The New Year is often a time of reflection and resolution. Often, resolutions elicit angst and frustration whereas aspirations are hopes and dreams that are fluid and emerging. A guided meditation is planned to bring awareness to aspirations for the coming year and to encourage insight and contemplation.

Price: $18, $15 member

Instructor: Denise Bickel, PhD, MSW, LCSW

The First Noble Truth reminds us of the inevitability of life. Pain and suffering may come from myriad sources   emotional, physical, spiritual. Mindfulness offers an opportunity to lean into pain without resistance or expectation.

Price: $18, $15 members

Instructor: Denise Bickel, PhD, MSW, LCSW

Join us as we meditate on the four qualities of love: maitri (loving kindness), karuna (compassion), mudita (joy) and upeksha (equanimity).

Appropriate for adults of all abilities.

Price: $18, $15 members

Instructor: Denise Bickel, PhD, MSW, LCSW

Not Knowing, Bearing Witness and Taking Action are the foundations of the Three Tenets. With regular practice, the Three Tenets can become a way of living from the center at all times.

Appropriate for adults of all abilities.

Price: $18, $15 member

Instructor: Denise Bickel, PhD, MSW, LCSW

Explore your way through the rainforest, its products, diversity and treasures. Discover the layers of the rainforest, how chocolate is made and the unique adaptations that plants in the rainforest have to help them survive.

Homeschool Days offer families the opportunity to explore plant-based themes through a variety of hands-on activities, tours and take-home projects that families can do together. Activities are designed for children ages five and up, however all ages are welcome to attend.

Price: $12 per day per child; One adult per child is free of charge. Additional adults and non-participating siblings over the age of two will need to pay $7 each, payable on the day of the program. The program fee includes admission to the Gardens.

Spend a day in the boots of a botanist and investigate plants like a scientist. Discover how plants are classified, examine herbarium specimens, and design an experiment as you get a behind-the-scenes look at some of the things a botanist might do.

Homeschool Days offer families the opportunity to explore plant-based themes through a variety of hands-on activities, tours and take-home projects that families can do together. Activities are designed for children ages five and up, however all ages are welcome to attend.

Price: $12 per day per child; One adult per child is free of charge. Additional adults and non-participating siblings over the age of two will need to pay $7 each, payable on the day of the program. The program fee includes admission to the Gardens.

Join us for a day of creating, designing and crafting. Learn how nature’s colors, shapes and patterns inspire works of art as you spend the day investigating natural dyes, discovering hidden mathematical patterns and creating one-of-a-kind works of art.

Homeschool Days offer families the opportunity to explore plant-based themes through a variety of hands-on activities, tours and take-home projects that families can do together. Activities are designed for children ages five and up, however all ages are welcome to attend.

Price: $12 per day per child; One adult per child is free of charge. Additional adults and non-participating siblings over the age of two will need to pay $7 each, payable on the day of the program. The program fee includes admission to the Gardens.

1 membership card (Only valid for named card holder)

1 person admitted per visit (card holder)

Advance ticketing for Summer Concert Series (Day 5)

2 complimentary tickets to Blossoms of Light at York Street

3 one-time use guest passes

Entry to our Member Mornings where the Gardens are open just to members

Subscription to the Gardens' quarterly printed magazine

Receipt of our monthly Botanic Buzz e-newsletter

Ikebana is an expression of our respect and appreciation towards nature. We observe life through the arrangement of plants. During each class, participants receive hands-on instruction to put together an arrangement to take home.

This class is an introduction to the Sogetsu School of Ikebana. This will be a hands-on workshop open to all skill levels. The instructor will demonstrate the art form and then the students will proceed to make an arrangement. After creating an arrangement the instructor will do a critique.

Price: $44, $39 member price

Instructor: Midori Allmeyer

Special Instructions: Students are encouraged to bring their own Ikebana container (vase) and a large Kenzan (Pin-frog, 3.5" diameter or larger) as well as garden clippers (or Ikebana scissors) so that they can take home their finished arrangement. The Kenzan and Ikebana vase can be reused for future arrangements again and again for years. Container, Kenzan, and scissors will be lent during the class for those who don't bring their own.

