We are currently booking guided, on-site school programs! Explore options on this page and click the red button here when you’re ready to start booking.
Looking for something else? Check out our self-guided resources page or see our virtual program offerings.
Programs (click to expand)
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
- Tree Trackers: Seasons at Green-Wood (grades Pre-k through 2) (75 minutes)
- Learn to identify seasonal changes in trees. Young learners will use four senses to observe trees and note their observations in special journals. Each student will also collect natural materials found at Green-Wood and draw what they observe.
- Starting Location: This program starts from Green-Wood’s Main Entrance.
- Walking only, not available as a trolley program.
- Bird Behaviors (grades 2-5) (90 minutes)
- Have you ever looked at a bird on the ground and wondered what it’s doing? Learn about common types of bird behaviors by observing them at Green-Wood! Students will search for birds in the grass, trees, ponds, and even on grave monuments to collect data on the different ways birds communicate and survive.
- Starting Location: This program can start at any of Green-Wood’s entrances. Please indicate your preference at the time of booking.
- Available as a walking or trolley program.
- Pollinators at Green-Wood (grades 6-8) (90 minutes)
- Green-Wood is an active cemetery and also a vibrant green space. How can humans and other animals as well as plants all use this space together? In this program, students will learn about the pollinators that thrive here, and how people can steward their survival even in a cemetery. Includes a nature walk and seasonal activity (Fall: seed collection; Winter: exploring leaf litter; Spring; planting).
- Starting Location: This program starts from GStarting Location: This program can start at any of Green-Wood’s entrances. Please indicate your preference at the time of booking.
- Climate Change at Green-Wood: Oasis in an Urban Landscape (grades 6-8) (90 minutes)
- Green-Wood is an urban grassland and arboretum, as well as a burial ground. In this program, students use Green-Wood as a living laboratory to study the relationship between climate change and urban green spaces. Includes a seasonal activity (Fall: exploring built infrastructure and the living environment, Winter: Using indicator species to learn about ecosystem health, Spring: Exploring Urban Heat Islands and the Albedo Effect).
- Starting Location: This program can start at any of Green-Wood’s entrances. Please indicate your preference at the time of booking.
- Walking only, not available as a trolley program.
- Managing Biodiversity at Green-Wood (grades 6-8) (90 minutes)
- In this program, students explore both introduced and endemic species at Green-Wood and discuss their impact on the ecosystem. Is it always detrimental to introduce new species to an environment? What is the value in supporting and reintroducing endemic species? How does the Horticulture team maintain and bolster environmental health and species biodiversity in a space that is designed for human use?
- Starting Location: This program can start at any of Green-Wood’s entrances. Please indicate your preference at the time of booking.
- Available as a walking or trolley program.
American History
At Green-Wood, students consider who is remembered in American history, how, and why. We explore gravesite monuments, Cemetery records, and other primary sources to build historical thinking skills and consider memorialization through an epitaph-writing exercise. Explore program themes below.
- Green-Wood’s Battle Hill and The Battle of Brooklyn (grades 2 and up) (75 minutes)
- How should we memorialize a battle we lost in a war that we won? March from Green-Wood’s Main Entrance to the top of Battle Hill: the highest natural point in Brooklyn and the site of part of the 1776 battle. When you reach the top, study the monument Minerva and the Altar to Liberty.
- Starting Location: This program can start at either our Main Entrance or Prospect Park West Entrance. Please indicate your preferred starting location at the time of booking.
- Remembering the Civil War at Green-Wood: The Soldier’s Monument (grades 6 and up) (75 minutes)
- Deeply investigate one of the city’s earliest and most deceptively complex monuments to the Civil War. Through close looking and study of supplemental materials, students will discover what this monument does and does not memorialize, and what that can tell us about New York’s conflicted role in the Civil War.
- Starting Location: This program can start at either our Main Entrance or Prospect Park West Entrance. Please indicate your preferred meeting location at the time of booking.
- Black Pioneers of Green-Wood (grades 4 and up) (90 minutes)
- Discover the lives and work of Black changemakers of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries who are buried at Green-Wood: doctors, artists, activists, and more. While visiting their graves we’ll consider: How did they make their mark? How are they memorialized?
