Com•mon Ground (n.) 1. A place at the base of
West Rock Ridge. 2. An urban farm, a high school
and an environmental education center. 3. Where
a diverse community of adults and young people
come to cultivate habits of healthy living and
sustainable environmental practices.
COMMON GROUND SPRING 2015 PROGRAMS
Spring special events &
Every Saturday is Open Farm Day (see description left). In addition, join us for
Saturday, April 11
Spring Open
Farm Days
Every Saturday, starting
April 4, 2015; 10 AM - 2 PM
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM (free)
Enjoy Open Farm Day at Common
Ground every Saturday from April
through the end of November.
Explore our beautiful urban farm,
help dig and plant in the children’s
garden and try some new foods! The
animal yards are open for visitors to
meet our chickens, ducks, turkeys,
goat, sheep, and pigs. Trail maps
are available for self-guided hikes
in West Rock Park, including the
family-friendly Old Oak Nature Trail.
VOLUNTEERS are welcome
any Saturday during Open Farm
Day. Contact our Farm Manager,
Shannon Raider-Ginsburg at
203-389-4333 x 1217 or sraider@
commongroundct.org to RSVP or
receive more information.
Additional
Opportunities at
Common Ground
see our website or call 203-389-4333
x1221 for more information on:
Common Ground
High School
open houses for
7th and 8th graders
School field
trips for pre K 8th grade
Farm volunteers
and interns
Birthday parties
and Scout programs
Private camping
for families, groups,
and schools
Facilities rentals
Seed Starting Workshop 9 AM – 10 AM
There is nothing more satisfying than
harvesting August tomatoes that you started on
your windowsill in April! Learn how to grow healthy
and robust seedlings in your home. $6 - $12 per
person, sliding scale - RSVP encouraged.
Saturday, April 11
Friday, May 1
Campfire and Night Hike 6 PM - 8:30 PM (free)
Enjoy the sights and sounds of the nocturnal forest
as we roast marshmallows and take a guided hike.
Campfire is appropriate for all ages; guided night
hike is recommended for ages 6 and up. Campfire
from 6PM - 7 PM (arrive anytime), hike departs by
7:15 PM. Please bring a flashlight.
School Gardens: Seed Starting Activities for
Educators 10 AM – 11:30 AM
Saturday, May 2
Saturday, April 11
Camp Open House 10 AM - 12 PM
Saturday, May 2
Camp Open House 10 AM - 12 PM
Saturday, April 11
Saturday, May 2
Start your own seeds, ongoing from 10 AM - 2 PM.
A variety of seeds will be available for starting your
own vegetables, flowers, and herbs. This is a family
friendly activity! $10 per flat of seeds.
Join Lorri Wilson of Ms. Wilson’s Kitchen and learn
the basics of preparing, shaping, forming, and baking
yeast breads. This is a class for adults. $15 - $35 per
person - RSVP required.
This workshop will offer spring school garden
planting plans and planting activities to do with
students. Includes a flat of seeds. $15 per person RSVP required.
Start Your Own Seeds! 10 AM – 2 PM
Saturday, April 18
Families Cook on
the Farm: Eggs!
1 PM - 3 PM
This month we will
collect eggs from our
chickens and harvest
spring vegetables
from the garden to
make a delicious
farm brunch! This
class is for families
to enjoy together. Please bring at least one adult for
every 2 children - all ages welcome. $8 per person RSVP required.
Saturday, April 25
Rock to Rock Earth
Day Bicycle Ride
Join a thousand
cyclists, park lovers,
friends and families on
a bike ride across New
Haven, connecting East
Rock and West Rock,
raising funds to support
our parks and local environmental organizations. See
www.rocktorock.org for registration and event details. Monday, April 27
Farm Days for Young Children 9 AM – 11 AM
Children under five and their caretakers are invited to
a fun morning of farm and forest activities. Dig in the
children’s garden, visit the animals, and explore the
forest. $10 per family.
