Resources for Adult Education

We conduct a number of Adult Educational Programs, including a biennial Fall Symposium. Interested individuals, garden groups, senior centers, faith-based groups, and the like are encouraged to register for programs such as:

Adult Tours include all three gardens of Wing Haven and are offered Monday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Wing Haven Lecture Series offered January through February, generally Thursday mornings, 10:00 - 11:30 a.m.
Bird Walks offered on the second Monday, October - May, 10:00 - 11:30 a.m.

Find out more Adult Education page.

Resources for Childhood and Youth Education

Information for Childhood and Youth Educators

Wing Haven is comprised of three distinct gardens: Wing Haven Garden & Bird Sanctuary, Elizabeth Lawrence House & Garden, and SEED Wildlife & Children’s Garden. Educational programs and events are available in all three properties.

As a sanctuary for birds, Wing Haven Garden & Bird Sanctuary is an excellent example of the value of and need for conserving wildlife, its habitat and natural resources in an urban setting. The garden has recorded over 150 different species of birds in its nearly 100-year history. SEED Wildlife & Children’s Garden also offers an up-close opportunity for bird observation and includes a more hands-on approach to outdoor learning. The Elizabeth Lawrence House & Garden is a botanist's dream with nearly 2,000 taxa in its documented living collections, some experimental and many original. All properties are excellent examples of different garden designs and showcase a variety of plant material.

We invite you to use Wing Haven as an extension of your classroom or outdoor education experience. We offer many educational programs for pre-K through 12th grade students, Scouts, homeschool children, campers, and others. Many of our programs are in line with North Carolina Standard Course of Study for a variety of disciplines (complete listing coming soon). In addition to the offerings listed below, we can work with youth to customize a program.

For more information, please follow the links provided below or, for a customized experience and other inquiries, please contact our Education Coordinator, Tracey Roode, 704.331.0664, ext. 104. We hope to see you in the gardens soon!

Garden Visits: A garden visit to Wing Haven Garden & Bird Sanctuary can complement many classroom activities and our Children’s Tour Experience provides a great overview of the historical home and garden, birds, and wildlife habitat. Tours operate Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. and are 90 minutes in duration with the option to extend your visit for further exploration in the SEED Wildlife & Children’s Garden. All Children's Tours must be scheduled in advance. For specific curriculum interest, our Education Coordinator, Tracey Roode, is happy to work with you to meet the needs of your students or align our programs with the North Carolina Standard Course of Study curriculum standards. Please register in advance via our Visit page.

Budding Naturalists: Learn, explore, and discover the wonders of the natural world with your class, homeschool group, Scout troop, or neighborhood group in the SEED Wildlife & Children’s Garden! Schedule a Budding Naturalist session on the topic of your choosing for children and youth in grade levels ranging from Pre-K through 12th. Each program is designed to pique your students’ interest in the natural world through hands-on observation and exploration at a level that meets their developmental and academic needs. All groups are invited to remain in the SEED Wildlife & Children’s Garden for further exploration and/or a picnic lunch after their scheduled program.

Homeschool Explorer Program: Homeschool families enjoy an educational experience combining facilitated programming with self-guided exploration in Wing Haven's gardens. After a brief introduction to the month’s topic in the SEED Wildlife Garden’s Story Time area, program participants have the opportunity to navigate a variety of thoughtfully facilitated activities stationed throughout the SEED Wildlife & Children’s Garden. At each station, volunteers assist parents and children in engaging with the month’s topic through hands-on exploration, guided observation, and creative projects. Families are welcome to stay after the program to enjoy complimentary admission to all gardens of Wing Haven. For more information and to register, visit the Children & Family Education page.

Preschool Environmental Education Program (PEEPs): Using the SEED Wildlife & Children’s Garden and Wing Haven Garden & Bird Sanctuary as a backdrop, PEEPs is designed to educate preschool children through stories, classroom and outdoor activities, guided nature exploration, and a themed snack. Each 60-minute lesson covers one nature topic such as birds, worms, habitats, pond life, trees, and more! PEEPs is offered at no cost to all NC Pre-K and Meck Pre-K classrooms. Classrooms meet on the same day each month, October through May (eight total lessons). Wing Haven supplies volunteer facilitators, all materials and a healthy snack. The school only needs to provide transportation to and from Wing Haven. For more information, please visit our PEEPs page.

Other Resources

Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Project FeederWatch

Through Project FeederWatch Program, one of the “Citizen Science” programs of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, students of all ages collect data on types and numbers of birds that visit feeders in backyards, nature centers, community areas, and other locales in North America.

FeederWatchers periodically count the birds they see at their feeder from November through April and send their counts to Cornell’s scientists. These data help scientists track broadscale movements of winter bird populations and long-term trends in bird distribution and abundance. Wing Haven participates in Project FeederWatch and in the Great Backyard Bird Count for four days each February. We welcome school groups to visit and help with the count on those days. Otherwise, educators can find more information about this program and learn more about birds at feederwatch.org.

Audubon Society

The Audubon Society provides helpful information on how to make your backyard bird-friendly and lists a Bird-Friendly Plants FAQ.

National Wildlife Federation

The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) provides a step-by-step guide to creating outdoor classroom areas through their Schoolyard Habitat Program. Schools also have the opportunity to be recognized by NWF as a Certified Schoolyard Habitat. For more information about this program visit the National Wildlife Federation’s web site.