- Meeting Location: this program meets at our Fort Hamilton Parkway Entrance.
- Immigrant Pioneers of Green-Wood (grades 4 and up) (90 minutes)
- Visit the monuments of immigrants who impacted Brooklyn and beyond; from Coney Island mavericks to newspaper scions to a family that’s been feeding Brooklyn middle eastern delicacies since the 1890s. How did they make their mark? How are they memorialized?
- Meeting Location: This program starts at our Prospect Park West Entrance.
- NEW! Women Pioneers of Green-Wood (grades 4 and up) (90 minutes)
- Visit the monuments of women interred at Green-Wood who defied and embodied their times: suffragists, spiritualists, actresses, authors, and activists. How did they make their mark? How are they memorialized?
- Meeting Location: this program begins at our Fort Hamilton Parkway Entrance.
Art/Art History
- Amazing Architecture at Green-Wood (grades 4 and up) (90 minutes)
- Cemeteries are like miniature cities with creative and ornate architectural jewels. Study and sketch masterpieces of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century architecture at Green-Wood. Through our wide array of structures, student will learn to identify popular styles from these eras. Participants will each receive their own packets of learning materials and sketch paper to keep. Sanitized drawing pencils will be available for students to borrow, or you may bring your own.
- Starting Location: This program can take place starting from any of Green-Wood’s entrances. Please indicate your preference for starting location at the time of booking.
- Stories in Stone (grades 2 and up) (75 minutes)
- Become a cemetery sleuth: learn to decode the images and symbols carved into cemetery monuments. Learn how anchors aren’t just for sailors, how to identify those who belonged to special societies, and other secrets carved in stone. Participants will each receive their own packets of learning materials and pencil to keep.
- Starting Location: This program can take place starting from any of Green-Wood’s entrances. Please indicate your preference for starting location at the time of booking.
covid-19 safety protocols
As of September 2021, the following safety measures are in place for on-site school programs:
Group Logistics:
- Maximum of 35 participants including at least one adult participant, per group. One Green-Wood educator will be assigned to guide each group.
- Programs take place completely outdoors. Trolley programs are currently suspended.
Check-in:
- Groups are encouraged to arrive 15 minutes early to use the restroom and check in.
- Participants must wash/sanitize hands at the start of every program. Hand sanitizer will be provided.
- On the morning of the programs, group leaders must fill out and turn in the Green-Wood health check form, which we will provide.
- Participants will receive learning materials in a tote bag, contactless, at the start of the program to self-distribute.
During the Program:
- Participants must wear face masks at all times.
- Green-Wood educators will also be masked at all times.
- Participants must socially distance whenever possible.
- All programs are walking programs. No vehicles are used. Please also note that no outdoor area of the Cemetery is ADA compliant, however we will do our best to create wheelchair-friendly program routes whenever possible.
School programs are 60, 75, or 90-minutes long and are led by experienced Green-Wood educators. All guided programs take place within a short distance of a Green-Wood entrance and restrooms. Programs can be scheduled Monday through Friday at 10:00am, 11:30am or 1:00pm. We can accommodate up to two groups per time slot. Participants are welcome to explore our grounds, self-guided, before and/or after their program during visiting hours.
All programs align to local, state, and national curriculum standards, and can be modified for different grade levels and learning needs. See a sample of our programs standards here. Age recommendations and program duration are listed with each program. When you book, please make sure to tell us about the units of study with which you would like your Green-Wood program to align.
Program Rates
- Price per program
- Title 1: $120
- Public: $180
- Private/Non-NYC: $250
- 10% discount for school staff who attend our fall education open house or book two or more programs!
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. Custom program pricing will be determined based on length and content of the program.
Registration
To plan and book your in-person program, click here to fill out our booking form. Programs MUST be booked and paid for (or purchase order number issued) a minimum of two weeks in advance.
Questions? Please call 718-210-3060 or email education@green-wood.com.
OTHER PROGRAM INFORMATION
Special Needs
Please tell us 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.
Lunch
If you wish to have your group bring lunch and eat at Green-Wood, please state this in the notes when you book your program, and our staff will contact you to confirm. School groups eating lunch at Green-Wood must respect our space and keep it clean. Please note that Green-Wood cannot provide storage for belongings or food. All food and drinks except water must be sealed and put away during programs. Green-Wood educators are not able to remain with groups while they eat.
