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Drop in year-round for free, fun, hands-on family activities designed for your family to do together at your own pace. Celebrate the changing seasons with a different activity each month such as tasting maple syrup, planting a mini-garden, cooking a fresh treat from the garden, glimpsing the inside of a flower through a microscope, decorating pumpkins, and discovering the secrets of fall color. Enjoy the fascinating world of plants and how they affect our daily lives. FREE with arboretum admission.
Saturdays and Sundays in April 2012, noon-4 p.m.
$Free member/$Free with arboretum admission non-member, Learning Center
Turn that crank, twist that dough-into the oven and out for a flavor-filled homemade snack! While your pretzel is baking, find out about Minnesota's grain growing and milling history. Take a close look at grains and discover the differences in the grains we use to bake everything from cakes to hearty whole wheat bread.
Saturdays and Sundays in May 2012, noon-4 p.m.
$Free member/$Free with arboretum admission non-member, Learning Center
Sunflowers! Butter, bread, cooking oil, livestock feed, biodiesel, and birdseed have all been made from these beautiful sunny flowers. Try your hand at pounding toasted sunflower seeds into a delicious sunbutter treat. Can you grow a record size sunflower? Find out how to grow ‘em big and select some seeds to plant.
Saturdays and Sundays in June 2012, noon-4 p.m.
$Free member/$Free with arboretum admission non-member, Learning Center
Dig some dirt, mix up mud, and decorate mud pies in our mud kitchen. Become a dirt detective and use a microscope to see up close what soil is made of. Meet the decomposers that help create great garden soil and plant an experiment to discover what kind of soil grows garden plants best.
Saturdays and Sundays in July 2012, noon-4 p.m.
$Free member/$Free with arboretum admission non-member, Learning Center
Mud is more than what you scrape off your garden boots! Mix, stir, scoop, dig, and sculpt in the Mud Kitchen. Create your own clay art or muddy masterpeice using materials found in the garden and marvelous mud. Mid month watch artists at work create a clay house in front of the Arboretum Learning Center.
Saturdays and Sundays in August 2012, noon-4 p.m.
$Free member/$Free with arboretum admission non-member, Learning Center
Dig in and unearth some of the mystery of great garden soil. Head outside to the Children's Garden on a plant hunt and visit the compost containers. Meet the hard working worms and bugs who help transform garbage into rich garden soil.
Saturdays and Sundays in September 2012, noon-4 p.m.
$Free member/$Free with arboretum admission non-member, Learning Center
Become a seed saver and find out how to harvest, store, and replant heirloom seeds. Discover how gardens are pollinated and why it it important to save garden seeds. Create art from seeds to take home with you.
Saturdays and Sundays in October 2012, noon-4 p.m.
$Free member/$Free with arboretum admission non-member, Learning Center
Sink your hands inside a pumpkin, squash, or gourd and dissect one. Dig out the insides and take a closer look at plant parts through a microscope. Save some seeds to plant your own pumpkin patch. Sample pumpkin soup in the Harvest Kitchen and take home the recipe.
Saturdays and Sundays in November 2012, noon-4 p.m.
$Free member/$Free with arboretum admission non-member, Learning Center
What is under the papery skin? Peek inside bulbs, view them under microscopes, and create art with flower bulbs. Bake garlic bulb toast in the Harvest Kitchen and plant a bulb to grow at home.
Saturdays and Sundays in December 2012, noon-4 p.m.
$Free member/$Free with arboretum admission non-member, Learning Center
Add some zest to your weekend and discover plants that spice up and flavor the holiday season. Follow your nose through the greenhouse sniffing out spices and aromatic herbs. Create a scented ornament and plant a fragrant herb to take home.
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