June 2019
Wee Ones: Holes 10 AM
Hikers at Oakwoods Nature Preserve may see many holes in the ground, trees, and logs. Does anything live in those holes? Why do holes exist? We’ll explore holes in the park, including a mud pit and sand box. Box holes…
Find out more »Wee Ones: Holes 1 PM
Hikers at Oakwoods Nature Preserve may see many holes in the ground, trees, and logs. Does anything live in those holes? Why do holes exist? We’ll explore holes in the park, including a mud pit and sand box. Box holes…
Find out more »Adventure Day Camp: Wilderness Scout (Ages 6-12)
Have you always wanted to go to camp, but you weren’t ready to sleep out under the stars? Well, come on out to this camp. Campers will get a chance to explore wilderness skills, including knot tying, outdoor cooking, navigation,…
Find out more »Adventure Day Camp: Wet ‘n’ Wild (Ages 6-12)
Explore a local stream like never before. We’ll hike to a local stream and discover all sorts of creatures, big and small! Learn how to find, handle, and identify macroinvertebrates, while using these creatures as a way to determine if…
Find out more »Adventure Day Camp: Fossil Finders (Ages 6-12)
Dinosaurs, mammoths, and prehistoric monsters galore and they’re all hiding underneath your feet. Become a junior paleontologist and learn about the mysterious world of our Earth’s past. You’ll explore the different time periods, rocks formed during those time periods, and…
Find out more »Summer Triangle
As the Earth makes its annual orbit around the Sun, we are able to see different constellations. Visit our indoor planetarium to see the summer triangle and then head outside to see if you can find it in the night…
Find out more »July 2019
Toddler Adventure in the Outdoors (Ages 3–6): 9 AM-12 PM
Toddlers and their grownup will share time together and make a memory that’ll last a lifetime. We’ll spend time outside on the trails getting a feel for nature and playing in the fossil play area. Learn what’s in the Discovery…
Find out more »Toddler Adventure in the Outdoors (Ages 3-6): 1-4 PM
Toddlers and their grownup will share time together and make a memory that’ll last a lifetime. We’ll spend time outside on the trails getting a feel for nature and playing in the fossil play area. Learn what’s in the Discovery…
Find out more »Richard S. “Doc” Phillips Discovery Center Open House
The Discovery Center will be open for visitation. Visitors can choose to participate in unstructured and/or structured activities. Activities and attractions include bird watching via the Windows on Wildlife, mounted animals and live animals on display, nature videos, field guides…
Find out more »Navigation: Seeing with the Stars
Learn how people, past and present, navigated by the stars. From the Ancient Greeks to the Polynesian settlers of Hawaii, sometimes stars are the best tool when all you see is water. We’ll learn key constellations, how to use a…
Find out more »Discovery Story: Life is Just Ducky 10 AM
What is life like for a little duck living in a big pond? Come out and meet some little ducks and find out what they eat, where they sleep, and what dangers they face. What happens when they grow up?…
Find out more »Discovery Story: Life is Just Ducky 1 PM
What is life like for a little duck living in a big pond? Come out and meet some little ducks and find out what they eat, where they sleep, and what dangers they face. What happens when they grow up?…
Find out more »Project Scale Watch
Are you a fan of reptiles? Do you have an interest in conservation? Project Scale Watch is an in-depth summer program in which you learn what it takes to be a field herpetologist (a person who studies reptiles and amphibians).…
Find out more »Project Scale Watch
Are you a fan of reptiles? Do you have an interest in conservation? Project Scale Watch is an in-depth summer program in which you learn what it takes to be a field herpetologist (a person who studies reptiles and amphibians).…
Find out more »Project Scale Watch
Are you a fan of reptiles? Do you have an interest in conservation? Project Scale Watch is an in-depth summer program in which you learn what it takes to be a field herpetologist (a person who studies reptiles and amphibians).…
Find out more »Project Scale Watch Exhibition: Richard S. “Doc” Phillips Discovery Center Open House
The Discovery Center will be open for visitation. Visitors can choose to participate in unstructured and/or structured activities. Activities and attractions include bird watching via the Windows on Wildlife, mounted animals and live animals on display, nature videos, field guides…
Find out more »Skeletons and Bones: Open House
Over 62,000 animals are in the Subphylum, Vertebrata, meaning they have a backbone and skeleton. Get a close-up look at skulls and other bones from some mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish that live mostly in Hancock County. Bone crafts…
Find out more »Nocturnal Notions
Do you want to know what goes bump in the night, what screeches while it’s dark, or what wriggles just beneath the house? The dark always frightens us but for many animals the darkness is comforting. Join us as we…
Find out more »World Snake Day
Celebrate World Snake Day by visiting the Discovery Center and learning about snakes. Find out why we should appreciate snakes, which snake myths are not true, and what snakes live in Hancock County. Participants will have an opportunity to engage…
Find out more »Grown-ups in the Park Social: 10–11:30 AM
If you are 50 years of age or older, then you are cordially invited to visit the Discovery Center at Oakwoods Nature Preserve, enjoy Culver’s custard cups, cookies, and the sights and sounds of nature. A short hike in the…
Find out more »Grown-ups in the Park Social: 1–2:30 PM
If you are 50 years of age or older, then you are cordially invited to visit the Discovery Center at Oakwoods Nature Preserve, enjoy Culver’s custard cups, cookies, and the sights and sounds of nature. A short hike in the…
Find out more »Grown-ups in the Park Social: 2:30–4 PM
If you are 50 years of age or older, then you are cordially invited to visit the Discovery Center at Oakwoods Nature Preserve, enjoy Culver’s custard cups, cookies, and the sights and sounds of nature. A short hike in the…
Find out more »Fantastic Five Camp (Ages 4–5)
Eyes like a hawk, nose like a fox…all animals have their own special sensory powers, and guess what? So do you! We’ll focus on our five main senses and use those senses to explore the world around us. We’ll look…
Find out more »Game Night in the Woods!
