Don't let the rain spoil your fun!

Source: http://www.campingroadtrip.com/tips-and-articles/rainy-day-camping-fun

 

There is rain in the forecast for much of the state this weekend.  But that doesn't have to stop any one from exploring the outdoors, especially if you've got some good rain gear.  Rainy days present a great educational opportunity for children.  Here are some ideas of what you can do in the rain:

 

3-7 year olds

• Explore pudddles and examine them for living organisms.
• Ask your child, if you were an animal, where would you take shelter?  Pretend you are a deer or a squirrell and take a walk looking for shelter.
• What kind of organisms dissappear when it is raining?  Do you hear birds?  Do you see squirrels?  What about slugs and worms?  Why do some organisms come out when it is raining, while others hide?

5 and up

 
• Follow a drop of water.  Where does the rain go?  Observe the differences between rain hitting the road vs. rain hitting the grass or landing in a forest.  Follow the rain on the road until it dissapears.  Where does it go from there?  Eventually it ends up in the ocean!  Ask, where does the rain go when it hits the grass?  Talk about the difference between the two surfaces.  Extension: For older kids, explore your river basin and learn about what happens to water in your area from a downloadable publication here  

If you don't get rained out, check out these events:

Saturday Sept. 29th

 

National Public Lands Day

This is a good day to appreaciate the preservation and conservation of our public lands.  Workers and volunteers are integral to maintaining these lands for public outdoor recreation.  Not only do they serve as a place for the public to enjoy, they are also critical habitats for maintaining biodiversity and healthy ecosystems.

 

National Public Lands Day (NPLD) is the nation's largest hands-on volunteer effort to improve and enhance the public lands Americans enjoy.

NPLD keeps the promise of the Civilian Conservation Corps, the "tree army" that worked from 1933-42 to preserve and protect America's natural heritage. In 2010, 170,000 volunteers built trails and bridges, removed trash and invasive plants, planted trees and restored our water resources.

If

See the website for family events near you.  If you can't make an event, consider visiting a public land for a family outing to support the preservation of these areas.

National Estuaries Day 

This is another good learning opportunity for your child.  Estuaries provide habitat for migratory birds and crucial species that we rely on for food and keeping our waters healthy.  They also filter water before it makes it's way to the ocean and protect our coastlines by acting as a buffer. 


Source: http://celebrating200years.noaa.gov/transformations/coastal_research/estuary.html

National Estuaries Day is an annual celebration of the vibrant coastal areas where rivers meet the sea- estuaries. Celebrated on the last Saturday in September, National Estuaries Day is a great opportunity to learn more about these magical ecosystems and how you can help to protect them. Whether you live close enough to visit your local estuary, or you virtually transport yourself to an estuary anywhere in the world via the Internet; take some time to explore these amazing places.
Complete details and events

There are events happening all over the state at Chimney Rock State Park, Raleigh, Morrisville, Lake Waccamaw, and Fayatteville.   See here.

 

Festival in Motion:  Free Activities on Raleigh's Greenways 

 

http://www.festivalinmotion.com/

Description from the website:

Enjoy a full day of family fun and fitness for all ages at four parks along the Walnut Creek Greenway. Have fun exploring nature near downtown Raleigh and join us for live music, food trucks and activities for the whole family.

 

 

Events:

 

Lake Johnson Park, 8am to 10:30am, Athens Drive High School Stadium

MONSTER WEED WRANGLING

Join Friends of Lake Johnson and the Athens Drive Jaguar Club to prep the site for a future nature education center. Refreshments served and prizes for biggest wranglers.

Walnut Creek Wetland Center, 11am to 3pm, 950 Peterson Street

SCAVENGER HUNT, CONTEST, MUSIC, FOOD & FITNESS FUN

The party’s hoppin’ midday into the afternoon. Join us for a wetland scavenger hunt. We’ll have live music and your favorite food trucks. As the decorated bike parade ends, we’ll gear up for the Urban Wetland 5K! REGISTER FOR THE URBAN WETLAND 5K AT THE WEBSITE.

Eliza Pool Park, 11am to 1pm, 1600 Fayetteville Street

SOCCER CLINIC AND DECORATED BIKE PARADE

Family fun activities for all ages, including a youth soccer clinic, and a bike decorating contest and parade. Have fun creating a wetland creature on wheels. Or let your imagination run wild with prizes for the most creative bicycles. Then parade along the Greenway to the Walnut Creek Wetland Center with a Raleigh Police escort. We’ll have lots of supplies for decorating, plus live music and food.