Chicks & Chickens Day 10 AM - 2 PM (free)
Visit the farm to meet mother hens and their new
baby chicks. Learn about the amazing journey from
egg to chick. Great backyard laying breed chicks will
be for sale ($8 each). Call ahead to reserve chicks..
Bread Baking Basics 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Sunday, May 3
Mushroom Cultivation for Garden and Forest
1 PM - 3 PM
Join Ari Rockland-Miller and Jenna Antonino DiMare,
co-founders of The Mushroom Forager, for a handson workshop inoculating shiitake logs and a king
stropharia garden bed. Take home your own shiitake
log! This class is for adults and young adults. $15 $35, sliding scale - RSVP required.
Monday, May 11
Growing up WILD: Garden & Nature Activities
for Early Childhood Educators 1 PM – 4PM
This workshop is for formal and non-formal
educators and introduces environmental education
activities for young children (ages 4-7) focused on
gardening and nutrition. $15 for workshop, $45
includes a curriculum guide - RSVP required.
Saturday, May 16
Farm Festival & Seedling Sale 10 AM - 3PM (free)
Purchase strong, healthy vegetable and herb
starts for your home garden grown at Common
Ground using organic seeds and sustainable farming
practices. Seedlings are $2 - $5. Learn about planting
and care of new seedlings at a tutorial at 12PM.
At the Farm Festival, celebrate community and
the beginning of a new growing season. Festivities
include music, face-painting, and sheep shearing!
Monday, May 18
Farm Days for Young Children 9 AM – 11AM
Children under five and their caretakers are invited to
a fun morning of farm and forest activities. Dig in the
children’s garden, visit the animals, and explore the
forest. $10 per family.
All programs take place at Common Ground: 358 Springside Ave, New Haven, CT 06515 • 203-389-4333 • w
workshops
these events:
Saturday, May 23
Families Cook on the Farm: Cheese 1 PM - 3 PM
Enjoy a garden party and make cheese and butter
from scratch and tea from the garden! This class is
for families to enjoy together. Please bring at least
one adult for every 2 children - all ages welcome. $8
per person - RSVP required.
Saturday, May 30
Urban Homesteading with a
Permaculture Twist 1 PM – 3:30 PM
Join Sven Pihl, a Permaculture Designer/Teacher,
owner of CT Edible Ecosystems, for a lecture and
discussion on urban homesteading including:
systems thinking, creative ways to source materials,
and ways to connect with your social environment.
Lecture will be followed by a hands-on demonstration
of how to create a container garden for urban
abundance! $15 - $35 per person, sliding scale RSVP required.
Friday, June 12
Campfire and Night Hike 6 PM - 8:30 PM (free)
Enjoy the sights and sounds of the nocturnal forest
as we roast marshmallows and take a guided hike.
Campfire is appropriate for all ages; guided night hike
is recommended for ages 6 and up. Campfire from
6PM - 7 PM (arrive anytime), hike departs by 7:15
PM. Please bring a flashlight.
Saturday, June 13
Families Cook on the Farm: Cobbler! 1 PM - 3 PM
This month we will
harvest strawberries
and rhubarb from the
farm and work together
to make healthy fruit
cobbler! This class is
for families to enjoy
together. Please bring
at least one adult for
every 2 children - all
ages welcome. $10 per
person - RSVP required.
Saturday, June 20
Camp Open House 10 AM - 12 PM
Spring Session: March 31 - June 4
Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays
from 3:30 - 5:30 PM
Saturday, June 20
Children may attend one, two, or three days per week
Barnyard Music 10:30 AM - 11:15 AM
1:30 PM - 4:30 PM
This class is for the new cook or someone wishing
to learn how to prepare locally sourced, seasonal
produce and make a healthy, delicious dish. Join
Theresa Brooks, Common Ground chef, for this
farm to table class. Our main ingredients will be
whatever is growing in our garden that week. $15 $35 per person - RSVP required.
