Jennifer Erving

Jennifer Erving is the Youth Education Specialist at the Norfolk Botanical Garden. She started her career as an “Outdoor Living Skills” specialist for a YMCA camp. What better way to learn about nature and your environment than when camping? As the mental and physical health benefits of being outdoors are innumerable.

Jennifer began working over fifteen years ago at Norfolk Botanical Garden focused on overnight weekend campouts for families and girl scouts, often hosting over 70 campers with 10 teenage volunteers. A showpiece of the NBG is the World of Wonders Children’s Garden where Jennifer, as an “in the field” educator has done “wonders!” She has been instrumental in the programs which allow the children to enjoy outdoor learning experiences with the splash fountains, passport gardens, see, smell, and touch plants, discovery stations, scavenger hunts, crafts, walking tours and “dirt factory”. Also Jennifer uses these fun activities as an opportunity to add educational materials and discussions on not only the environment but on world history and geography.

In addition, Jennifer is a parent , who understands that caregivers need support so they can better engage during a visit with their children. Jennifer underscores this in her writing, “as an environmental educator it is easy to forget that for some grownups we should also start with the basics. (This was made even more evident when I saw a local post with a photo of a snapping turtle that someone was holding because she thought a neighbor’s pet had escaped). Environmental education is vital”.