Cemetery Etiquette
As an active cemetery and public green space, Green-Wood has some easy-to-follow yet specific guidelines for appropriate behavior that all visitors must abide by. Please review our rules and best practices page with your students and chaperones before your program. All participants will be expected to observe appropriate etiquette during their time at Green-Wood, before, during, and after their programs. We thank you in advance for helping us make this a space all visitors can respectfully share.
EDUCATION STAFF AND CONTACTS
Rachel Walman
Director of Education
718-210-3060
rwalman@green-wood.com
For the fastest reply, please email education@green-wood.com
RESCHEDULE AND CANCELLATION POLICY
Green-Wood School Programs take place completely outdoors and will proceed as scheduled during moderate rain, cold temperatures above 32 degrees, or heat below 90 degrees. If weather is severe, Green-Wood will reschedule your program at no extra fee or refund you in full if no reschedule date can be agreed upon.
If you wish to reschedule your program for no additional fee, please email us two weeks before your program date. Green-Wood will make every effort to reschedule your program if requested, though reschedule dates are subject to availability.
If you wish to cancel your program and receive a full refund, please email us at least three weeks before your program. Cancellations will be 50% refunded if made between 20 days and 48 hours prior to the program date/start time.
If any member of your group tests positive for or was in close contact with someone who tests positive for COVID-19 within 14 days of your program, or if anyone experiences symptoms of COVID-19 on the morning of your program, please contact us as soon as possible to convert your program to a virtual experience at no additional fee. If you choose to cancel, normal cancellation rules apply.
Program fees will NOT be refunded if:
- A cancellation is requested fewer than 48 hours prior to the program date/start time. OR
- You fail to arrive on the date of your program. OR
- You receive a shortened program due to late arrival or arrival at a different entrance to the Cemetery than was agreed upon. OR
- You arrive for your program during a different time slot than you reserved and we are unable to accommodate you. We will make every effort to accommodate you, but cannot guarantee it.
Getting Here
Please note that Green-Wood’s School Programs have several different starting locations. Click to expand each section below and read or print directions to each of Green-Wood’s entrances.
MAIN ENTRANCE
These directions take you to The Green-Wood Cemetery’s MAIN ENTRANCE at Fifth Avenue and 25th Street in Brooklyn.
BY PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
The closest subway station to Green-Wood’s Main Entrance is the R train at 25th Street. After exiting the train, walk east one block to Green-Wood at Fifth Avenue and 25th Street.
BY BUS
If you are using GPS: Please enter “25th Street and Fifth Avenue, Brooklyn, NY.” Do NOT use “500 25th Street.”
From Lower Manhattan
Take the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel (Hugh L. Carey Tunnel) and exit at Hamilton Avenue (immediately after the toll plaza). Continue on Hamilton Avenue until it becomes Third Avenue and go about eight blocks to 25th Street. Turn left on 25th Street and go two blocks. The Cemetery Main Entrance is straight ahead at Fifth Avenue and 25th Street.
From Long Island
Take the Long Island Expressway west to the 48th Street exit to Brooklyn-Queens Expressway southbound to the Hamilton Avenue exit. Continue on Hamilton Avenue until it becomes Third Avenue and go about eight blocks to 25th Street. Turn left on 25th Street and go two blocks. The Cemetery Main Entrance is straight ahead at Fifth Avenue and 25th Street.
From Verrazano-Narrows Bridge
Take Route 278, Gowanus Expressway, to the 38th Street exit. At the bottom of the ramp, proceed straight one block to Fifth Avenue. Turn left at 5th Avenue and continue 13 blocks to 25th Street. The Cemetery Main Entrance is on the right.
Arrival Instructions
- Please enter through the Cemetery’s MAIN ENTRANCE at Fifth Avenue and 25th Street in Brooklyn. Ask busses to drive up through the Gothic Arch and drop you inside the Cemetery.
- If you need to reach Cemetery staff on your way here, please call 917-848-6226
- If school busses wish to remain in the Cemetery during your program, Green-Wood staff will direct them to an appropriate waiting spot.
