The Michigan 4-H Children’s Gardens will kick-off its 2017 season once again with the Butterflies in the Garden exhibit, presented with support from MSU Federal Credit Union.

The butterflies will be on display from March 15 to April 30, 2017 in the Indoor Michigan 4-H Children’s Garden at Michigan State University. The Butterflies in the Garden exhibit is open to the public from 2-4 p.m. on weekdays and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends. Butterflies will have extended hours and special activities during spring break, April 3-7, 2017 from 1-4 p.m. It will be closed Easter Sunday, April 16.

In addition to the butterfly exhibit, the garden hosts a variety of programs for youth and families around various themes.

General admission to the Michigan 4-H Children’s Gardens and Butterflies in the Garden exhibit are free, but donations are appreciated. Some events have a $5 fee. There is a parking fee on weekdays. Visit 4hgarden.msu.edu for more information and to pre-register for events.

Download the full calendar with event descriptions and details.

Download the full calendar with event descriptions and details.

Michigan 4-H Children’s Gardens Spring & Summer 2017 Calendar

• Butterfly Day – Apr. 15, 10 a.m.-noon
  Join us in celebrating another exciting season of “Butterflies in the Garden.” Come and explore the secret life of butterflies in the Indoor 4-H Children’s Garden. We will discover the amazing butterfly life cycle, create butterfly gardens to take home, and much more. Cost per child: $5, parking free.
• Plant Sale – May 20 from 7 a.m.-2 p.m.
  Our plant sale features divisions from the DeLapa Perennial Garden as well as annuals, vegetables, succulents, houseplants, trees and shrubs. Cost per child: $5, parking free.
• Garden Geocache Event – June 10, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
  Cache veterans and new enthusiasts are welcome at this geocaching adventure. Bring your picnic lunch and enjoy a day of caching in the garden. We will be finding new caches, trading travel bugs, exploring the gardens and much more. If you have a GPS unit please bring it to this event. If you do not have one, we will provide one. Cost per child: Free , parking free.
• Storybook Tea Party – June 20, 10 a.m.- noon
  Join us and our garden storybook friends for a spot of tea and garden fun. Come dressed as your favorite storybook character and enjoy tea, activities and of course stories! SPECIAL ADDITION: Some of our readers will be the teens that are part of Stories in the Garden! Registration required. Cost per child: $5, parking not included.*
• Digger Day – June 29, 10 a.m.-noon
  Come to the garden and explore the world of diggers. Front-end loaders, dump trucks and backs hoes, all of these tools help with projects both big and small in our communities. MSU Infrastructure Planning and Facilities will bring some of MSU’s biggest and best equipment to the garden for us to explore. We will also have activities and crafts so come ready to dig and get dirty at this new event! Cost per child: $5, parking not included.*
• Garden Writers Workshop – July 11-13, 10 a.m.-noon
  Young writers will learn about the wonderful world of writing in the garden. Using the garden as their inspiration, campers will connect writing to nature, creating poems, stories, plays and much more. Ages 7 and up. (Limited to 20 participants). Cost per child: $30 for all three days, parking not included.* 
• Stories in the Garden – July 12 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
  Teens will be reading stories to younger children – a magical time of fun and learning. Great for kids 0 to 100! Cost per child: free, parking not included.*
• Train Day – July 20, 10 a.m.-noon
  All aboard! Join us in celebrating our love for locomotives with the Lansing Model Railroad Club and the Capital Area Railway Society. Watch trains of all shapes and sizes, help us construct a train village in the garden, discover what happens on the tracks and much more! Cost per child: $5, parking not included.* 
• Water Day – July 25, 9 a.m.-noon
  Come cool off from the summer heat and have fun in the garden with water. We will play water games, do water art and explore all things fun about water. Come ready to get wet! Cost per child: $5, parking not included.*
• Bug Day – July 27, 10 a.m.-noon
  We cannot get enough of these amazing six-legged friends! Join us for what has become an annual tribute to insects in the garden. We will be collecting bugs, observing bugs, making bugs and even writing poetry about bugs! Our friends from the MSU Bug House will be back this year with their amazing collections of insects from all over the world! Cost per child: $5, parking not included.*
• Camp Monet – Aug. 8-10, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
  Young artists will love spending three days in the garden creating marvelous projects. Campers will use inspiration from the garden to make projects that involve sketching, painting, sculpting, dying, weaving and much more! Lunch will not be provided, so please bring a lunch each day. We will eat together in the garden. Ages 7 and up. (Limited to 20 participants.) Registration required. Cost per child: $70 for all three days, parking not included.*
• Garden Chefs from Garden to Table – Aug. 15 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
  Join us in the garden and learn all about interesting edibles and how to make delicious, easy creations. Each session will focus on a different theme and we will prepare a delicious and nutritious lunch using items from the garden. Ages 7 and up. This is a drop off program. Cost per child: $25 per person, parking not included.*
• Bubble Day – Aug. 17, 10 a.m.-noon
  Come celebrate the end of summer vacation at the garden with bubbles! As we explore the wonderful world of bubbles we will paint, eat, and even make music with bubbles. Don’t forget to invite your friends and family to come to this bubblelicious bash! Cost per child: $5, parking not included.*
• Dinosaur Day – Aug. 22, 10 a.m.-noon
  Come and explore the exciting world of dinosaurs in the garden. We will uncover dinosaur mysteries; discover what plants they ate, and learn what the earth was like when dinosaurs roamed here. Cost per child: $5, parking not included.*
• Stories in the Garden – Aug. 23 from 7-8:30 p.m.
  Teens will be reading stories to younger children – a magical time of fun and learning. Great for kids 0 to 100! Cost per child: free, parking free.
• Holiday Open House – Dec. 7, 5-7 p.m.
  Enjoy our displays of poinsettias and 16′ poinsettia tree under evening lights. Bring your camera and the kids. Santa will arrive in his sleigh at 5:30 pm. MSU Poinsettias, centerpieces, and wreaths will be for sale. Enjoy some holiday refreshments. Cost per child: free, parking free.

Stories for Sprouts & Seedlings
This program is designed especially for young children, ages 2-4, to experience the wonders of gardening through stories and hands-on projects. Each month a different book is featured with an accompanying gardening activity. This program occurs the third Wednesday of the month from 10-11 a.m.

• May 17 from 10-11 a.m. – Syliva’s Spinach by Katherine Pryor.
• June 21 from 10-11 a.m. – In Mary’s Garden by Tina Kugler.
• July 19 from 10-11 a.m. – Over in the Garden by Jennifer Ward.
• Aug. 16 from 10-11 a.m. – The Dinosaur Farm by Frann Preston-Gannon.
• Sept. 20 from 10-11 a.m. – Because of an Acorn by Lola M. Schaefer.
• Oct. 18 from 10-11 a.m. – From Apple Tree to Cider Please by Felicia Sanzari Chernesky.

*The MSU Horticulture Garden parking meters are a cash/credit system. Parking can be paid at the meter and the machines accept both credit and U.S. coins. The charge for parking is $0.25 for 8 minutes. There is a $1.80 minimum for credit card charges. All major credit cards accepted.