Sharpen your senses: 

Easy activities for right outside your door 

 

After a long days work, it can be hard to find time for an outdoor activity and make sure everyone is fed, showered, and ready for bed.  But you don't have to go to a park or even get in your car to provide meaningful outdoor activities for your child.  All you have to do is look closely right outside your door.  Below are some ideas for activities you can do around your home that will help your child (and you!!) develop a keen sense of observation:

 

(These ideas and more at http://takeachildoutside.org)

A Nature Walk for Imaginary Ants



http://anthropology.ua.edu/blogs/eliseduffield/

Best age range: 3-year-olds and up
Location: anywhere, but a natural area such as backyard or park is the best
Best time: day
Season: any
Special materials: six short sticks or toothpicks
What to do: Select a small area on the ground, about a yard square. With your child, pretend to shrink down to the size of ants. Give your child six short sticks or toothpicks and ask him or her to lead an ant-sized nature walk, using the toothpicks to mark six interesting things along the way. Encourage your child to use his or her imagination. Invite a friend on the next tour!

Nature Bracelet

Best age range: 3-year-olds and up
Location: backyard or where the collection of small non-living objects is permitted
Best time: day
Special materials: masking tape (2”-wide tape is preferred)
What to do: Remove a length of tape that will wrap around your or your child’s wrist. Wrap the tape around your wrist with the sticky side up (facing away from your skin). As you walk around the yard or park, pick up small things and see if they stick to your bracelet—flower petals, small fallen leaves, sand and seeds work well. Save bracelets from previous walks and compare them through the seasons.

Trees and Leaves

Best age range: all ages, especially upper elementary and older
Location: any area with trees
Best time: day
Season: all
Special materials: bags for collecting leaves, journal, optional: camera and tree identification book
What to do: Walk outside! How many trees do you see? Are they all the same? What is different about them? Compare the leaves, bark, flowers, buds — everything you notice. Collect the different leaves you find or take pictures. Press the leaves in a book or journal. Optional Extension: Use a field guide to identify the trees. Can you identify them by leaves, bark and twigs? If you having trouble identifying the trees, take some leaves to a local nature center, park, arboretum or natural science museum.









Get your Boots Ready for the 6th Annual Take a Child Outside Week!!!  (Sept 24-30)

 

www.takeachildoutside.org

 

Go green kids world environment: The Daily Green

Take A Child Outside week is an initiative of the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences and is now held in cooperation with many partners in the U.S. and Canada.  You can visit the web site here to make a pledge to take a child outside during the week and chart your location on a digital map. You can also search for outdoor activities, events, and participating partners in your area.

Here are some fun ideas from the NC Museum of Natural Sciences press release:

• Make a Date with the Moon - A monthly journey outside to look at the full moon.
• Spritzing spider webs – Discover the architecture behind spider webs by using spritz bottles.
• Leaf number search – Find and identify leaves with one to ten points and beyond.
• Shadow search – Use chalk to trace a shadow on the sidewalk, come back later to see how the shadow has moved and learn why.
• Animal tracks – Locate animal tracks in the dirt and cast them in plaster.
• Outdoor sculpture – Follow sculptor Andy Goldsworthy’s lead and create sculptures using only tools found in nature.
• Shape search – Find common shapes (square, circle, triangle etc.) in nature.
• Color search – Identify colors of the rainbow found in nature.
• Bird song – Listen for a bird call and attempt your own imitation.

Plan ahead for a fun packed week:

• Use the Guide to Environmental Education Centers in North Carolina to find places to explore! http://www.eenorthcarolina.org/ee-centers.html
• Take a look at our EE Calender

Post photos of your outdoor events and outings during the week to our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/NorthCarolinaEE

 


Photos.com

BugFest is Back!

Saturday, September 15, 9am to 7pm

It's BugFest time at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh!

Jones Street, The Plaza, Edenton Street, and all four floors of the Museum will be filled with buggy fun! This year's theme bug: mantids!

• Enjoy the entertaining displays, exhibits and activities — both inside and outside the Museum.
• Learn about arthropods, which make up three-quarters of all animals on Earth, during fascinating presentations.
• Taste delectable dishes featuring creepy crawlers as a major ingredient at Café Insecta.
• Join the moths, fireflies and katydids for an exhilarating evening of nocturnal activities at the Evening Insectival.
• Learn how to keep your own hive at a Beekeeping Workshop
• Bring an unusual bug to the Stump the Experts table

For more information and to preview the events, visit http://bugfest.org/.

