Garden Discovery Days - Discover Vegetables! (9/28) - will meet requirements for Girl Scout Junior Gardener badge (Grades 4-5)

Visit the Montgomery County Agricultural History Farm Park in Derwood and learn the essentials of vegetable gardening and garden design, then plant your own!

See different types of plants, including how, when and where they grow best.

Experiment and closely examine the effects of sun, water, and soil types on plant growth.

Participate in an optional hike.

Program is approximately 1 hour 45 minutes long.

Suggested for grades 4 - 5.

Discover Vegetables! will meet the requirements for the Girl Scout Junior Garden Badge.

Come dressed for the weather. This program will take place outside in rain or shine. If the weather is extreme, the event may be postponed or cancelled.

This is not a drop-off program. We request 1 chaperone for every 6 children in your group. Tickets are $15 per child; adult chaperones are free and do not require a ticket.

Please bring a check to the event made out to the University of Maryland.

Discover Nature! (9/28) - will meet requirements for: Daisy Clover Petal & Eco Learner Badge and Cub Scout Tiger Into the Wild (Grades K-1)

Visit the Montgomery County Agricultural History Farm Park in Derwood and learn about nature from Master Gardener guides.

Learn how to prepare for, explore, and protect nature by using resources wisely, and to Leave No Trace.

Read about examples of resourcefulness and practice re-purposing with a craft.

Program is approximately 1 hour long.
Suggested for grades K - 1.

Discover Nature! will meet the requirements for the Girl Scout Daisy Clover Petal and Eco Learner Badge and Cub Scout Tiger in the Wild Adventure.

Come dressed for the weather. This program will take place outside in rain or shine. If the weather is extreme, the event may be postponed or cancelled.

This is not a drop-off program. We request 1 chaperone for every 3 children. Tickets are $12 per child; adult chaperones are free and do not require a ticket.

Please bring a check to the event made out to the University of Maryland.

September 28th PM - Discover Trees (will meet requirements for Girl Scout Cadette Trees & Cub Scout Arrow of the Light Into the Woods (Grades 5-8))

Visit the Montgomery County Agricultural History Farm Park in Derwood, explore the connection between trees and humans, and visit an orchard!

Study tree anatomy and learn to distinguish between them.

Have some fun and make art with leaves.

Program is approximately 2 hours 20 minutes long.

Suggested for grades 5 - 8.

Discover Trees! will meet the requirements for the Girl Scout Cadette Trees Badge and the Scouts BSA Arrow of Light Into the Woods Badge.

Come dressed for the weather. This program will take place outside in rain or shine. If the weather is extreme, the event may be postponed or cancelled.

This is not a drop-off program. We request 1 chaperone for every 10 children in your group. Tickets are $12 per child; adult chaperones are free and do not require a ticket.

Please bring a check to the event made out to the University of Maryland.

September 27 PM Discover Art Outdoors will meet requirements for Girl Scout Cadette Art Apprentice badge and the Scouts BSA Art merit badge, besides visiting an art museum/exhibit (Grades 6-12)
Visit the Montgomery County Agricultural History Farm Park in Derwood and discover ways nature has inspired artists.

Learn about art principles and use nature and gardens as subject matter.

Use drawing, painting, and photography/recording to create works of art in class.

The program is approximately 3 hours long.

Suggested for grades 6 - 12.

Discover Outdoor Art! will meet the requirements for the Girl Scout Cadette Outdoor Art Apprentice and most of the Scouts BSA Art Merit Badge requirements (excludes visiting an art museum).

Come dressed for the weather. Kids should bring a cell phone capable of taking sound and photography. This program will take place outside in rain or shine. If the weather is extreme, the event may be postponed or cancelled.

This is not a drop-off program. We request 1 chaperone per 10 children in grades 6-8, or 1 chaperone per 12 children for grades 9 -12. Tickets are $20 per child; adult chaperones are free and do not require a ticket.

Please bring a check to the event made out to the University of Maryland.

September 27 AM Discover Bugs will meet requirements for Girl Scout Brownie Bugs badge (Grades 2-3)

Visit the Montgomery County Agricultural History Farm Park in Derwood and learn about good and bad bugs from a specialist.

Take a field trip with a Master Gardener to the garden to see where and how bugs live.

Explore different bug homes and then craft one for your own backyard.

The program is approximately 1 hour long.

Suggested for grades 2 - 3.

Discover Bugs! will meet requirements for the Girl Scout Brownie Bug Badge.

Come dressed for the weather. This program will take place outside in rain or shine. If the weather is extreme, the event may be postponed or cancelled.

