Come learn with us!
Featured * Free * Programs
*Educator Workshop: Teaching with Plants. Virtual Webinar. January 13, 7 – 8 pm. This is a Professional Development program for Teachers that counts towards MAEOE Green School Certification Requirements. Link for more information: Virtual Educator Workshop: Teaching with Plants
SAVE THE DATE!
*Green Careers Panel Discussion for Youth. March 4, 6 – 7 pm. For high school and middle school students. Virtual Webinar.
Learn More
Brookside Gardens is a wonderful place for the whole family to engage with botany, gardening, and wildlife. Learn more by clicking on each section, below.
Featured Programs
- Indoors in the winter but outdoors, weather permitting, during other seasons.
- Ages 3-7 with adult, $5.
- Weekend classes in fall and winter
- Click here for more info and register: Storytime in the Garden
*SAVE THE DATE! Virtual Green Careers Panel Discussion for Youth. March 4, 6 – 7 pm. Virtual.
*Brookside Gardens offers a variety of programs for youth of all ages. Sign up for activities, classes, and events online by clicking: ActiveMontgomery.
*All of Brookside’s programs are listed in our digital magazine on this website: Fall and Winter 2025/2026 Cultivate Program Guide
School Field Trips
*** Update ***
The Field Trip Request Form is CLOSED for the 2025-2026 school year.
We are booked through the 2025-2026 school year and do not have any available field trip dates remaining.
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Field trip programs are offered Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday mornings by reservation only. Most 90 minute field trip programs run from 10:30 am -12 pm. Field Trips DO NOT include tickets to the Butterfly Experience.
Read more about the program options below.
Plants & Pollinators: Grades PreK – K
- Learn about plants with a guided outdoor exploration and pot a plant to take home. Designed for young learners in Pre K (ages 4+) and K. (60 minutes, outdoors)
Plants & Pollinators: Grade 1 and Up
- Learn about the structure and function of plant anatomy and the pollinators they depend upon with a guided outdoor exploration and pot a plant to take home. *Select this option for any Plant and Pollinator Program for grades 1-12. (90 minutes, outdoors)
Erosion & Water on the Landscape: Grade 4 and Up
- Use a map and make observations about erosion, native plants, and the water cycle. Make and take home native seed balls. (90 minutes, outdoors)
Water Quality in the Watershed: Grade 5 and Up
- Use chemistry to test the health of our namesake “brook” and learn about the Chesapeake Bay. (90 minutes, outdoors)
Service Learning: Grades 9 – 12
- Bring your students to work on a service-learning project pulling invasive plants. Along the naturalized borders of our property, learn to identify some common invasives and get hands-on experience managing their spread. (90 minutes, strenuous, outdoors)
All field trip programs are completely outdoors and all participants should come prepared for the weather on their scheduled field trip day. All field trip programs are aligned with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). For questions or more information, please email Liz.Bullock@MontgomeryParks.org
Field trips must be scheduled and confirmed with the Youth Education Team at Brookside Gardens at least 10 business days in advance. Service-Learning field trips must be scheduled and confirmed 20 business days in advance.
Field Trip Programs DO NOT include tickets to the indoor Butterfly Experience.
Field Trips, Professional Development, and Outreach Programs at Brookside Gardens count towards MAEOE Green School Certification.
School Field Trips: What’s it like in the winter?
The air may be colder, but we continue to run field trips during the winter. The water quality and erosion program schedule are unaffected by the colder weather and participants can expect the same discussion and activities. For the plants and pollinators trip, there are still plenty of things to see and experience in winter. It is a great time to talk about the life cycle of plants, the effects of fewer daylight hours, highlight deciduous vs. evergreen plants, identify and classify seeds and seed dispersal mechanisms, discover what happens to the pollinators during the winter. When pollinators are not active in the garden because of the cold, we play a game to model pollinator diversity and the interdependence of plants and animals. Please note, our field trips remain primarily outdoors even in winter, and students and chaperones should be encouraged to dress appropriately.
Experience a special garden space made with our youngest visitors in mind. Children can play and explore nature alongside their adults. Some exciting renovations are underway to refresh the Children’s Garden this fall and visitors can still enjoy most of the space while the updates are installed.
Check out the native plants and the container beds crafted like birds’ nests before following the path to a version of a nest more human-sized. Don’t miss the repurposed and freshly painted farm house, as well as the balance logs and garden-friendly motorcycle crafted out of reused lumber from Montgomery Parks’ Pope Farm.
We hope to see you in the Children’s Garden soon!
*You can access maps of the Gardens and important visitor information online here: Virtual Tour and Map
Brookside Gardens offers a variety of programs for youth of all ages. Sign up for activities, classes, and events online through ActiveMontgomery.
We would love to hear from you! Did you recently visit for a program or event? Follow this link to take our Feedback Survey.
Field Trips, Professional Development, and Outreach Programs delivered by Brookside Gardens Staff count towards MAEOE Green School Certification.
