Desert Discovery Days

Mondays

The Private Eye
8:30am

Hone your observation skills as you become a Private Eye and investigate the natural world using a jeweler’s loupe to unlock microscopic realms. Please bring a hat and water bottle.

Tuesdays

Nature Journaling
8:30am

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.

Wednesdays

Kids’ Meditation
8:30-9am

Keep it centered with a 30-minute meditation class for kids and families. All ages are welcome to learn the basics of meditation and techniques to deal with stress and find your inner calm.

Thursdays

Kids’ Yoga
8-8:45am

Get ready for child’s pose and more as we offer yoga for kids this summer! Certified instructor, Angie Vazquez will lead this 45-minute class perfect for ages 6 to 12-years-old. Children will improve flexibility and focus on breath as they practice outdoors in our beautiful gardens.

Fridays

Stories in the Garden
8:30am

Come for the stories and stay for a short nature walk! We will read a different Sonoran Desert tale each week then explore a desert trail. Please bring a hat and water bottle.

June

Week of June 6 –

WATER | This week’s theme is water. See what we have planned for the week below, including making your own bubble wand out of a pipe cleaner and beads:
Monday – take a trip to the riparian area to discover the world of water on leaves with Private Eye
Tuesday – add drawings of fish, aquatic plants, and insects to your nature journal
Wednesday – Kids’ Meditation
Thursday – Kids’ Yoga
Friday – read Alejandro’s Gift by Richard E. Albert

Week of June 13 –

ETHNOBOTANY | This week’s theme is ethnobotany. See what we have planned for the week below, including making beautiful nature paintings using nature’s paint brushes (leaves, branches, or blooms):
Monday – take a trip to the Ethnobotanical Garden to investigate plants before they become food with Private Eye
Tuesday – add drawings of native fruits and vegetables to your nature journal
Wednesday – Kids’ Meditation
Thursday – Kids’ Yoga
Friday – read Oh Say Can you Seed? by Bonnie Worth

Week of June 20 –

SUN & SOLAR ENERGY | This week’s theme is sun & solar energy. See what we have planned for the week below including, harnessing the sun’s energy to create cool rock art with melted crayons:
Monday – take a trip to the Sin Agua Garden to investigate the cell structure of plants with Private Eye
Tuesday – add drawings of plants from the Sin Agua Garden to your nature journal
Wednesday – Kids’ Meditation
Thursday – Kids’ Yoga
Friday – read Sunpainters Eclipse of the Navajo Sun by Baje Whitethorne

Week of June 27 –

SUMMER SEEDS | This week’s theme is summer seeds. See what we have planned for the week below, including planting a seed to take home with you and watch it grow:
Monday – take a trip to the Propagation Yard to see seeds up close with Private Eye
Tuesday – add drawings of different stages of plant life to your nature journal
Wednesday – Kids’ Meditation
Thursday – Kids’ Yoga
Friday – read Sip, Pick, & Pack: How Pollinators Help Make Seeds by Polly Cheney

July

Week of July 5 –

DESERT RESOURCES | This week’s theme is desert resources. See what we have planned for the week below, including making your own rope bracelet out of sisal (agave fibers):
Monday – closed July 4
Tuesday – add drawings of edible plants to your nature journal
Wednesday – Kids’ Meditation
Thursday – Kids’ Yoga
Friday – read This House is Made of Mud by Ken Buchanan

Week of July 11 –

SORTING IN NATURE | This week’s theme is sorting in nature. See what we have planned for the week below, including going on a leaf hunt to find old leaves and twigs to create critter collages:
Monday – take a trip to an ant hill for observation with Private Eye
Tuesday – add drawings of what you’d find in a packrat nest to your nature journal
Wednesday – Kids’ Meditation
Thursday – Kids’ Yoga
Friday – read Desert Night Shift A Pack Rat Story by Conrad J. Storad

Week of July 18 –

DESERT RAIN | This week’s theme is desert rain. See what we have planned for the week below, including making leaf impressions in clay to examine textures and shapes of the desert:
Monday – take a trip to the Desert View Trail to examine creosote with Private Eye
Tuesday – add drawings of plants that smell in the desert to your nature journal
Wednesday – Kids’ Meditation
Thursday – Kids’ Yoga
Friday – read It Rained in the Desert Today by Ken & Debby Buchanan

Week of July 25 –

WORLD OF FAIRIES | This week’s theme is the imaginary world of fairies. See what we have planned for the week below, including using household items to make our own fairy kaleidoscopes:
Monday – take a trip to the gardens to find the fairy duster plant with Private Eye
Tuesday – add drawings of what a fairy house looks like to your nature journal
Wednesday – Kids’ Meditation
Thursday – Kids’ Yoga
Friday – read Josefina Javelina A Hairy Tale by Susan Lowell

August & September

Week of August 1 –

CACTUS & SUCCULENTS | This week’s theme is cactus and succulents. See what we have planned for the week below, including filling in your saguaro cutout with leaves and desert debris:
Monday – take a trip to the Cactus and Succulent Ramada to observe plant patterns with Private Eye
Tuesday – add drawings of plant patterns and textures to your nature journal
Wednesday – Kids’ Meditation
Thursday – Kids’ Yoga
Friday – read Desert Giant by Barbara Bush and 100-Year-Old Cactus by Anita Holmes

Week of August 8 –

BIRDS | This week’s theme is birds and fine motor skills. See what we have planned for the week below, including punching stamps out of leaves:
Monday – focus on some bird feathers to study shape, color, and size with Private Eye
Tuesday – add drawings of a nest and its materials to your nature journal
Wednesday – Kids’ Meditation
Thursday – Kids’ Yoga
Friday – read Lizards for Lunch A Roadrunner’s Tale by Conrad J. Storad

Week of August 15 –

ARTHROPODS | This week’s theme is arthropods. See what we have planned for the week below, including weaving your own spiderweb out of yarn:
Monday – find and examine a spider web with Private Eye
Tuesday – add drawings of a chrysalis and the types of insects that might emerge to your nature journal
Wednesday – Kids’ Meditation
Thursday – Kids’ Yoga
Friday – read The Icky Bug Alphabet Book by Jerry Pallotta

Week of August 22 –

DESERT DISCOVERY | This week’s theme is desert discovery. See what we have planned for the week below, including building a nature mobile:
Monday – examine your hand and fingerprints with Private Eye
Tuesday – add a drawing of the desert critter that you identify with most to your nature journal
Wednesday – Kids’ Meditation
Thursday – Kids’ Yoga
Friday – read Why oh Why Are the Deserts Dry? by Tish Rabe

August 29 – September 2

MONSOON | This week’s theme is monsoon. See what we have planned for the week below, including creating your own rain stick from household items:
Monday – take a trip to the arroyo to see what you can find with Private Eye
Tuesday – add drawings of what’s in the sky to your nature journal
Wednesday – Kids’ Meditation
Thursday – Kids’ Yoga
Friday – read Storm on the Desert by Carolyn Lesser and Sing Down the Rain by Judi Moreillon