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Chicago Botanic Garden
Upcoming Classes in Chicago

(4.3-star rating across 122 reviews)

The Chicago Botanic Garden is a world-renowned living museum and conservation science center that offers multiple unique nature courses spread throughout 26 gardens and four natural areas on 385 acres.

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Chicago Botanic Garden

97 classes have spots left

Holiday Hedgehog

Chicago Botanic Garden @ 1000 Lake Cook Road, Chicago, IL

Create an adorable hedgehog, made out of wool. Learn needle felting techniques in this easy, fun class. The hedgehog's shy smile and flower bouquet make him hard to resist.

(122) All levels 18 and older
No upcoming schedules

Reading Your Beehive

Chicago Botanic Garden @ 1000 Lake Cook Road, Chicago, IL

Examining your beehive can be confusing without the proper training. Learn how to inspect a colony, how to find the queen, and how to evaluate the health of a beehive. All participants are required to bring their own bee-suit. No extra suits will be available at the class.

(122) All levels 18 and older
No upcoming schedules

Hands-on Cooking: Pies and Tarts

Chicago Botanic Garden @ 1000 Lake Cook Road, Chicago, IL

Explore the basics of two types of pastry dough in this cooking class—a traditional flaky crust for sweet and savory pies as well as a sweet tart dough for a rich and crisp dessert base. Practice the different preparation, rolling, and shaping of both types.  Learn how to make:  Luscious lemon curd filling a bacon, arugula, and tomato quiche a summer fruit pie for dessert.  Take home two individual seasonal fruit tarts and...

(122) Beginner 18 and older
No upcoming schedules
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Hands-on Cooking: Spring Desserts

Chicago Botanic Garden @ 1000 Lake Cook Road, Chicago, IL

New! Indulge your sweet tooth in this cooking class, featuring tasty desserts incorporating bright spring flavors.  You will make and take home a portion of each recipe: coconut macaroons lemon ginger ice box pie Almond cherry biscotti

(122) All levels 18 and older
No upcoming schedules

Drawing in Carbon Dust

Chicago Botanic Garden @ 1000 Lake Cook Rd, Chicago, IL

Carbon dust is a beautiful, versatile, and little-known medium that lends itself to both broad, painterly expression and to extremely fine detail. It is appropriate to all botanical subjects as well as to landscapes and still lifes. Working on various paper with a variety of black pigments (applied with both brushes and pencils, we will focus on botanicals to explore many rich possibilities. The School's CEUs=0.9 Required Materials: • Tracing...

(122) All levels 18 and older
No upcoming schedules
$159

2 sessions

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Backstage: Production Greenhouses

Chicago Botanic Garden

The Garden’s production department grows nearly a half-million plants every year. Join Tim Pollak for a behind-the-scenes tour through the Chicago Botanic Garden’s greenhouses and nursery. Be the first to see which spring annuals will appear in the 2019 annual display beds, hanging baskets, containers, and hanging hayracks. You will also get a preview of the start of fall mums.  Note: A map will be sent with your confirmation. 

(122) All levels 18 and older
No upcoming schedules

Bonsai: Intermediate-The Next Step

Chicago Botanic Garden

If you understand the basic concepts of bonsai and want to further your understanding and technical skills, this class is for you.  Each session in this six-week course includes a brief lecture, hands-on experience with your trees, and a review and critique of work done in each session.

(122) Intermediate 18 and older
No upcoming schedules

Lightroom 2: Realizing Your Vision

Chicago Botanic Garden

Build your skills in Lightroom and make images that realize your vision. Learn to fine-tune the look of your images with global and local adjustments. Then learn to print your own images on premium photographic and fine art papers. Use the capabilities of Lightroom to produce your own photobook to showcase your images. A personal laptop with Lightroom Classic CC installed is required.  Prerequisite: Lightroom 1 or consent of instructor. The...

(122) Intermediate 18 and older
No upcoming schedules

Formulating Perfumes with Natural Essences

Chicago Botanic Garden @ 1000 Lake Cook Road, Chicago, IL

Dive deeper into the world of scents in this workshop where you will learn perfume structures, plant origins, and their historical context. You will blend two unique perfumes during our time together, improving your skills and olfactory recognition as we analyze each blend. Fee includes two .25 ounce vials of custom natural perfume to take home. No preliminary perfuming experience is necessary.

(122) All levels 18 and older
No upcoming schedules
$165
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Intermediate Watercolor

Chicago Botanic Garden @ 1000 Lake Cook Road, Chicago, IL

Continue to learn various watercolor techniques and color theory while exploring different ways to combine light, color, and textures in watercolor painting.  Prerequisite: Beginning Watercolor or similar experience.  A supply list will be sent.

(122) Intermediate 18 and older
No upcoming schedules
$249

5 sessions

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Plant Morphology: From Roots to Fruits

Chicago Botanic Garden @ 1000 Lake Cook Rd, Chicago, IL

Discover the terminology that botanists use to identify flowering plants (angiosperms). To understand the technical descriptions often used in plant identification guides and keys, a general knowledge of the descriptive terms used is helpful. We will discuss the botanical vocabulary used to describe flowering plants from roots to fruits and everything in between. We will also look at live material in the classroom and work through plant keys at the...

