National Rivers Month

 June is National Rivers Month! As school lets out and the days grow longer, Americans head outdoors to swim, paddle, fish, and enjoy their local rivers. A great way to help ensure the health and
safety of your river is by participating in American Rivers' National River Cleanup  program
You can join an already scheduled cleanup or organize one of your own.

 

Organize or Volunteer at a River Cleanup near you ! Find a local cleanup in your area or organize one yourself. 
EG Did you know that the United States has over 3,660,000 miles of rivers?  That's enough distance to circle the Earth 146 times!  Freshwater rivers and streams provide drinking and irrigation water, wildlife habitat, recreational opportunities and much more. 

Also check out this cool interactive map on Where your water comes from?

For educators or parents here are some links to help your kids learn about rivers.


    Missouri Botanical Garden


The Missouri Botanical Garden has some informative pages on Rivers and Streams http://www.mbgnet.net/fresh/rivers/index.htm


Some fun weekend events around the state..


Raptor by sculptor John Payne
Source: http://naturalsciences.org/exhibits
Are you looking for something to do this weekend with your kids.  Look no further, there are several cool events around the state at nature centers and museums
 



Wheels at Life and Science Museum:  All weekend, Free with Admission
 Giant Paper Roller Coaster!Meet designer Andrew Gatt and see what has to be the coolest engineering feat with paper that we've ever seen. Andrew will share some of his inspirations in paper roller coaster design and we'll all contribute to making what we hope will be the world's largest Paper Roller Coaster!

City of Durham Fire Department:  Everybody gets to be a community helper and a hero today! Meet Sierra Jackson from DFD and learn more about how the trucks that the firefighters use help keep us safe

 

Tour of the North Carolina Botanical Gardens:   Free:  Meet at 10:00 am  (North Carolina Botanical Gardens)

Join our docents as we lead a free Saturday morning tour of the North Carolina Botanical Garden. Learn about native plants and North Carolina's ecoregions, as well as NCBG's efforts to be a model "conservation garden". Highlights of the tour include venus flytraps, pitcher plants, and native perennial wildflowers. Meet in the Education Center Main Lobby 

 

Saturday Childrens Nature Fun Time:     $1 (Cash only) 10am-12pm (Mazarick Park, Fayetteville)

Why watch cartoons on Saturday morning? Bring the kids to Mazarick Park-Fayetteville for a children’s story time featuring big picture story books, games, and crafts that are related to the story topic. Animal story themes include owls, otters, fire flies, and turtles. Please call to pre-register. Class size limited to 20 participants. Ages 3-7 yrs; $1/participant for craft activity (cash only) 

 
Learning Center: Dynamic Dinosaurs 

Sat 1-4 pm,  Free with Admission to Museum (Cape Fear Museum of History and Science)

Dinosaurs big and small, come meet them all! Dig for fossils that you can take home and find out what a T. rex tooth looks like up close.  Discover why Wilmington’s Giant Ground Sloth and the pterodactyl are not dinosaurs.  Measure some well-known dinosaurs and make an Apatosaurus model to take home.  




Celebrate Biodiversity!

May 22, 2013


This Wednesday is proclaimed as International Day for Biological Diversity by the United Nations. This year's 2013 theme is Water and Biodiversity.

"Water is essential for life. No living being on planet Earth can survive without it. It is a prerequisite for human health and well-being as well as for the preservation of the environment."

For quote source and more information, visit http://www.cbd.int/idb/2013/.

The Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh will be celebrating this Wednesday with live animal programs, speakers and exhibits!

Wednesday, May 22 from 10am-3pm

Special Educational Exhibits (2nd floor, Nature Research Center)
Your Wild Life Program, NC State
Animal Diversity - Live Animal Table
NESCent - National Evolutionary Synthesis Center

SECU Daily Planet Programs (Nature Research Center)
10:45am - Raccoons, Arielle Parsons
11:45am - eMammal: Citizen Science Camera Trapping to Survey Biodiversity, Roland Kays

Windows on the World Programs (3rd floor, Main Building)
10:30am - Story Time: Animal Adaptations
11:00am - Meet the Animals: Animal Adaptations
11:30am - Meet the Animals: Animal Adaptations
1:30pm - Meet the Animals: Animal Adaptations

Complete Details

Gnomes and Fairies Spring Up at Prairie Ridge!