This is not a drop-off program. We request 1 chaperone for every 6 children in your group. Tickets are $15 per child; adult chaperones are free and do not require a ticket.

Please bring a check to the event made out to the University of Maryland.

The Montgomery County Master Gardeners will be offering programs for children grades K-12 (including Scouts) on September 13, 27, and 28 at the Montgomery County Agricultural History Farm Park (Address: 18400 Muncaster Rd, Derwood, MD 20855).

September 13: Discover The Harvest! will meet requirements for the Girl Scout SOW What Journey (Grades 9-10)

Learn what "local" actually means when it comes to food.

Unearth what grows locally in Montgomery County, both naturally and by cultivation.

Have a taste of seasonal foods and learn how seasonal crops are grown now and in the past.

Explore food sustainability and security issues in Montgomery County, along with ideas on how to help.

Program is approximately 4 hours long.

Recommended for Grades 9 - 12.

This program was developed for high school students and will meet the Girl Scout Senior SOW What Journey. This program may have requirements besides the Take Action Project.

Please bring a packed lunch and dress for the weather. This program will take place outside in rain or shine. If the weather is extreme, the event may be postponed or cancelled.

This is not a drop-off program. We request 1 chaperone per 12 children. Tickets are $20 per child; adult chaperones are free and do not require a ticket.

Please bring a check to the event made out to the University of Maryland.

Event: Pasture Walk at University of Maryland - WMREC
Date: November 13, 2025  |  Thursday
Time: 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.  |  Cost: free
Location: WMREC, 18330 Keedysville Road, Keedsyville, MD 21756
Description: Join University of Maryland Extension and NRCS for an educational pasture walk at the Western Maryland Research and Education Center in Keedysville, MD (Washington county). Extension educators are working on an ongoing mixed-species grazing management study utilizing annual forages as a means to extend the grazing season and will discuss grazing and parasite management, mixed-species grazing, and strategies for working annual forages into a pasture system. Join us to hear preliminary findings and learn about winter annual forage options for late fall/early spring grazing, stockpiled forage for winter grazing, and managing a mixed-species grazing 'flerd' with sheep and cattle.
For more information or to register: https://go.umd.edu/pasture-november

Event: Pasture Walk at Wilson Dowell Farms
Date: October 15, 2025  |  Wednesday
Time: 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.  |  Cost: free
Location: Wilson Dowell Farms, 8210 Cattle Run, Owings, MD 20736
Description: Join University of Maryland Extension, NRCS, and Jason Leavitt for an educational pasture walk at Wilson Dowell Farms in Owings, MD (Calvert county). Wilson Dowell Farms is a multi-generational, family farm that produces high quality, pasture-raised meats and grass-fed beef. The farm raises and sells beef, pork, and goat and focuses on growing premium quality forage that the cattle and goats graze for a majority of the year. Join us to hear from Jason and discuss topics like grazing management, maximizing grazing days, and multi-species management.
For more information or to register: https://go.umd.edu/pasture-october

Event: Pasture Walk at Porch View Farm
Date: September 9, 2025  |  Tuesday
Time: 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.  |  Cost: free
Location: Porch View Farm LLC, 2790 Florence Road, Woodbine, MD 21797
Description: Join University of Maryland Extension, NRCS, and Keith Ohlinger for an educational pasture walk at Porch View Farm in Woodbine, MD (Howard county). Porch View Farm is a family farm dedicated to raising heritage breed livestock on a silvopasture system. The farm currently raises Irish Dexter cattle and honey bees but has previously had pigs, goats, sheep, rabbits, chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, and guineas. Our host, farm owner Keith Ohlinger, will share his experience implementing practices like silvopasture, rotational grazing with mixed species, and using amendments like biochar and compost to build soil health on the farm.
For more information or to register: https://go.umd.edu/pasture-september

Event: Pasture Walk at Twin Cedar Farm
Date: August 27, 2025  |  Wednesday
Time: 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.  |  Cost: free
Location: Twin Cedar Farms - Grass Fed Beef, 31440 Blades Road East Cordova, MD 21625
Description: Join University of Maryland Extension, NRCS, and Webb Dulin Jr. for an educational pasture walk at Twin Cedar Farm in Cordova, MD (Talbot county). Twin Cedar Farm raises grass-finished beef that is marketed directly to the consumer while also utilizing the cattle to regenerate the soil and improve the environment. In addition to focusing on frequent rotations and building soil health, the farm is also doing some experimenting with summer annual cover crops interseeded into perennial pasture to boost summer forage production. This pasture walk will cover grazing management, finishing cattle on grass, and integrating annual forages into the grazing rotation.
For more information or to register: https://go.umd.edu/pasture-august