Seasonal Trees & Saplings Lead Instructor
About The Position
Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Children’s Education programs are renowned for teaching hands-on gardening and plant science to children. The seasonal Trees and Saplings lead instructor will spend the spring and fall seasons in BBG’s Children’s Garden, where they plan and team-teach age and seasonally appropriate gardening and related activities to a group of 10 child-and-adult pairs. Children will learn how to grow, maintain, and harvest vegetables, herbs, and flowers, make simple recipes with garden produce, care for the environment, and explore the natural world. The seasonal Trees and Saplings lead instructor will teach alongside the early childhood lead instructor, with a commitment of about 18 hours per week during the spring and fall seasons. The Tree and Saplings instructor gains experience in early childhood education, lesson planning, and horticulture. This is a seasonal position from March 17 through June 6, and September 3 through October 31 (no summer shifts).
Requirements
- Formal or nonformal early-childhood and elementary education experience, ideally in a classroom or outdoor setting
- Comfort leading imaginative play, singing songs, cooking, and exploring nature with children ages 2 through 5
- Passion for plants and gardening
- Ability to perform physical labor and work outdoors in various weather conditions
- Outgoing and welcoming personality; responsible, punctual, and professional
- Experience and comfort working with a diverse group of youth and staff
- Willingness to incorporate constructive feedback into lesson planning, garden maintenance, and teaching practice
- Flexibility to take on a variety of tasks; ability to work effectively in a highly collaborative environment
Nice To Haves
- Horticulture experience preferred but not required
Responsibilities
- Design, prepare, and teach hands-on gardening lessons to a group of 10 young children (2–4 years old) and their adult partners.
- Develop and lead supplementary enrichment activities such as seasonal cooking, nature crafts and science exploration.
- Collaborate with the Early Childhood lead instructor to lesson plan, develop materials list, and program preparation needs.
- Ensure that assigned garden plots are maintained (including planting, weeding, mulching, and watering).
- Prepare and set up all program materials and clean up after programming.
- Assist in teaching other education programs as needed.
Benefits
- Up to 56 hours of sick leave
- Short-term disability/New York Paid Family Leave
- As a 501(c)3, BBG is a Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Eligible Employer
- Museum Pass, which provides employees the opportunity to enter many museums in New York City for free
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Part-time
Career Level
Entry Level
Education Level
No Education Listed
Number of Employees
101-250 employees