 

 

Saturday May 18, 2013, 9AM-Noon

 
 
Come help us celebrate as the gnomes and fairies prepare for the arrival of summer.
  • Go on a Spring Scavenger Hunt to find signs of spring.
  • Participate in our Kite Flying Festival — Bring your own kite or make one to take home.
  • Enjoy Balloon Animals and Bubbles.
  • Build Gnome Homes and Fairy Houses as we construct a little village.
  • Listen to Story Time at 10:30 in our amphitheater.
  • Decorate yourself at the Outdoor Classroom and join the 11:30 Parade of the Prairie Fairies and Roaming Gnomes.
This is a free event and no registration is required!
 
Prairie Ridge, in Raleigh, is the Museum of Natural Sciences' off-site field station where teachers, students and the general public can learn about sustainable living and experience the natural world. The site features 38-acres of restored prairie, lowland forest and wetlands through which several hiking trails intersect.
 
 

Cool Exhibits at NC Nature Centers and Museums

 
Bear Awareness Week at the Museum of Life and Science, May 12-18, 2013

Meet an Animal Keeper and learn more about the care, training and behavior of your favorite bears and the important role the Museum plays in American black bear conservation.
2 pm daily, Bear Exhibit Overlook.
 
 
 
 
Flutterby Butterfly Habitat at Catawba Nature Center
Exhibit opens Saturday, May 18th. Live butterfly habitat
 
Mammal Safari: A Journey of Discovery at The Schiele Museum of Natural History
Opens May 18, 2013
 
Poison Dart Frog Exhibit at the Greensboro Science Center
Source: http://bit.ly/12plrvn
Now on display in the Jaycees Herpetarium. In about a week, the Blue Dart Frogs will be joined by Golden Dart Frogs (Phyllobates terribilis), one of the most toxic animals on earth. Golden Dart Frogs are endangered in their native range near the Pacific Coast of Columbia, South America. A few weeks later, Yellow and Black Dart Frogs (Dendrobates Leucomelas) will be added to complete this mixed-species exhibit. All three species are native to tropical forests in northern South America.
 
Bloodsuckers Exhibit at the Cape Fear Museum of History and Science
Opens May 23, 2013. Visitors will discover the biological wonders of sanguinivores, creatures that eat blood, through encounters with interactive activities and vibrant graphics.
 
Winging It: Birds in Flight at the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores
Opens May 24, 2013
Barn Owl
Summer is for the birds at the Aquarium. Winging It – Birds in Flight opens for its fourth season with a brand new show on Friday, May 24, the beginning of Memorial Day weekend. This ticketed program stars native raptors and water birds soaring overhead in Big Rock Theater in response to commands. The show highlights the unique features of various owls, hawks, pelicans, vultures and other species. The audience enjoys extraordinary close encounters with these engaging creatures.
 
World Oceans Day at Discovery Place, June 8, 2013
Dive into World Oceans Day and explore what makes 71 percent of the Earth's surface so amazing!Chat with experts from the North Carolina Zoo and Polar Bears International about polar bears and other Arctic animals, or step inside the traveling inflatable GeoDome™ to experience a film about how Earth’s climate is changing and impacting all of us.



More Programs to Instill a Love of Nature



kidZone Stick Entrance, North Carolina Zoo
An earlier blog highlighted an extensive body of research that supports nurturing a relationship with nature in children before imparting environmental knowledge and concerns. Here is the post in case you didn't see it: http://eco-smartparent.blogspot.com/2013/05/remember-love-of-nature-precedes-caring.html

This is a follow up on some more programs and centers in North Carolina that provide quality environmental education programs for children that focus on developing a relationship with nature.  There are too many quality programs to list here, but this is just a few. Visit here to see a list of all our Environmental Education Centers and visit our calendar of events for quality programs.


Nature Explorer Zone, Reedy Creek Nature Center, Charlotte
Instead of a traditional playground, the Nature Explorer Zone is an outdoor playground that uses elements from nature. There are logs to turn over and examine what is underneath, blocks made from tree trunk sections, a tunnel made from grapevines, fort making materials and a necklace making station with pine cones, feathers and other natural objects. These elements encourage more creative play as opposed to just a swing set and a slide that have only one obvious use.

kidZone, North Carolina Zoo, Asheboro
A playground that incorporates natural elements. Unfortunately the kidZone is currently closed for
construction until late summer 2013, but they are building new elements such as a stream for play,
rope bridges and trees. The Woods are open! The Woods offers kids the opportunity to build forts, make a mud pie, help in the herb garden, play in the sand, enjoy a scheduled animal encounter or do an art project when playworkers are present.
Complete Details