Photo: Tobacco Hornworm (Manduca sexta) - K. Hamlin

International Coastal Cleanup Day

This Saturday, September 15, is designated as International Coastal Cleanup Day. Over the past 25 years, Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup has become the world’s largest volunteer effort for ocean health. Nearly nine million volunteers from 152 countries and locations have cleaned 145 million pounds of trash from the shores of lakes, streams, rivers, and the ocean on just one day each year.

Each September, hundreds of thousands of volunteers from countries all over the world spend a day picking up everything from cigarette butts and food wrappers to lost fishing nets and major appliances. Because trash travels to the ocean by way of storm drains and waterways, they don’t just work along ocean beaches; these dedicated folks slog through mud and sand along lakes, streams, and rivers, too, often working far inland.

Many walk, while others set out on boats. Thousands more don scuba gear to seek trash below the water’s surface. People of all ages, from any walk of life, can participate. Friends, families, neighbors, club members, grade school classes—all kinds of people turn out on one day to work together in spirit across many time zones.

For more information, visit http://www.oceanconservancy.org/our-work/marine-debris/international-coastal-cleanup-6.html.

Can't make it to the coast? Busy this weekend? No problem! In North Carolina, International Coastal Cleanup coincides with the NC Big Sweep. This is an annual event held on the first Saturday in October in an effort to rid the state of litter by promoting environmental education. However, Big Sweep events are held all through the months of September and October across the state.

To learn more and to find an event in your county, visit http://www.ncbigsweep.org/.

So how will your Piedmont or Mountain efforts benefit the coast? Everyone lives in a river basin which eventually flows into an estuary or the ocean. Cleaning up the litter in your area benefits those downstream - all the way to the coast! To learn more about North Carolina's river basins, visit http://www.eenorthcarolina.org/riverbasins.html.

Kidfest at Grandfather Mountain

9th Annual Kidfest

Saturday, September 8, 9am to 4pm

A day designed to get kids excited about the nature and culture of the North Carolina mountains through fun and entertaining activities.  Guided hikes, games, storytellers, music and fun! Included with park admission.


Photo: Grandfather Mountain website

To see the schedule of events and to learn more about Grandfather Mountain, visit: http://www.grandfather.com/events/kidfest

Grandfather Mountain State Park
2050 Blowing Rock Highway
Linville, NC 28646
Office Phone: 800-468-7325
http://www.ncparks.gov/Visit/parks/grmo/main.php

Bees and Pollinator Gardens

Sunday, September 9, 2pm to 4pm (rescheduled from June)

Presented by Chatham Conservation Partnership

Join Chatham Extension Agent Debbie Roos and the Chatham County Beekeepers Association for a special look at the wonderful world of bees and pollinator gardens. See honey bees in a hive and learn about their life cycle and beekeeping. Guides will discuss the importance of bees and pollination, and show plants that attract bees and other pollinators. Visit a honey bee hive at the Central Carolina Community College (CCCC) campus in Pittsboro, then tour Cooperative Extension’s demonstration Pollinator Garden at Chatham Marketplace (visit the garden website at http://bit.ly/95ZS1C). The beekeeper will use a "bee cage" which is a screen wire enclosure for a hive of bees. Participants will stay on the outside of the bee cage so there is no need to wear protective clothing.

The tour will begin at the CCCC-Pittsboro campus apiary near the Hwy 64 entrance for the bee case demonstration, and then participants will drive to the Pollinator Garden.

Register for this event by calling 919-545-8044.

For more information, visit: http://chathamconservation.wikispaces.com/Announcements.

1st Annual National Planting Day

Saturday, September 8

National Planting Day celebrates the value and power of native species in restoring ecological balance to the environment, while creating greener, more beautiful communities. With a national focus on September 8 and activities happening throughout the fall, Keep America Beautiful, its affiliates and partners are mobilizing Americans to plant native species.

Let the kids explore the plants in their own yard by having them identify the trees, shrubs and herbs. Then get to work planting some fall plants around the house or pot some indoor plants for the apartment!

For more information about National Planting Day and to find out what plants are native to your area, visit: http://www.kab.org/site/PageServer?pagename=National_Planting_Day.