Ikebana is an expression of our respect and appreciation towards nature. We observe life through the arrangement of plants. During each class, participants will get hands-on instruction to put together an arrangement to take home.

Shoka (or Seika, depending on each Ikebana school) is today's name for original "Ikebana" style which started in Japan in the early 17th century. Shoka expresses the life and the beauty of plants in nature.

In July, we would like to make a Shoka arrangement which could bring coolness of water on a hot summer day. (Pond Scenery-2. Land-and-Water form) Please bring two kenzans and a deep dish-style container with wide opening, if you have.

Price: $44, $39 members

Instructor: Kazuko Kozai is a Senior Professor of Ikenobo Ikebana School, which is the largest Ikebana school begun in Japan in 1462. She has studied Ikebana for more than 40 years and teaches enthusiastically in the Denver and Boulder area.

Special Instructions:

Students are encouraged to bring their own Ikebana container (vase) and a large Kenzan (Pin-frog, 3.5" diameter or larger) as well as garden clippers (or Ikebana scissors) so that they can take home their finished arrangement. The Kenzan and Ikebana vase can be reused for future arrangements again and again for years. Container, Kenzan, and scissors will be lent during the class for those who don't bring their own.

Presented and Managed by the City of Aurora

Discover the weather on Aurora's prairie through fun activities and a wagon ride. For ages 6-12.

The City of Aurora's Parks, Recreation & Open Space department's mission is to encourage active lifestyles and create healthy environments for people, nature and community.

Date: February 9, 2020

Price: $8

Location: Plains Conservation Center, 21901 E. Hampden Avenue, Aurora, CO 80013 Phone 303-326-8380

Kundalini yoga focuses on awakening energy and unlocking our inner potential through breathing techniques, movements, stretching, meditation and mantra. This ancient and sacred practice is the oldest form of yoga and is an effective way to recharge and heal the body.

The class, taught by Yogi Bhajan, Ph.D., Master of Kundalini yoga, starts and ends with beautiful and ancient chants which open and calm the heart. A carefully planned sequence of postures, movements and breathing exercises, called a kriya, follows. The techniques stimulate the nervous and immune systems, while improving strength and flexibility. Participants may find a peace of mind and experience benefits including relief from back pain, stress, addiction, depression, insomnia and weight control.

For more information on Instructor Chris Anne Coviello please visit www.chrisannecoviello.com

Price: $10, $8 members

Instructor: Chris Anne Coviello

Skill level: All levels welcome, no experience required.

Special Instructions: Each session is unique; we recommend that you try at least two or three sessions. Please bring water and a yoga mat. If you have trouble sitting on the floor for extended periods of time, please bring a blanket and pillows to provide comfort. Please bring cash if possible but credit cards are also accepted.

Class is located in Morrison Center which is on the North side of Children’s Garden. The gate for entry is near the corner of 11th and York Street. This location is across the street from the main garden entry.

Parking may be challenging on concert dates: 8/5, 8/12, 8/19

Light on Form

Take your drawings from flat to fabulous. The secret to portraying light and shadow on your subjects lies in understanding the scientific method of lighting as it applies to different forms. Beginning with basic geometric shapes, refine your skills in showing light and volume on any subject. The class will work entirely in graphite pencil, but the principles apply to all other media. As you progress from fruits and vegetables to leaves and flowers to entire plants with complex shapes, you will overcome the obstacles in creating three-dimensional drawings.

Prerequisite: Botanical Illustration in Pencil I.

Fee: $265 member, $315 non-member.

Date(s):

Tue, Jan. 14, 21, 28, Feb. 4, 11, 9 a.m. – noon

Instructor: Constance Sayas

Fri-Sun, March 13-15, 9 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Instructor: Randy Raak

Thu, March 26, April 2, 9, 16, 23, 6-9 p.m.

Instructor: Constance Sayas

Fri-Sun, June 12-14, 9 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. - 105

Instructor: Charlotte Ricker

Tue, June 9, 16, 23, 30, July 7, 9a.m. – noon - 105

Instructor: Laurence Pierson

Celebrate the month of love with a captivating tour of exotic plants that have inspired myths and tease the senses.

