Youth dissect flowers at Rogers Center during a pollinator program. (Submitted photo)

SHERBURNE - Fall is just around the corner, and schools are coming back into session.

At Rogers Environmental Education Center in Sherburne, NY, monthly Open Homeschool Group classes beginning this September will be offered for regional homeschooled youth to experience outstanding hands-on outdoor education opportunities.

The first Open Homeschool Group program offered for the 2026/2027 school year is Buzz & Bloom Pollinator Adventure, a new educational program from the Friends of Rogers. Students observe pollinators in action, learn how pollination supports ecosystems and food systems, and dissect flowers to explore and identify key flower parts.

This program is offered on Tuesday, September 15 from 1:30-3 p.m.. It is open to students ages 5 and up, and the cost of attendance is $8 per student. Registration is required: email erica@friendsofrogers.org to register.

“The Buzz & Bloom Pollinator Adventure program aligns with our ongoing pollinator work at Rogers, teaching youth how pollinators sustain our food system and what we can do to protect them,” said Erica Clark, Senior Educator for the Friends of Rogers. “Our monthly homeschool program aims to inspire youth to connect meaningfully with the outdoors through hands-on activities that spark a lifelong curiosity for nature.”

Open Homeschool Group at Rogers Center meets on a monthly basis. Upcoming programs include Terrific Trees on Tuesday October 13, Fossil Adventure on Tuesday November 17, and Birds in Winter on Tuesday December 15. All homeschool programs are from 1:30-3 p.m..

Larger homeschool groups and co-ops are also invited to schedule a program at Rogers Center for their students, with a wide variety of environmental education classes based on Next Generation Science Standards to choose from. Inquiries can be sent to Erica Clark by emailing erica@friendsofrogers.org

Rogers Center is one of four New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) environmental education centers, and is operated by the Friends of Rogers. Rogers Center is located at 2721 state highway 80, Sherburne NY, 13460.

The mission of the Friends of Rogers is to provide outstanding educational opportunities that excite, inspire, and motivate people of all ages to enjoy, understand, appreciate, and protect our natural environment.

-Information from the Friends of Rogers