The Green-Wood Cemetery is a 478-acre cemetery, arboretum, historic landmark, and public art space. Green-Wood offers unique, standards-based programs that will captivate students in grades 3K through 12 in Brooklyn’s most unique outdoor classroom! Bring your class to the gravesites of influential, fascinating, and unsung witnesses to history; explore trees and wildlife in our environmental education programs; or sketch and analyze the distinctive art and architecture that covers our grounds.
Explore program options below and click the green button here when you’re ready to start the booking process!
Programs (Click to expand)
Environmental Education
Great Trees of Green-Wood Sensory Walk (Walking Program, 3K–2nd Grade)
Young naturalists use sight, sound, touch, and smell to safely discover the different parts of a tree and their functions.
Frozen in Time: Discovering Green-Wood’s Glacial Past (Trolley Program, 3K through 5)
Students learn to spot signs of the Wisconsin Glacier that created Green-Wood’s landscape 18,000 years ago and how weather patterns affect our landscape today.
Bird Behaviors and Adaptations (Walking Program and Trolley Program, 3K–5th Grade)
Observe and learn to identify common and rare birds that frequent Green-Wood, collecting data on the different ways they communicate and survive.
Investigating Insects (Walking Program, 3K–5th Grade)
Students learn where to find and how to safely interact with insects and other arthropods that live at Green-Wood, while exploring the roles they each play in the ecosystem.
Trees in the Urban Forest (Walking Program, Grades 3–8)
Students learn about how trees cool cities, the challenges trees face in different urban environments, and how trees create habitat for wildlife.
Cemetery Geology (Walking Program, Grades 3–8)
Collect data on igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rock through Green-Wood’s 200,000+ grave monuments and learn about the environmental toll of rock quarrying.
Plants and Pollinators (Walking Program, Grades 6–8)
Learn about the processes and importance of pollination and pollinator and plant biodiversity at Green-Wood’s featured wildflower meadow. Special fall activity: wildflower seed collection.
Graveside History
Battle Hill and The Battle of Brooklyn (Walking Program, Grades 4–12)
March to the top of Battle Hill to explore how the Revolutionary War Battle of Brooklyn is memorialized and remembered today.
Black History at Green-Wood (Walking Program or Trolley Program, Grades 4–12)
Discover the lives and work of fascinating Black New Yorkers: doctors, artists, activists, and more.
Immigration History at Green-Wood (Walking Program or Trolley Program, Grades 2–12)
Visit the monuments of immigrants who left a mark on their new home as artists, entrepreneurs, and community-builders.
Women’s History at Green-Wood (Walking Program or Trolley Program, Grades 4–12)
Explore the lives and legacies of women who both defied and embodied the times in which they lived: suffragists, spiritualists, artists, actors, authors, activists, and more.
Innovators and Activists of Green-Wood (Walking Program or Trolley Program, Grades 4–12)
Visit the monuments of visionaries and discover their impact on American social and political movements, technology, and culture.
LGBTQ+ History at Green-Wood (Walking Program or Trolley Program, Grades 4–12)
Visit the monuments of both famous and unknown historical figures who identified (or would identify today) as part of the LGBTQ+ community. And explore their fascinating stories.
Lives of the American Revolution (Trolley Program, Grades 4–12)
Explore the American Revolutionary era through the lives and legacies of revolutionaries who participated in some of the war’s most important events.
Lives of the Civil War (Trolley Program, Grades 4–12)
Visit the gravesite of some of the more than 5,000 Civil War soldiers interred at Green-Wood and learn about the pivotal era in American history.
Lives of World War II (Trolley Program, Grades 4–12)
Explore the history and legacy of World War II through the lives of Green-Wood’s permanent residents.
Art History
Wonderous Windows: Stained Glass at Green-Wood (Trolley Program, Grades 3K-5)
Students explore color, shapes, and composition in the Cemetery’s stained glass windows, masterpieces of the artform by legends such as Louis Comfort Tiffany and John La Farge.
Marvelous Monuments (Trolley Program, Grades K–2)
Visit the Cemetery’s most unique, elaborate, and expressive memorials to learn how people’s lives are celebrated through public art.
Architecture for the Afterlife (Walking Program or Trolley Program, Grades 4–12)
Study and sketch masterpieces of architecture at Green-Wood while learning to identify common styles.
Stories in Stone (Walking Program, Grades 2–12)
Explore the Cemetery through its secrets carved in stone. Search for symbols on a scavenger hunt and design your very own symbol.
Program Details
Green-Wood school programs take place at the Cemetery and are led by experienced Green-Wood educators. Programs include discussion, inquiry-based exploration, and/or a hands-on component. All programs are tailored to specific grade levels and support a variety of DOE and other curriculum-based standards. We conduct walking programs and ones using our historical trolley.
Group Logistics:
- Each guided Green-Wood school program can accommodate a group size of up to 35 students and their adult chaperones. We follow DOE guidelines as per required student-to-adult chaperone ratios.
- Walking programs range from 75 to 90 minutes and take place completely outdoors, rain or shine. Walking programs can be scheduled Monday through Friday between 10am and 1pm. We can typically accommodate two groups simultaneously every weekday, pending availability. Note that none of Green-Wood’s walking programs are ADA compliant; however, we will do our best to create mobility aid-friendly program routes whenever possible.