- Please note that you will have access to a limited number of restrooms while at the Cemetery. Please encourage students to use the restroom before coming here, if possible.
Fort hamilton parkway entrance
These directions take you to the Cemetery’s FORT HAMILTON PARKWAY Entrance at Fort Hamilton Parkway and Micieli Place in Brooklyn.
BY PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
The closest subway station to Green-Wood’s Fort Hamilton Parkway Entrance is the Church Avenue F/G station, which is approximately a ten minute walk from the Cemetery. Please be sure to cross Fort Hamilton Parkway at McDonald Avenue on your way here.
BY BUS
If you are using GPS: The entrance intersection is Fort Hamilton Parkway and Micieli Place. Do NOT use “500 25th Street.”
These directions take you to the Cemetery’s FORT HAMILTON PARKWAY Entrance at Fort Hamilton Parkway and Micieli Place in Brooklyn.
From Lower Manhattan
Take either the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel (Hugh L. Carey Tunnel), Manhattan Bridge, or Brooklyn Bridge. Continue on either I-478 or I-278 W until they merge. Use the left two lanes to take Exit 24 for Prospect Expy/NY-27 E. Then take Exit 5 toward Fort Hamilton Parkway/NY-27 E. Merge onto East 5th Street, then make a right on Fort Hamilton Parkway. The entrance to the Cemetery will be about 5 blocks away on the right.
From Long Island
Take I-495 West to Brooklyn, NY. Use the second from the right lane to take Exit 31 N-S toward Kennedy Airport. Merge onto Cross Island Pkwy. Take Exit 29 E for Grand Central Pkwy toward Triborough Bridge (Robert F. Kennedy Bridge). Keep left, follow signs for Grand Central Pkwy W and merge onto Grand Central Parkway. Keep left at the fork to continue on Jackie Robinson Pkwy/New York State Rte 908B W. Keep right to stay on Jackie Robinson Pkwy/New York State Rte 908B W, follow signs for E New York Ave. Continue onto Jamaica Ave. Continue onto E New York Ave. E New York Ave turns right and becomes Pacific St. Slight left onto Eastern Pkwy. Turn left onto Bedford Ave. Turn right onto Empire Blvd. Continue onto Ocean Ave. Turn right onto Parkside Ave. At the traffic circle, take the third exit onto Ocean Pkwy. Keep right to continue on Fort Hamilton Parkway. The entrance to the Cemetery will be about 10 blocks away on the right.
From Verrazano-Narrows Bridge
Take I-278 East into Brooklyn. Take Exit 20 for Seventh Avenue toward 65 Street. Merge onto Seventh Avenue. Turn right onto 65th Street. Turn left onto Fort Hamilton Pkwy. The entrance to the Cemetery will be about 1.8 miles away on the left.
Arrival Instructions
- Please enter through the Cemetery’s FORT HAMILTON PARKWAY ENTRANCE at Fort Hamilton Parkway and Micieli Place.
- For Black New Yorkers program ONLY: Buses may drop you outside the Cemetery at this entrance or inside.
- For Civil War and Innovators & Inventors programs: Busses MUST drive you into the Cemetery, make an immediate left on Border Avenue and follow signs for the Freedom Lots. They must drop you off and pick you up at the Freedom Lots.
- If you need to reach Cemetery staff on your way to here, please call 917-848-6226.
- If school busses wish to remain in the Cemetery during your program, Green-Wood staff will direct them to an appropriate waiting spot.
- Please note that you will have access to a limited number of restrooms while at the Cemetery. Please encourage students to use the restroom before coming here, if possible.
prospect park west entrance
These directions take you to the Cemetery’s PROSPECT PARK WEST ENTRANCE at 20th Street and Ninth Avenue/Prospect Park West in Brooklyn.
BY PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
The closest subway station to Green-Wood’s Prospect Park West Entrance is the F or G train at 15 St/Prospect Park. It is an approximately seven minute walk from the station.
BY BUS
If you are using GPS: The entrance intersection is Prospect Park West and 20th Street.
From Lower Manhattan
Take either Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel (Hugh L. Carey Tunnel), Manhattan Bridge, or Brooklyn Bridge. Continue on either I-478 or I-278 W until they merge. Use the left two lanes to take Exit 24 for Prospect Expy/NY-27 E. Then turn right onto Tenth Avenue and turn right onto 20th Street. The entrance to the Cemetery will be on the left.