Bring a deck of cards, your favorite board game, and your family and friends because it’s game night! Come out to the park and have some fun. Games for all ages are encouraged. The question is: Are you ready to…
Find out more »Wee Ones: Pond Life 10 AM
This month we will learn about ponds and the animals who call them home. See what tiny animals live in a gallon of water. Make animal crafts, explore sensory activities, and read a great book. Discover what you can find…
Find out more »Wee Ones: Pond Life 1 PM
This month we will learn about ponds and the animals who call them home. See what tiny animals live in a gallon of water. Make animal crafts, explore sensory activities, and read a great book. Discover what you can find…
Find out more »August 2019
Richard S. “Doc” Phillips Discovery Center Open House
The Discovery Center will be open for visitation. Visitors can choose to participate in unstructured and/or structured activities. Activities and attractions include bird watching via the Windows on Wildlife, mounted animals and live animals on display, nature videos, field guides…
Find out more »Adventure Day Camp: Hooray for Herps (Ages 6-12)
Campers will get in–depth about three groups of amphibians and reptiles—frogs, turtles, and snakes! The HPD’s own animal collection will be front and center as we study what they eat, their body coverings, and where to find them in the…
Find out more »The Natural History of Animal Courtship
In the natural world it takes more than just strength and fitness to survive. You need numbers. Many animals have very unconventional ways of courtship, rearing offspring, and have the most intriguing adaptations in order to guarantee the succession of…
Find out more »Adventure Day Camp: Tracks and Traces (Ages 6-12)
Take a walk through the park looking for tracks, searching for signs, and exploring the different forms of animal communication. We’ll meet live animals, examine real animal artifacts, and learn about unique adaptations that help local wildlife catch prey and…
Find out more »Adventure Day Camp: Wild About Nature (Ages 6-12)
Kids will hike the trails, explore nature, and find things to play with and handle, while practicing safety at the same time. They’ll get a chance to make a bug house, learn about edible things in nature like fungus, flowers,…
Find out more »Adventure Day Camp: In-seine for Science (Ages 6-12)
Fish biology, dissections, and microscopes. Explore the aquatic food web through fish dissections, use art to examine external fish anatomy, and zoom in on the microorganisms that support all aquatic life. We’ll learn about and practice Gyotaku, the art of…
Find out more »Interstellar Volcanoes
Underneath the ground you stand on is a moving and burning earth, but sometimes it can rise and breach the surface with devastating force. Volcanoes are amazing forces of our natural world and of our living planet. Visit the Discovery…
Find out more »Discovery Story: Let’s Go Exploring 10 AM
Summer is the perfect time to explore the great outdoors. We’ll start inside for a story then we’ll use our binoculars during a hike to see what we can see. Back at the Discovery Center, we’ll build our own nature…
Find out more »Discovery Story: Let’s Go Exploring 1 PM
Summer is the perfect time to explore the great outdoors. We’ll start inside for a story then we’ll use our binoculars during a hike to see what we can see. Back at the Discovery Center, we’ll build our own nature…
Find out more »Go Herping!
Herping is the newest upcoming trend among naturalists throughout the country. What is herping? It’s much like birding, but instead of birds you look for reptiles. Learn about this fun new hobby and how you can help local wildlife associations.…
Find out more »October 2019
Art in the Park: Plein Air Gathering
The Plein Air Gatherings are an opportunity for artists to get together and paint or draw outdoors “en plein air” in Hancock County parks. All adult artists who use any medium conducive to working outdoors are welcome. If you are…
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