Milwaukee's Mitchell Park
Horticultural Conservatory

DONATE MEMBERSHIP BOOTH

Friends of the Domes

Education Center at The Domes

Experiential Education Program

 

Mission:

The Friends of the Domes (FOD) experiential Education Program will provide diversified and engaging hands-on education to better connect adults, families, and children with nature. 

Goals: 

  • The Education Program will interpret the conservatory collection to the public 
  • The Education Program will provide every person opportunities to acquire nature-based knowledge, experiences, hobbies, and values
  • The Education Program will provide programming that attenders find educational and satisfactory
  • The Education Program will promote positivity, wellness, and mindfulness to improve the public's relationship with nature. 
  • The Education Program will promote racial inclusivity and benefit our diverse local neighborhoods.

 

We sincerely thank our donors:

  • Gladys E.Gores Charitable Foundation
  • Dr. John and Mrs. Anne Thomas
  • Jerome J. and Dorothy H. Holz Family Foundation
  • Fitzsimonds Charitable Trust
  • Cream City Foundation Valentine Fund
  • The Grace Ruppinski Family

 

Friends of the Mitchell Park DomesMilwaukee County Parks

Education Program

 

Website Nagivation:

 

Education Program:

(This is your current page) This page contains our Mission and Goals, website navigation, Education Center Hour, and staff information. 

Children's Programs/Field Trips:

This page contains information on Children's Field Trips to the Domes, including school groups, scouts, youth, homeschool, after-school, and any other groups of children visiting the Domes. Click Here or choose from the Education dropdown tab at the top of this page. 

Adult Programs:

This page contains information on our adult education programming workshops and events. Click Here or choose from the Education dropdown tab at the top of this page. 

Family Programs:

This page contains information on any family education programming we are offering, including workshops and fun in the Domes Education Center. Click Here of choose from the Education dropdown tab at the top of this page. 

Other Helpful Links:

For self-guided field trips or adult guided tours, please visit https://county.milwaukee.gov/EN/Parks/Explore/The-Domes and click the Learn tab

Education Center Information and Hours

 

Education Program Staff: 

 

Meet Pete Stobie: Lead Interpretive Educator 

petestobie.fod@milwaukeedomes.org 

Hello Milwaukee and beyond! I am excited to meet you! My family and I are new to Milwaukee. We arrived in May 2019, after living in the Philadelphia, PA area for the last few years. I graduated with a degree in Outdoor Recreation from Northern Michigan University. I spent nineteen years with the Kalamazoo Nature Center in several roles as an Interpretive Naturalist. Over my tenure at KNC, I designed, developed,and embellished over 100 different programs. Making learning fun is my goal by using props, costumes, songs, characters, puppets and many other techniques.  

I look forward to using my experience, knowledge, creativity and my love of nature to add to the Friends of the Domes Education Program. Some of my job highlights over the years include: 

  • Created a variety of engaging, interactive Summer Library programs.
  • Taught thousands of elementary school stuends about nature's many habitats and the animals that live in them.
  • Presented at professional workshops around the county and in Canada.
  • Awarded the 1999 Outstanding New Interpreter award by the National Association for Interpretation and the 2015 Julian Smith Outdoor Educator of the Year award by the Michigan Alliance of Environmental and Outdoor Education.

With FOD, I will be developing curriculum, leading tours and presenting children’s programs. You can also drop in and say hello to me at the Education Center where I will be working on hands-on exhibits and waiting to meet each of you! It’s a BIG natural world, so come into the Domes and learn a little, play a little and relax a little. See you soon! 


 

Meet Erica Putman: Education Director

ericaputman.fod@milwaukeedomes.org 

Hello all! Nice to meet you! I have joined the Friends of the Domes team after many wonderful years in the environmental education field. I have a degree in Biological Sciences and Environmental Science from Virginia Tech (go Hokies!), and I’m thrilled to use my background and love of the natural world to build FOD’s Education Program.  

Here are some of my favorite job highlights from over the years:

  • Leading staff at Nature’s Classroom Institute in Mukwonago, Wisconsin: coordinating over 3000 students to attend our nature programming 
  • Managing a summer camp and patrolling for bears in Anchorage, Alaska
  • Educating, water sampling, and wrangling snakes in Botswana
  • Educating, assisting, and wrangling middle schoolers at Maryland Avenue Montessori School
  • Outside of the Domes, you can find me exploring new places in Milwaukee, building ANOTHER raised bed for the garden, or trying not to fall off the climbing wall. 

At FOD, I will be planning new Adult Education workshops, building curriculum, and working to improve the visitor experience at the conservancy through hands-on learning. I’m interested in meeting you all and hear what you would like to see for our growing education program. Come on into the Education Center and say hello! 

 

 

  • Thank you for supporting Friends of the Domes Education Programming!