From Long Island
Take I-495 West to Brooklyn, NY. Use the second from the right lane to take Exit 31 N-S toward Kennedy Airport. Merge onto Cross Island Pkwy. Take Exit 29 E for Grand Central Pkwy toward Triborough Bridge (Robert F. Kennedy Bridge). Keep left, follow signs for Grand Central Pkwy W and merge onto Grand Central Parkway. Keep left at the fork to continue on Jackie Robinson Pkwy/New York State Rte 908B W. Keep right to stay on Jackie Robinson Pkwy/New York State Rte 908B W, follow signs for E New York Ave. Continue onto Jamaica Avenue. Continue onto E New York Avenue. E New York Avenue turns right and becomes Pacific Street. Slight left onto Eastern Parkway. Use the right two lanes to turn slightly right to stay on Eastern Parkway. Keep left to stay on Eastern Parkway. Use the left lane to turn right onto Grand Army Plaza. Sharp left to stay on Grand Army Plaza. Use the right two lanes to turn slightly right to stay on Grand Army Plaza. Continue onto Prospect Park West. At the traffic circle, take the second exit and stay on Prospect Park West. Turn right onto 20th Street. The entrance to the Cemetery will be on the left.
From Verrazano-Narrows Bridge
Head northeast on I-278 East. Take Exit 24 for Prospect Expy. Continue onto NY-27/Prospect Expy. Take Exit 4 for 10th Ave toward 11th Ave/NY-27. Turn right onto 10th Avenue. Turn right onto 20th Street. The entrance to the Cemetery will be on the left.
Arrival Instructions
- Please enter through the Cemetery’s PROSPECT PARK WEST ENTRANCE at Prospect Park West and 20th Street in Brooklyn.
- If you need to reach Cemetery staff on your way here, please call 917-848-6226
- If school busses wish to remain in the Cemetery during your program, Green-Wood staff will direct them to an appropriate waiting spot.
- Please note that you will have access to a limited number of restrooms while at the Cemetery. Please encourage students to use the restroom before coming here, if possible.
Sunset Park entrance
These directions take you to The Green-Wood Cemetery’s SUNSET PARK ENTRANCE at Fourth Avenue between 34th and 36th Streets in Brooklyn.
BY PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
The closest subway station to Green-Wood’s Main Entrance is the D/N/R trains at 36th Street. After exiting the train, walk north one block to Green-Wood entrance at Fourth Avenue between 34th and 36th Streets.
BY BUS
If you are using GPS: The entrance intersection is Fourth Avenue and Maple Avenue.
FROM MANHATTAN
Take I-478/Hugh L. Carey Tunnel to Hamilton Ave. Take exit 26 from I-478/Hugh L. Carey Tunnel. Continue on Hamilton Ave and then onto 3rd Ave. Make a left onto 31st Street. Make a right on 4th Avenue. Entrance is at 4th Avenue. Entrance is at 4th Avenue between 34th and 36th Streets.
FROM QUEENS
From I-495 W. Take I-278 W to Hamilton Ave in Brooklyn. Take exit 26 from I-278 W. Continue on Hamilton Ave and then onto 3rd Ave. Make a left onto 31st Street. Make a right on 4th Avenue. Entrance is at 4th Avenue. Entrance is at 4th Avenue between 34th and 36th Streets.
FROM STATEN ISLAND
Follow I-278 E to 38th St in Brooklyn. Take exit 23 from I-278 E. Turn left onto 4th Avenue. Entrance is at 4th Avenue between 34th and 36th Streets.
ARRIVAL INSTRUCTIONS
- Please enter through the Cemetery’s SUNSET PARK ENTRANCE at Fourth Avenue between 34 th and 36th Streets in Brooklyn.
- If you need to reach Cemetery staff on your way here, please call 917-848-6226
- If school busses wish to remain in the Cemetery during your program, Green-Wood staff will direct them to an appropriate waiting spot.
- Please note that you will have access to a limited number of restrooms while at the Cemetery. Please encourage students to use the restroom before coming here, if possible.