Central Park Conservancy

Central Park as an outdoor classroomGreen Programs in Central Park
  • Park-based Classes for School Groups
      
    Central Park - its landscapes, wildlife, water bodies,
    and ecosystems - is New York City’s premier outdoor classroom.  The Conservancy offers unforgettable educational programs where students learn from and enjoy the unique natural and cultural resources in Central Park.  Exciting pre- and post-visit activities enhance students’ learning, both in the Park and back in the classroom.  Each class is 90 minutes in length and costs $50. 
    Please call 212-360-1470 to make a reservation.
     
    • The Dirt on Dirt
      The new multi-use computerized Soil & Water Laboratory, located in the northern end of the Park, is the focal point for this earth science class.  Your students take part in real experiments and make connections between the science they study in the classroom and their own communities.  They learn how to take soil and water samples on a nature walk through Central Park, analyze them using all of their senses, and interpret what they see.  They consider how soil in Central Park compares to soil throughout the world and what Central Park’s soil reveals about the health of NYC.
      Offered Fridays from 10:00 am - 11:30 am
      Spring 2008
      For 2nd - 5th grade classes
       
    • Keeping it Green
      The Central Park Conservancy invites all who use the Park to help care for it.  Park stewardship is combined with environmental education for a meaningful, enjoyable way for students to serve their community.  Environmental educators who understand environmental principles as well as the Park’s horticultural needs teach these action-packed programs.
      Offered Thursday from 10:00 - 11:30 am
      For K - 12th grade classes
       
  • Programs & Events
     
    • ROOTS (Restoration of the Outdoors Organized by Teen Students)
      Teens who enjoy being outside and working with their hands can help care for an area of Central Park that is closed to the public.  Teens take part in the on-going ecological restoration of the Hallett Nature Sanctuary, a 3.5-acre preserve in Central Park.  Projects include the removal of invasive plants, planting native plants, and constructing a rustic trail for future tours. Please call 212-360-1439 for more information.
      Offered Mondays and Wednesdays
      April 2 - May 28
      4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
    • Community Service for Youth Groups
       
      Free opportunities are available for middle- and high-school aged youth groups to participate in an ongoing ecological restoration project in the Hallett Nature Sanctuary, a 3.5-acre woodland set aside for wildlife and closed to the public since 1934.  Projects include rustic trail construction, invasive plant removal, planting of native species, and shoreline restoration.  Projects are available from April through October, and group size is limited to 15 students.  Registration is required. Click here for more details
        
    • On a Wing: 50 Birds in 50 Days
      Central Park student get a better viewJoin the Urban Park Rangers and the Central Park Conservancy for the "On a Wing" series at Belvedere Castle.  Through study, movement, music, poetry, and art, we celebrate the intriguing lives of our winged friends who call Central park home.  Discover why the Park is on of Manhattan’s best locations to marvel at the variety of birds around us! Learn how to go from beginner to seasoned birder as photographer and blogger Bruce Yolton shares experiences from his early days as a fledgling birder.  Bruce will give tips on how to select a field guide, choose binoculars, and how to find best walking routes and viewing spots in Central Park.  The three-part series begins on Saturday, March 29. Reservation required.  Please call 212-628-2345.  Click here for more details
         
    •  
      Attend our April 15 Harlem Meer Social Hour and join socially and environmentally minded artist and educator Iandri Randriamandroso. Skilled in silk screening, graphic design, large-scale mural building, painting, and graphite drawing, Iandri uses these mediums to help communities create and share powerful messages of change. He is most passionate about his ongoing flat can project, in which he turns waste into art. In this project, Iandri combines imprints of discarded, crushed aluminum cans that he finds on the streets of New York City with his mission to inspire a more humble yet empowered approach to environmental activism and produces a number of remarkable images. Iandri will bring his flat can project to life by guiding us in the construction of a large eco-mural that represents an original imprint from one of his found flat cans.  Our collective creativity will create a striking visual statement about the waste that we create-a waste that Iandry fears will lead to the deterioration of our community and the destruction of our planet. Click here for more details
               
    • Earth Day 2008
      The Central Park Conservancy and the Green Apple Music and Arts Festival will host an Earth Day celebration for families at Rumsey Playfield in Central Park on Sunday, April 20 from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Pack a picnic and bring a blanket as we celebrate with music, crafts, and activities for all.

      This fun day will feature a jam-packed schedule of activities, including live music performances, planting and mulching projects, tree care and composting demonstrations, and crafts with recycled materials.

      All events are free and open to the public. Rain or shine. Enter the Park at 72nd Street and Fifth Avenue. Click here for more details