- Trolley programs last 90 minutes to two hours and take place partially outside and partially on the trolley, rain or shine. The trolley is ADA compliant and can accommodate up to two wheelchairs.
- Green-Wood school programs start and end near one of Green-Wood’s four entrances. Green-Wood is very big, and our entrances are not near each other. It is ESSENTIAL that you arrive at the correct entrance gate for your program. Please refer to your booking request or confirmation form for the correct entrance gate and address where you will meet your educator.
- If traveling by yellow bus, please ensure the bus driver has the correct address for your starting location gate.
- Arrival at the wrong Green-Wood entrance gate may result in program delays or cancellation. Groups are encouraged to arrive 15 minutes early to check in and use the restroom.
Program Rates
- Walking program prices
- Title 1: $120
- Public: $180
- Private/Non-NYC: $250
- Trolley program prices
- Title 1: $250
- Public: $325
- Private/Non-NYC: $400
If your school is located in Assembly District 44, you may be entitled to a free program courtesy of Assembly Member Robert Carroll. Please indicate that you are an AD44 school on your booking request form.
Custom Programs
If you are interested in a program theme not listed above or wish to customize any of the above programs, Green-Wood’s director of education, Rachel Walman, would be happy to work with you! Please contact education@green-wood.com at least four weeks in advance of your ideal program date. Custom program pricing will be determined based on the length and content of the program.
Registration
To request your school program, please click the “REQUEST A SCHOOL PROGRAM” button above. Programs MUST be booked and paid for (or purchase order number issued) a minimum of two weeks in advance.
Questions? Please email education@green-wood.com.
Other Program Information
Before Your School Program
Visiting a cemetery is a unique experience that can evoke a range of emotions, assumptions, memories, and questions, whether or not a person has experienced loss. We ask that all teachers review the information and resources on our “Before Your School Program” page in advance of school visits.
Special Needs
Please provide us with any relevant information that will help us make your program a success. Please note that none of Green-Wood’s walking programs are ADA compliant and may cover hilly, grassy, and uneven terrain. The trolley is ADA compliant and can accommodate up to two wheelchairs.
Lunch
Though picnics are prohibited for the general public, school groups may arrange to eat lunch on our grounds at the time of booking. Please indicate that you would like to eat lunch at Green-Wood in your booking request, and please see our full Lunch Guidelines here.
Contact Us
If you have any questions, please email education@green-wood.com.
Reschedule & Cancellation Policy
Weather Policy
Green-Wood school programs take place outdoors or on our trolley if the trolley has been booked in advance. We will not cancel or refund programs unless weather conditions are severe. We will proceed with walking and trolley programs during light to moderate rain and/or wind. In cases of extreme heat or cold, we will modify or cancel the program in consultation with the lead teacher.
If you are concerned about the weather for your program, please check the forecast and email us AT LEAST 48 hours before the program date and time to reschedule or cancel free of charge.
To prepare for your program in rain, cold, wind, or heat, please note:
- Students should wear closed-toe shoes and weather-appropriate clothing.
- Green-Wood has water bottle filling stations near the Main Entrance and Fort Hamilton Parkway Entrance. Students are encouraged to carry water bottles during programs.
- Green-Wood can provide to students, upon request:
- disposable ponchos
- cooling towels (please arrive ten minutes early to activate these)
- Green-Wood’s trolley has heat and AC.
Rescheduling Policy
Green-Wood always wants to accommodate schools and meet their needs. At the same time, there are limits to our ability to reconfigure our programming schedule after we have confirmed programs.
If you wish to reschedule your program for any reason, you must submit a request by email to education@green-wood.com. Please do not text or call, as we need a written record of the request to avoid scheduling confusion. Please note that rebookings are subject to availability.
If we receive your request at least 48 hours before a scheduled program (or before 5 pm on the THURSDAY before a program the following Monday), we will rebook you at no extra charge or cancel and offer you a full refund.
If you request a reschedule within 48 hours of your scheduled program (or after 5 pm on the THURSDAY before a program the following Monday), this is considered a cancellation, and we will have to charge a full program fee to rebook you.
Cancellation Policy
If you wish to cancel your program entirely, you must submit a notice of cancellation to education@green-wood.com. We need a written notice to avoid scheduling confusion. Only cancellations submitted by email will be eligible for full or partial refunds.
If you cancel with at least 48 hours’ notice (or before 5 pm on the THURSDAY before a program the following Monday), you will receive a full refund.
If you cancel a program with fewer than 48 hours’ notice (or after 5 pm on the THURSDAY before a program the following Monday) before a scheduled program, we are unable to offer any refund.
Further Refund Policies
Green-Wood strives to offer the best school programming possible. If you are not satisfied with your program, please contact education director Rachel Walman at 718-210-3060 or rwalman@green-wood.com to discuss your experience. Refunds will be issued as deemed appropriate by the education director.
In addition to the policies stated above, program fees also will NOT be refunded if:
- You fail to arrive on the date of your program.
- You receive a shortened program due to late arrival or arrival at a different entrance to the Cemetery than was agreed upon.
- You arrive for your program during a different time slot than you scheduled, and we are unable to accommodate you. We will make every effort to accommodate you, but we cannot guarantee it.
- You request to reschedule a program for the second time. Due to our complicated schedule of programs and limited staff, we will have to regard such a request as an entirely new program booking and charge the full program price.