February brings Valentine’s Day with sweets and roses to entice our loved ones. Roses aren’t the only plants associated with love and romance, though – the steamy jungle has no shortage of plants thought to have powers to inspire, enamor or seduce. Escape the winter chill in the Boettcher Memorial Tropical Conservatory with this tour of purported aphrodisiacs and learn about the secret romantic lives of tropical plants.

Tour participants will receive a love-inspired gift.

Price: $14, $12 member, $10 student

Special instructions: Parental guidance advised; some tour content might not be appropriate for young children. Tours take place indoors in the Boettcher Memorial Tropical Conservatory. Please bring booking confirmation. Meet guide in the lobby of the Boettcher Memorial Center after entering through the Gardens main entrance. Tours are one-hour long.

Notes: Prices include admission to the Gardens. Tours with low registration are subject to cancellation.

Make an Art Portfolio Case

This workshop is geared toward graduate candidates but is open to everyone. Students will produce an attractive archival case for portfolio pieces or other art, papers or ephemera. It will be bound in quarter cloth with paper covers and ribbon ties. Three flaps inside the case protect the contents.

No prerequisites.

Fee: $175 member, $190 non-member.

Fee includes supply kit for the 12” x 16” portfolio case produced during the class. There is an additional fee if a larger portfolio case is made.

Date(s):

Sat, Feb. 8, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Instructor: Mervi Hjelmroos-Koski

A member fob allows you to gain access through the Cheesman Gate. Fobs may only be purchased and used by active members of the Gardens. This is an added benefit of membership for all levels. Non­-members or lapsed members may not purchase or renew fobs unless a membership is also processed at the time of the transaction. By purchasing a fob, you agree to take responsibility for any misuse. A membership fob fee is $25. Entry is limited to the number of people you are normally allowed with your membership. Fobs must be renewed annually.

A member fob allows you to gain access through the Cheesman Gate. Fobs may only be purchased and used by active members of the Gardens. This is an added benefit of membership for all levels. Non­-members or lapsed members may not purchase or renew fobs unless a membership is also processed at the time of the transaction. By purchasing a fob, you agree to take responsibility for any misuse. Entry is limited to the number of people you are normally allowed with your membership. Fobs must be renewed annually for a fee of $10.00.

Discover the ease of preparing delicious dishes from south of the border.We will prepare the classics; salsa, pico de gallo and guacamole and use them for garnishes for meatball tortilla soup, crispy chorizo enchiladas, and creamy chicken with pumpkin seed sauce. Sip on hibiscus lime coolers and indulge your sweet tooth with chocolate chili cupcakes. Recipes and meal included. Ole!

Instructor: Susan Evans

Price: $57, $52 members

The foundation of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is the cultivation of mindfulness – clear, non-judgmental attention to the present moment – with regard to the ongoing experience of body, feelings, emotions, and mind. MBSR studies reveal its power to reduce medical symptoms and psychological stress while enhancing the health and well-being of program participants.

Designed by Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., MBSR consists of 8 weekly sessions and a one-day silent retreat. Various mindfulness tools are learned and practiced in a group context and continued between class sessions.

Price: $400, $350 members, includes $25 for materials.

Instructor: Janet Solyntjes, MA, has taught meditation and body awareness disciplines since 1984. She teaches Mindfulness -Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) in both non-profit and corporate settings internationally and is the co-founder of The Center for Courageous Living. Janet is an Adjunct Professor at Naropa University, a senior teacher for Shambhala International, and leads residential meditation programs at retreat centers in the US and Canada.

Miniature Masterpieces in Mixed Media

Bring your big ideas and learn to scale them to a small format. Learn about the place of miniatures in the history of art. Discover the delights and challenges of working in diminutive dimensions. See how composition, line, form and precision are crucial to conveying a tiny, precise work of art. Each week you’ll learn a different technique that will inspire you to complete several focused, fabulous botanical works in miniature.

Prerequisites: Botanical Illustration in Pen and Ink I, Botanical Illustration in Colored Pencil I.

Fee: $265 member, $315 non-member.

Date(s):

Wed, Jan. 15, 22, 29, Feb. 5, 12, 1-4 p.m.

Instructor: Susan DiMarchi