Nature Play Day, Annie Louise Wilkerson MD Nature Preserve Park, Raleigh
3rd Friday of Month 11 AM - 3 PM from May 17, 2013 until Aug 16, 2013
Come to the park anytime between 11 am and 3 pm to enjoy our latest ideas for playing in nature. Children of all ages, as well as the young at heart, are welcome to join us for imaginative play in a natural setting. Dress for the weather and be ready to get messy!
Complete Details



Nature Explorers Summer Camp, North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill
Nature Explorers Summer Camps offer children ages 4 - 11 an exciting opportunity to explore North Carolina's ecology and natural history on 10+ acres of native gardens, forest, and wetlands at UNC's North Carolina Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill. Our unique camps are designed to foster respect and appreciation for the environment and inspire a sense of wonder through direct experiences with the natural world.
Complete Details

Lake Rim Park, Fayetteville
Lake Rim Park offers a number of programs for young children all the way to adults. There programs focus on nature and outdoor adventure and allow the participant to strengthen their connection to the natural world. Visit their organizational page for a listing of up coming events and programs.
Complete Details

Sound to Sea Program, Trinity Center, Pine Knolls Shore
Sound to Sea, the only residential environmental education program on the Outer Banks, offers school groups a habitat-based program which includes multi-disciplinary hands-on activities, a Challenge Course and special evening programs. The center also offers summer camps and day programs.
Complete Details

Remember: Love of Nature Precedes Caring for the Environment



Source: Nature Explorers http://ncbg.unc.edu/
Given pressing environmental concerns, we have to remind ourselves not to relay these world burdens to impressionable young children. It is during early childhood that experiences form the values and attitudes about the world that children carry with them through life. Before a certain age, children are unable to think in abstract terms but rather learn through sensory engagement with the world. Allowing open-ended, interactive and sensory play in natural settings is recommended for young children. This is more likely to nurture a positive relationship with nature and foster empathy for the environment than trying to relay knowledge of environmental systems. Presenting problems about the environment that are beyond their cognitive ability can cause children to develop fear and anxiety of the natural world, exactly the opposite of the intended effect.


The appropriate age for imparting knowledge about environmental systems and concerns depends entirely on the individual, but most research says not until at least fourth grade or even middle school. Here is a good article that summarizes much of the research: http://www.whitehutchinson.com/children/articles/nurturing.shtml

Source: "Forts, land trusts, and conservation behavior"
http://bit.ly/12nKUSV
In the past, environmental education programs have received criticism for providing education too early on abstract concepts such as endangered species, acid rain and rainforest destruction. Among the network of educators and environmental education centers in North Carolina, the research has been so widely distributed that most have adopted the age appropriate perspective into their practices.

Quality environmental education events for children that focus on exploration and discovery of the natural world help foster a love of nature in children. Good examples of these types of programs on the Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs' calendar include:

Stay tuned this week for more developmentally appropriate environmental education programs and centers!

Hatchling Hikers- Frogs, Hammocks Beach State Park, Swansboro
Tuesday, May 7, 2013 10 AM to 10:30 AM
Get your little ones outdoors and help them discover the wonders of nature. During this program we will read a story, make a craft and take a short hike-all about the topic of the day! Preschool and day care groups are welcomed. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Complete Details

Tracks & Traces, Lions Community Center, Raleigh
Monday, May 13, 2013 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM
Discover how scientists follow animals to their homes. Learn to identify common animal signs. Join us on a hike as we look for animal tracks and trails at Lions Park.
Complete Details

Little Sprouts: The Great Grasshopper Hunt, Historic Yates Mill County Park, Raleigh
Wednesday, May 15, 2013 1 PM to 2 PM
How far can grasshoppers hop? Where do these insects live, and do they drink water? Discover the answers to these queries and more as we make a hopper habitat, eat like a grasshopper and hunt for hoppers. For ages 3-5 with accompanying adult; $4/Child. Pre-registration is required.
Complete Details


Scout Naturalist Outdoor Activity Badge Program, Mazarick Park, Fayetteville
Thursday, May 30, 2013 4 PM to 5:30 PM
If you like watching wildlife, you’re already a naturalist. A Park Ranger will give a tour and instructions relating to becoming a better naturalist. Please call to pre-register. Class size is limited to 20 participants. Ages 7-12 yrs
Complete Details

Preschool Swamp Romp at the Walnut Creek Wetland Center, Raleigh
Wednesday, Jun 5, 2013 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM
Bring your budding naturalist to the Walnut Creek Wetland Center for an exciting learning experience. A craft, engaging activity, and a guided walk through the wetland will awaken your preschoolers sense of wonder. Each week will feature a different nature inspired theme. Pre-registration required four days prior to the program (Raleigh RecLink or 919 831 1960.) Ages 3-5.
Complete Details