Wednesday-Saturday | June 7 – September 2 | 8:30 – 10:30 AM |
Children’s Ramada | Free with Admission
Join us this summer as we get in touch with nature and make some desert discoveries! Each week will focus on a different desert theme – from cactus to clouds. Come gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for the desert we call home. There is something for everyone this summer at Desert Discovery Days! All ages are welcome. Don’t forget to bring a hat and water bottle!
Wednesdays
Free Play
8:30 – 9 am
Nature Journaling
9 – 10 am
Bring your curiosity and wonder as we deepen our connection with nature through the art of Nature Journaling. Each week we will chronicle our Sonoran adventures in new ways. Please bring a hat and water bottle!
Free Play
10 – 10:30 am
Thursdays
Free Play
8:30 – 9 am
Start a Seed
9 – 10 am
Plant and take home the most heat resistant food crop and Sonoran Desert native, the Tepary Bean! Learn how to take care of your Tepary Bean plant from seedling to harvest.
Free Play
10 – 10:30 am
Fridays
Free Play
8:30 – 9 am
Native Bee Homes
9 – 10 am
We are home to over 1,000 species of solitary bees! These bees don’t live in a colony nor build a hive. They live on their own in holes in plants or in the ground. Learn how to make them a new home and take home your own bee habitat.
Free Play
10 – 10:30 am
Saturdays
Free Play
8:30 – 9 am
Private Eye
9 – 10 am
Unleash your inner investigator! With Private Eye books, we’ll enhance our observation skills and explore the captivating microscopic realms that surround us. Get ready to uncover hidden wonders!
Free Play
10 – 10:30
Weekly Nature Themes
WATER
August 2nd – 5th
A true desert revival, visit our Sin Agua Garden and Sonoran Seasons Garden to learn more about how this thunderous event brings new life.
Wednesday | Nature Journaling
Thursday | Start a Seed
Friday | Native Bee Homes
Saturday | Private Eye
MONSOON RAIN
August 9th – 12th
A true desert revival, visit our Sin Agua Garden and Sonoran Seasons Garden to learn more about how this thunderous event brings new life.
Wednesday | Nature Journaling
Thursday | Start a Seed
Friday | Native Bee Homes
Saturday | Private Eye
AGAVES AND ALOES
August 16th – 19th
One is from the arid regions of the Americas, the other from the arid regions of northern Africa and the middle east. Investigate how such distant cousins have adapted to live under similar conditions.
Wednesday | Nature Journaling
Thursday | Start a Seed
Friday | Native Bee Homes
Saturday | Private Eye
SHADE
August 23rd – 26th
Whether it’s under a ramada, hat, or spines, everyone is after it. Muse on new ways to find this precious resource.
Wednesday | Nature Journaling
Thursday | Start a Seed
Friday | Native Bee Homes
Saturday | Private Eye
ROCKS
August 30th – September 2nd
ROCKS | The foundation under our feet, visit the Geology wall and many geologic features in our gardens to learn about the unique geological history of the southwest.
Wednesday | Nature Journaling
Thursday | Start a Seed
Friday | Native Bee Homes
Saturday | Private Eye
While you’re here exploring the gardens,
check out our on-site mobile scavenger hunts here!
Desert Players Performances
June 15 & 29 | 10am | Education Center | Free with Admission
The Legend of the Lost Bone
Join Tohono Chul’s Desert Players on a nighttime journey with your favorite desert characters, Jacqueline Jackrabbit, Rumplepigskin the Javelina, and Spiny Saguaro as they help the very small but resourceful Nomad, a grasshopper mouse, as he makes the dangerous trek up to Skeleton Hill.
That trickster Coyote has told a tall tale of a Lost Bone. Nomad believes Coyote when he says the bone must be taken up to where the scary Skeleton Coyote is said to reside. If Nomad can successfully return the bone before the first rays of the sun break the horizon at dawn, the legend says that he will be rewarded with his heart’s desire.
Listen to the wind, feel the rain during a thunderstorm, and go along with the gang on a daring and adventurous trip as Tohono Chul’s Desert Players once again delight children of all ages with their latest live-action pantomime show.
After the show, the children can make an animal mask to take home!
MORE CHANCES TO SEE THE DESERT PLAYERS PERFORM
Friday, June 2, 2023
3:00 PM
Southwest Library
Tuesday, June 6, 2023
10:15 AM
Joel D Valdez Main Library
Tuesday, June 20, 2023
10:00 AM
Joyner-Green Valley Library
Friday, June 23, 2023
2:00 PM
Murphy-Wilmot Public Library
Wednesday, July 19, 2023
3:00 PM
Valencia Library
Wednesday, August 9, 2023
3:30 PM
Oro Valley Library