The weather is colder, and it is a great time to explore the wetlands to see what is living there during this time of the year. There may be deer signs on the trail or some interesting birds nesting in the trees along the waterway. We may find burrows where the animals will sleep the […]
Create your own handmade Christmas card for a family member or friend. Each participant will receive a blank card to decorate. There will be crayons, markers, and color pencils for drawing winter and holiday scenes, and nature and holiday rubber stamps to decorate with. There will also be old holiday cards to use as a […]
Check out our largest planet inside our portable planetarium. Find out about its “red spot,” the never-ending hurricane and look at some of its 95 moons. We’ll also check out other items in the early December night sky including the Orion and Taurus constellations. Participants are required to sit on the floor. Ask about accommodations. […]
One of the best times to start birdwatching is in winter when you can find many of our common backyard birds and when it is easier to spot them in the bare trees. We will talk about the proper use of binoculars, how to identify birds, and common backyard birds. Afterward, we will go on […]
Many animals have protective padding on their feet known as hooves. We call this group of animals, ungulates. Learn about hooved animals, such as deer, cows, horses, elk, and pigs. Children will have an opportunity to make hoof tracks at our track station and complete a craft by making their own tracks with handprints. Oakwoods […]
Many animals have the amazing ability to fly through the sky. These creatures come in many different sizes, some are covered in feathers, and some even have a hard exoskeleton. For this program, we will be looking at the various animals that use wings to fly and ones that fly in special ways, such as […]
Last year the American Ornithological Society, the group that decides the names of birds, announced that all North American birds named after a person or has a name that could be offensive or misrepresent will have its name changed. That means around 80 species of birds are having their names changed. You may be upset […]
During the Christmas season, it is a tradition to go out and count as many birds as you can in your area. Come along as we take part in the Hancock County Naturalist’s Annual Christmas Bird Count. We will talk about the history of Christmas bird counts and what kind of birds we can find […]
Start the holiday season with a fun fireside story at the historical McKinnis House. The fire will be warm and cozy as we enjoy the story The Biggest, Best Snowman. After the story, we will make molasses-on-snow candy just as the pioneers did in 1847. Litzenberg Memorial Woods McKinnis House 1:30 PM Ages 3-5 with […]
Decorating a Christmas tree was a simple, but fun activity in the 1800s. Families might string strands of popcorn or cranberries to hang on the tree. Mom might even allow the children to bake gingerbread cookies as decorations. Dad and the boys would carve little animals as gifts. Visitors can join in the fun by […]
Opossums are amazing animals that live in Hancock County. They are resourceful scavengers that find whatever food they can get. Along with the scraps they find, opossums can eat lots of harmful ticks. Also, the opossum is the only marsupial in the United States. Marsupials include kangaroos and koalas. We will look at opossum furs, […]
“Static” means to stay in one place. In static electricity, the charges are all staying in one area. We will make a static flyer as one of our experiments. Making your hair stand on end using a balloon is another fun activity using static electricity. Kids will have fun trying all nine of the tricks […]
