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June Mini Camp

The arboretum is alive with butterflies, wildflowers, and birds this time of year! Come spend a week exploring wildlife at the arboretum.
Ages 3-5 only: 9am-12:00noon $250/week
Please bring a lunch and a snack.

Creatures of the Night

Join us for a fun-filled night with food, crafts, and a guided hike to learn about some nocturnal characters!

Register Here

Family Camp Out

Take advantage of this rare opportunity to camp out at the arboretum. This is a great opportunity for a first time camping experience! Dinner and breakfast will be provided, as well as some great activities such as a night hike, campfire and s’mores!

Link to Registration

Ar-b-que

Join us for our annual celebration of Arbor Day. A fun-filled day for the whole family with food, crafts, nature walks and live animals!
Pre-registration by April 27th is strongly suggested.
Register Here
Contact program@hartshornarboretum.org with questions.

Cancellation Policy

Registrations are accepted in the order they are received. All cancellation requests must be made in writing. Cancellations must be made 2 weeks prior to the start of the program. Refunds will be made except for a $50 non-refundable deposit. Cancellations made after the program begins will require a doctor's note for a refund minus the non-refundable deposit. All returned checks received will be charged an additional $50 fee deduction for bank charges. CHA has the right to cancel any program and CHA will refund the full amount that was paid.

Health Forms

If your child is participating in any of our weekly classes (Turtle Tots or After school Clubs) or camps, please be sure to have a health form completed and given to us by the first class. This ensures the health and safety of all of our participants!
You can download the health form here:
Camper_Health_and_Emergency_Form.pdf

Summer Nature Discovery Camp

Each week of Nature Discovery Camp will explore a different Nature Theme. Campers will spend the day exploring that theme through guided investigations, outdoor exploration, and crafts. Please bring a lunch and snack and dress for the outdoors!

View the weekly themes here: Themes_2015.pdf

Spring Break Mini Camp

Spend the week at Cora Hartshorn Arboretum exploring the plants and animals that emerge in the Spring! Our experienced educators will guide hands on activities that explore different topics each day!
For ages 3-5 (Turtle Tots) and grades K-3 (Explorers).
Please pack a lunch and snack!

After School Clubs- Spring Session

During our after school clubs, children are able to explore our 16 acres of woodlands, express their creativity, and expand their scientific knowledge through a one hour investigation of a nature related topic.

Spring Turtle Tots

This weekly program enables preschoolers to discover nature through interactive play, colorful crafts, and exciting stories. Each week an experienced teacher naturalist will lead discussions, engage children's curiosity, and provide hands on explorations of a different nature themed topic. Your child will be excited to learn about animals, birds, pond life, weather, rocks, and many other aspects of nature and the environment.

Spring Parent Child

Parent and Child Discovery is a weekly program where children and their caregivers can learn about the wonders of nature through exploration, stories, and crafts! This program is for children aged 2.5 and 3 years old and an adult caretaker.

Scout Programs

The Cora Hartshorn Arboretum provides many opportunities to observe artifacts, meet a naturalist, and learn to share your world with wildlife. Our educators have a variety of programs specifically designed to meet the requirements of many Boy Scout and Girl Scout Badges. Our programs are typically 60-90 minutes long, and are $5/scout (with the exception of the Camper Badge, Night Owl Badge, and Water Badge for Cadettes and Senior Girl Scouts).

Volunteer with the Cora Hartshorn Arboretum

Volunteers are vital to the daily operations of the Cora Hartshorn Arboretum (CHA). No experience is required and training is provided when necessary. Summer Camp volunteers must be 15 years of age or older.

The CHA is a fun place to learn and meet new people. In particular, volunteers are needed for trails maintenance, animal care, special events, assist with public relations, and office work. Whatever your skills and interest, we can use your help.

If you are fulfilling community volunteer hours, please contact us four weeks in advance so we can schedule accordingly.

Internships and teaching opportunities are also available.

For more information please contact: program@hartshornarboretum.org

Download the Volunteer Application

Birthday Parties at the Arboretum

Description of Cora Hartshorn Arboretum (CHA) Birthday Party:
The CHA offers 90 minute birthday parties for children ages 3-12. Your child and 15-20 of their friends will enjoy a 45 minute nature-themed program, including a guided hike through the CHA woodlands* Birthday parties are offered exclusively to individuals with a CHA membership.

Prices:
• Stone House Rental: $200
• * CHA Nature Program: $100 (you can choose to use outside vendors for education programs)
• Additional Time: $50 for 30 minute addition (requires 4 weeks advance notice)
• Non-refundable Deposit: $50 non-refundable deposit is required in order to hold the date and time

CHA Nature-themed Programs:
• Animal Show (ages 3-12)
• Bugs and Slugs (ages 3-10)
• Trees and Leaves (ages 5-12)
• Birds 101 (ages 8-12)
• Animal Tracks (ages 8-12)
• Shelter Building (ages 10-12)

What CHA Provides:
Stone House Education Center, which includes:
- Center's Live Animals for observation
- Kitchen with sink, stove/oven, and refrigerator/freezer
- Counter space with an island
- Open space for games and activities
- 2 bathrooms and coatroom
- Additional 30 minutes for party set-up

What you Provide:
- Party Decorations (NO BALLOON POLICY)
- Food (cake, drinks, snacks, pizza,etc)
- Plates, cups, napkins, utensils, table clothes, matches, wrap/bags for leftovers, etc.
- 1 parent/chaperone per 6 children

School Field Trips and Classroom Programs

The Cora Hartshorn Arboretum (CHA) offers field trips and classroom programs for grades K-5. Each lesson has been designed to correlate to NJCCC and supplement science curriculum. Students learn about a nature-themed topic through observation, discussion, teamwork, and hands-on activities.

FIELD TRIPS:
Our 90 minute field trips are conducted 50% indoors and 50% outdoors, unless otherwise specified. Please ensure that students dress for the weather as they will be outdoors in light rain. Field trips are available Monday through Friday from 9:30am-11:00am or 12:30pm-2:00pm (flexible with bus/lunch schedules).

CLASSROOM PROGRAMS:
Our 30-60 minute classroom programs are conducted at the school. Teachers should decide if the program will take place indoors or outdoors and inform the CHA in advance. Classroom programs are available Monday through Friday at a time agreed upon by the CHA and participating teachers.


For information on scheduling and fees, please e-mail program@hartshornarboretum.org or call 973.376.3587.


PROGRAM TOPICS
Sensory Discovery: (Pre K-K)
- Introduction to senses
- Animal use of senses
- Investigation of senses

Tree-rific Trees: (K-1st grades)
- Parts of a tree
- Tree functions
- Tree investigation

Fantabulous Flowers: (K-1st grades)
- Flower anatomy
- Seed making process
- Flower investigation

Stupendous Soil: (2nd grade)
- Introduction to soil
- Investigate soil types
- Introduction to composting and worms

Insightful Insects: (2nd grade)
- Arthropod classification
- Insect ecology
- Insect observation
- Arthropod investigation

Birds: (1st-4th grades)
- Adaptations
- Habitats
- Identification
- Ecology
- Migration

Woodland Habitats: (4th-5th grades)
- Habitat needs to support life
- Micro-habitat exploration
- Animal life-cycles
- Overpopulation

Rocks and Local Geology: (4th-5th grades)
- How rocks are formed
- Using dichotomous key
- Local rocks identification
- Local geology hike

Looking for a topic that isn't listed? Contact us, we welcome topic ideas and suggestions for improvement.