(122) All levels 18 and older
No upcoming schedules
$154

4 sessions

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Japanese Ink Painting

Chicago Botanic Garden @ 1000 Lake Cook Road, Chicago, IL

Explore sumi-e, the ancient art of Asian ink painting. Learn the history of this art form and how to use the special painting tools. Paint subjects from nature using simple brush strokes. The goal of the sumi-e painter is to use the brush with vitality and restraint.  Individual instruction for students at all levels. No previous painting experience needed. A supply list will be sent.

(122) All levels 18 and older
No upcoming schedules
$189
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Tai Chi For Beginners: Yang-Style

Chicago Botanic Garden @ 1000 Lake Cook Road, Chicago, IL

Tai chi from the Yang style is a beautiful, slow-moving meditation in motion. You can take this class many times to build a strong foundation while you practice and learn these beginner-level stances. No previous tai chi experience is required. Class locations vary and will be held outdoors when weather permits. Please refer to the tai chi sign in the Visitor Center to determine your daily class location.

(122) Beginner 18 and older
No upcoming schedules
$194

10 sessions

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Yoga at Ease

Chicago Botanic Garden @ 1000 Lake Cook Road, Chicago, IL

New research points to yoga as a helpful practice to boost immunity and decrease inflammation. Unleash your body’s innate regenerative potential as you explore a carefully designed series of movements and conscious breath work known to relax and refresh. Appropriate for beginners and experienced students alike.

(122) All levels 18 and older
No upcoming schedules
$187

10 sessions

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Botanical Art with Gouache Workshop

Chicago Botanic Garden @ 1000 Lake Cook Road, Chicago, IL

New! Gouache is an opaque watercolor medium traditionally used in botanical art. Learn how to use gouache to capture the textures found in spring bulbs from lush petals to textured roots. Students will work from live specimens. Some gouache materials will be supplied.  Prerequisite: Watercolor I or previous experience. The School’s CEUs=10 

(122) Intermediate 18 and older
No upcoming schedules
$229

2 sessions

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Meditations in Ink: Bamboo and Dragonfly

Chicago Botanic Garden @ 1000 Lake Cook Road, Chicago, IL

Asian Brush Painting Workshop New! Join a relaxing, meditative exploration into the nature and techniques of painting bamboo in the hsieh-i style of brush painting, called sumi-e in Japan. Through demonstrations and hands-on painting, learn to paint traditional bamboo with a high-flying guest dragonfly in ink and color. You will come away with two completed projects.  Previous art experience is not necessary. ...

(122) All levels 18 and older
No upcoming schedules
$189
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Wise Use of Medicinal Herbs

Chicago Botanic Garden @ 1000 Lake Cook Road, Chicago, IL

See, touch, smell, and taste common ways to use herbal preparations including dried, capsules, teas, decoctions, infusions, salves, tinctures, syrups, poultices, essential oils, and flower remedies/essences. Learn how “dis-ease” gradually builds and how to reverse it. Make four items for an herbal first-aid kit to take home and receive reference materials and recipes for long-term use.

(122) Beginner 18 and older
No upcoming schedules
$173.75
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Color Pencil Workshop

Chicago Botanic Garden @ 1000 Lake Cook Road Glencoe, Chicago, IL

Broaden your creativity through colored pencil application techniques with an emphasis on transitioning from graphite to color. Various finishing techniques unique to colored pencils will be introduced.  Emphasizing form, drawing skills will be strengthened, facilitating your personal expression through botanical art. Live plant specimens will be used in demonstrations. A supply list will be sent.  Prerequisite: Previous experience or...

(122) All levels 18 and older
No upcoming schedules
$186

3 sessions

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Gentle Yoga and Meditation

Chicago Botanic Garden @ 1000 Lake Cook Road, Chicago, IL

Are you able to deeply relax? Refresh your yoga practice with this combination class including meditative movement and contemplative stillness. Your focus on the breath and stress relief combined with meditation techniques keeps you in the present moment. Enhance your body awareness while connecting to deep relaxation. All levels of fitness and experience are welcome in this class.

(122) All levels 18 and older
No upcoming schedules
$195

10 sessions

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Tai Chi: Advanced Beginner Yang-Style

Chicago Botanic Garden @ 1000 Lake Cook Road Glencoe, Chicago, IL

Tai chi from the Yang style is a beautiful, slow-moving meditation in motion. Once you are very comfortable with the foundations learned in Tai Chi for Beginners: Yang-Style, you move into the advanced beginner level. Build upon the basic Yang-Style forms and postures you learned, while continuing to receive the multiple health benefits of tai chi practice such as increased balance and flexibility. Class locations vary and will be held outdoors when...

(122) Beginner 18 and older
No upcoming schedules
$195

10 sessions

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