bbg.org/cg100