Seasonal Adult & Young Adult Programs
General Information
The New Canaan Nature Center provides a wide variety of programming for adults. Join us for anyone of our seasonal programs – summer, fall, winter or spring!
Planning & Planting a Cutting Garden with Mary Stichter
Wednesday, January 21
11:30am – 1:00pm
$40 (Please Feel Free to Bring Your Lunch)
her own property to include beautiful herbaceous borders and cutting gardens. Come learn about optimal location, soil considerations, plant selection, and local resources.
About Mary Stichter
Many years ago, Mary and her family purchased an old farmhouse with neglected gardens. Over the past 36 years, she restored the garden beds and borders and began her business, The Cutting Garden. At The Cutting Garden, she sources nursery stock from local growers and specializes in establishing and maintaining productive perennial borders, cutting and vegetable gardens. She also designs gardens, planters and sells her New Canaan grown cut flowers, both by the bucket and in arrangements, from her gardens.
Scents for the Senses – Candles, Perfumes, Bath Bombs, & Sugar Scrubs
Recommended for Preteens, Teens (Grades 6 & Above) & Adults
Tuesdays, January 27, February 3 & 10
4:00pm – 5:00pm
$180 (Three week session – all materials included)
Mahjong Classes
Wednesday, January 28, Thursday, January 29, Wednesday, February 4 & 11
12:00pm – 2:00pm
$100 (Includes everything needed to play. It will meet at the Visitor Center in the Sturgess Room)
Learn to Play Mahjong! Did you know that the word “Mahjong” means “Sparrow” in a southern Chinese dialect and it refers to the clacking sounds that the tiles make during shuffling, which mimic the sound of chirping sparrows?
Register HereRegistration Details
- Pre-registration is required!
- Due to limited spacing at our community programs, fundraising events, and other specialty events, tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable to other time slots or events. For emergency cancellations, please contact the registrar.
General Information
The New Canaan Nature Center provides a wide variety of programming for adults. Join us for anyone of our seasonal programs – summer, fall, winter or spring!
Canoe Tours
Gnome Workshop
Using live greens, create an adorable 18″ tall gnome all decked out for the holidays with a festive hat and mittens.
Saturday, October 15th
10:00am
(Canoe Tours are approx. 2.5 hours in length)
Join us for guided canoe tours on scenic local lakes, each of which offers an abundance of birdlife and other wildlife, beautiful scenery, and a chance to paddle and relax. We provide the canoes, equipment, van transportation, and guide. You provide the paddling power.
NCNC Canoes: We provide the PFDs (must be worn), paddles, canoes. When you register for an NCNC canoe, you are registering for either a 2- or 3-person canoe. The registration fee includes all the people in the canoe. You are responsible for bringing the necessary people required to paddle your canoe.
Bring Your Own Kayak: A limited number of spaces are available. You must pre-register to participate in the tour. You must bring and transport your own boat, equipment, PFDs, and paddles to the launch site.
Pre-registration Required. No Walk-ins Permitted.
Holiday Wreath Making Workshop
December 1st at 7:00 pm – $65 includes all your supplies
Come join us and create a one of a kind, live green wreath, using a menagerie of nature’s bounty collected in part by our very own New Canaan Nature Center Preschool Students.
Our former Board Member, Lisa Kaine Dunn will be leading the workshop and showing us some of her special tips on wreath making. She designs & creates the Nature Center’s wreath each year for Deck the Walls a holiday exhibit & fundraiser for the Carriage Barn Arts Center.
Gnome Workshop
December 5th at 9:30 am
Join Faith Kerchoff, a longtime NCNC volunteer will teach a Tabletop Gnome Workshop at the New Canaan Nature Center.
Using live greens create an adorable 18″ tall gnome all decked out for the holidays with a festive hat and mittens.
The workshop will be held in the Greenhouse behind the Visitor Center.
Class Cost: $45 (includes materials)
Please register early, space is limited
Floral Arranging with Juliet Howe of Twig Designs
April 21st at 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm
Join us to create an arrangement that celebrates all springtime has to offer! Together with Juliet Howe of Twig Designs, we will learn and practice design fundamentals that will guide us as we make an arrangement of spring’s bounty!
Back to Nature Workshops
Session One – March 8 11:00 am – 12:00pm
Session Two – March 29 11:00 am – 12:00pm
Cost $40 or both for $70
Spring is just around the corner and now is the time to learn how you can improve your outdoor space while also helping the environment. Diego and Claudio of Back to Nature will be sharing simple tools that will help you make a positive impact on your yard, your well-being and the natural world around you.
Join us to learn about:
SESSION ONE: EDIBLE LANDSCAPES AND SOIL
March 8, 2023 11AM-12PM
Cost: $40 or $70 for both sessions
Join us for a “taste” on creating and maintaining an edible landscape in your backyard! We’ll discuss the planning, design, and maintenance of a garden to reap the benefits of growing your own organic vegetables. Soil is the basis of a healthy garden and you’ll leave knowing how to organically build up your soil as well as create a home compost.
SESSION TWO: BEES, CHICKENS, AND PERMACULTURE GARDENING
March 29, 2023 11AM-12PM
Cost: $40 or $70 for both sessions
Keeping bees and backyard chickens is about more than just saving money on honey and eggs! Come learn how bees can help pollination in your garden and chickens will aid your efforts in composting and pest control.
We will also cover the concepts of Permaculture Gardening – Otherwise known as permanent agriculture, this is a way to work with the natural forces of wind, water, and sun to create a more permanent, self-sustaining garden ecosystem in your own backyard!
Registration Details
- Pre-registration is strongly encouraged.
- More information: Coming Soon!
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