Children under five and their caretakers are invited
to a fun morning of farm and forest activities. Dig in
the children’s garden, visit the animals, and explore
the forest. $10 per family. $10 per person (ages 3
and under are free) - RSVP required.
www.commongroundct.org
Spring Session: April 10 – June 5
Fridays, 9AM – 11AM, ages 3 – 12
Fridays, 1PM – 3PM, ages 6 – 12
Children may attend one or both sessions. Parents are
requested to stay and participate with children ages 3-5.
Learn the basics of wild fermentation and how to
cheaply brew kombucha and non-alcoholic ginger
beer in your own kitchen, two simple probiotic
beverages that make great replacements for soda.
This is a class for adults. $15 - $35 sliding scale RSVP required.
Summer Camps at Common Ground
10:30 AM - 12 PM (free)
Farm Days for Young Children 9 AM – 11 AM
This program offers children the
opportunity to use all of their senses to fully
experience our organic gardens, friendly
farm animals, and the diverse woodlands
of West Rock Park.
Fermentation 1 PM - 3:30 PM
Guided Hike to West Rock Summit
Wednesday, June 10
Homeschool Program (ages 3-12)
Saturday, June 27
Saturday, June 6
See the view of New Haven and Long Island Sound
from the top of West Rock Park! Hike includes a stop
at Judge’s Cave. The trail is of moderate difficulty.
Hikers of all ages and abilities are welcome.
April 13 - 17
Get your child unplugged and outside,
exploring nature, hiking, imagining, growing
food, making friends, and having fun!
How to Boil Water Cooking Class
Connect with nature without leaving the city. Bring
a picnic dinner, sit by the campfire, and take an
optional guided night hike. In the morning, help feed
the farm animals and enjoy breakfast with eggs from
our chickens. Camping experience not necessary,
all ages are welcome! Use our wooden lean-tos or
bring a tent. $10 per person (ages 3 and under are
free) - RSVP required.
April Vacation Programs (grades K - 5)
Kids Unplugged & West Rock Rangers
after school programs (grades K - 8)
Saturday, June 20
Family Camping 6 PM - 10 AM
See www.commongroundct.org or
call 203-389-4333 x1213 for program details
and registration. Limited financial aid available
to residents of any town – please inquire!
April brings seedlings and baby animals
to the farm. Visit the baby chickens, make
recycled art, plant in the garden, build
forts in the woods, hike in West Rock, and
search for wildlife and spring wildflowers
9 AM - 2 PM, optional extended day
available until 4 PM.
Join us on the farmhouse patio for music and
movement by Robert Messore. The farm remains
open until 2 PM - visit the animals, nibble in the
garden, or go for a walk! $5 suggested donation.
Friday, June 5 - Saturday, June 6
Programs
for Children
Questions:
Contact Jesse Delia at
203-389-4333 x 1221 or
[email protected]
Campers ages 4 – 13 explore the farm
and forest at Common Ground, picking
radishes, searching for salamanders,
learning about local food, making friends,
playing games, caring for farm animals,
and hiking throughout West Rock Park.
Registration is open now! Summer Camp Open Houses:
Meet the camp directors, talk to camp
staff, ask all your questions, pick-up or
drop-off paperwork, and take a tour of our
campus.
• Saturday, April 11: 10 AM - 12 PM
• Saturday, May 2: 10 AM - 12 PM
• Saturday, June 20: 10 AM - 12 PM
More programs coming this Summer!
COMMON GROUND SPRING 2015 PROGRAMS
Non-profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PA I D
358 Springside Ave • New Haven CT 06515
(203) 389-4333 • www.commongroundct.org
New Haven, CT
Permit #657
community • ecology • education
Do YOU want to…
Connect with nature without leaving the city?
Meet your neighbors and make new friends while
experiencing the sights and sounds of the forest?
Prepare locally sourced, seasonal produce and make
a healthy, delicious dish?
Look inside for Spring 2015 programs at Common Ground!