Maple Sugaring Season is in full Swing!

 

28 February, 2024 This Week: Maple Sugaring Demos March 2 & 3 Learn how to identify and tap maple trees, collect sap, and make real maple syrup over a wood-fired evaporator. Finish with a syrup taste test! These programs take place indoors and outdoors and registration is encouraged, but not mandatory. If you register ahead of time – it guarantees your spot in the program, but walk-ins are welcome and it is first come, first served seating. Syrup will be available for purchase, while supplies last. Where: Great Swamp Outdoor Education Center, 247 Southern Boulevard, Chatham Township, NJ 07928 For ages 6 & up, Cost: $6 per person.    Homeschool Days: H2O Olympics March 5 Are you ready to compete in our water-themed games? Learn what makes water vital to life, how surface tension works, and much more.  Then head out on the trails to look for water in all its forms. Register here. Where: Great Swamp Outdoor Education Center, 247 Southern Boulevard, Chatham Township, NJ 07928 For ages 6 - 12. Cost: $15 per child. Preregistration is required.    Candlemakers (pt. 1) March 6 Learn how to make your own candles using personalized scents. Register here. Where: The Cooper Gristmill, 66 Route 24, Chester, NJ 07930. For ages 14 & up, Cost: $25 per person. Preregistration is required. Spotlight On: Maple Sugar Festival March 9 We're excited to bring back our annual maple sugar festival where we celebrate all things maple sugar! There will be guided maple sugaring history walks, sap cooking demos, taste testing, maple cream making, games, crafts and more! We'll even have a real maple farmer on hand selling his syrup products. Where: Great Swamp Outdoor Education Center, 247 Southern Boulevard, Chatham Township, NJ 07928 All ages; Cost: $6 per person, age 3 & up; 2 & under FREE. No registration is necessary. Summer Camp Registrations are Open. Hurry! Early registration is key! Ensure your child's spot in their preferred summer camp program, as spaces are limited, and programs fill rapidly. Don't miss out! Explore our summer camps here.   Wet Felting Soap March 2 Create felted soap for winter! This soap is an excellent exfoliant especially in the winter months. The soap will be glycerin based which helps to keep the moisture in your skin! Register here. Where: Fosterfields Living Historical Farm, 73 Kahdena Road, Morristown, NJ 07960. For ages 16 and up, Cost: $30 per person; Preregistration is required.   Seed Starting for a Successful Vegetable Garden March 9 Seed catalogs are here, and packets are in the stores. It's time to think about - and start -- plants for your vegetable garden. Learn how to save time and money in this vegetable seed starting workshop. Each participant will plant, and take-home interesting, new varieties started for their garden. Register here. Where: Frelinghuysen Arboretum, 353 East Hanover Avenue, Morris Township, 07960. For adults, Cost: $20 per person; preregistration is required. Look What's Coming: Forest Bathing with Rich Collins, ANFT Guide March 16 & 17 Enjoy a combination of Japanese oriented walking, meditation, mindfulness, and wellness promotion in the gardens and on the paths of Frelinghuysen Arboretum. Wear comfortable shoes for walking. Register here.  Where: Happening at the Willowwood Arboretum, 300 Longview Road, Chester Township, 07930 on March 16 Happening at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum, 353 East Hanover Avenue, Morris Township, 07960 on March 17 For adults, Cost: $20 per person; Preregistration is required.   Make Your Own Butter March 16 Join us for this complete butter making workshop. We will make butter in the Crazy Daisy butter churns, then you will select the ingredients for flavored butter (salt or fruit). Enjoy some butter and biscuits and take the rest home! Register here. Where: Fosterfields Living Historical Farm, 73 Kahdena Road, Morristown, NJ 07960. For all ages, Cost: $25 per family, up to 5 people; preregistration is required.    Cache-ing for Gold March 17 Geocaching is a great outdoor activity for families! Use a GPS unit or cell phone and a map to locate hidden treasures, called “caches" that contain extra special St. Patrick’s-themed prizes. All materials are provided. Register here. Where: Great Swamp Outdoor Education Center, 247 Southern Boulevard, Chatham Township, NJ 07928 For ages 7 & up with an adult, Cost: $15 per person, preregistration is required.     Recipes Remedies and Rituals at the Morris Museum Exhibition on view-Ongoing-until April 2024 Explore selections of bound printed and manuscript works of collaboration and the exchange of botanical information defining the relationship between humans and the natural world. They also include personalized herbal recipes, medical remedies, and gardening rituals. These literary conversations reveal confidence in encyclopedic narratives and expectations that locally sourced old and new plant varieties were beneficial for mind, body, and soul. Come visit the museum and get a glimpse of this rare historic display of botanical knowledge from the archives of Morris County Park Commission. Where: Morris Museum, 6 Normandy Heights Road, Morristown, NJ 07950