March to the beat of Spring!

 

March 13, 2024

This Week: Home School Days - The Hubbub on Habitats March 14 What goes into habitats? Students discover types of habitats and biomes. Each student will make their own terrarium to bring home. This is a drop-off program. Dress for the weather and wear comfortable shoes. Register here.  For ages 6-12; Cost: $15 per child, preregistration is required. Where: Frelinghuysen Arboretum, 353 East Hanover Avenue, Morris Township, 07960. Trees Throughout the Seasons March 16 Thinking about adding a tree to your landscape or garden? A tree will change with the seasons. Some may look their best for one season while others look great the whole year. Before choosing a tree for your yard, discover the pluses and minuses of trees that work (or not) in the New Jersey Garden. Bring a photograph of the space you think needs a tree and we will give you a few ideas. Light refreshments will be served. Register here. For adults, cost: $25 per person, preregistration is required. Where: Frelinghuysen Arboretum, 353 East Hanover Avenue, Morris Township, 07960. Make Your Own Butter March 16 Join us for this complete butter making workshop. We will make butter in the Crazy Dazey 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. For all ages, cost: $25 per family, up to 5 people, preregistration is required. Where: Fosterfields Living Historical Farm, 73 Kahdena Road, Morristown, NJ 07960. Educating Educators: Learning and Teaching about Amphibians March 16 Calling all teachers, naturalists, environmental educators, scout leaders, and homeschool parents! Let the experts at the Great Swamp teach you what and how to teach about a variety of natural history topics. The first half of the program will be dedicated to learning the deep background knowledge you need to teach each topic, while the second half will showcase a variety of lessons and activities to use with different ages. This month focuses on amphibians and vernal pools, just in time to witness their mating spectacle. Register here. For educators, cost: $35 per person, preregistration is required. Where: Great Swamp Outdoor Education Center, 247 Southern Boulevard, Chatham Township, NJ 07928

SPOTLIGHT ON: Candlemakers (pt. 2) March 20 During part two of our candle making workshop, we will be personalizing our candles with decoupage. Register here. For ages 14 & up, cost: $25 per person, preregistration is required. Where: The Cooper Gristmill, 66 Route 24, Chester, NJ 07930. Egg Coloring with Natural Dyes March 29 In this 45-minute program each family will receive a dozen hard boiled eggs to dye using natural ingredients. Crayons will be provided to draw on eggs. Register here. For all ages, cost: $15 per family, up to 5 people, preregistration is required. Where: Fosterfields Living Historical Farm, 73 Kahdena Road, Morristown, NJ 07960. Day off with Nature: Nature and Tech March 29 Spend your day off from school at Pyramid Mountain! In this program designed specifically for tweens and teens, become a citizen scientist and conduct a mini Bioblitz to see how many species you can identify using apps and technology to help you. Hike, play games, make new friends, and compete to see who can find the most species in the park! Bring a nut-free snack and lunch. Register here. For ages 11-15, cost: $50 per child, preregistration is required. Where: Pyramid Mountain Natural Historic Area, 472 Boonton Ave, Boonton, NJ 07005.

Look What's Coming: Sit and Squirm: Colonial Cakes March 21 Come see what’s cooking at the Speedwell Hearth! Bring your little one down to Historic Speedwell to learn about cooking in a colonial hearth and how to make your own griddle cake. Register here. For ages 3-6 with an adult, cost: $8 per child, preregistration is required. Where: Fosterfields Living Historical Farm, 73 Kahdena Road, Morristown, NJ 07960. Silver Maples: Dot-to-Dot March 28 Discover the world of painting flower portraits, different flower artists' techniques and styles over the centuries. Create your own pointillism flower painting to bring home in this new monthly program just for active adults. For ages 55 & up, cost: $15 per person, preregistration is required. Register here. Where: Frelinghuysen Arboretum, 353 East Hanover Avenue, Morris Township, 07960. Froggies for Littles March 30 Bring your little ones to hear the music of the spring frogs as they call from the forest pools. Spy on them as they try to find mates and learn all about the lives of frogs from a naturalist. Held rain or shine! Register here. For ages 2-5 with an adult, cost: $7 per person, preregistration is required. Where: Great Swamp Outdoor Education Center, 247 Southern Boulevard, Chatham Township, 07928. Join Our Nature Camps! Woodsy Walkers July 8-11, August 5-8 Woodsy Walkers camps are specially designed to educate and entertain Pre-K children and their favorite adult. Each day we explore a new nature topic with stories, games, fingerplays, a walk on the trails and a craft. We make learning about nature fun! Art in Nature   July 8-12  At Art in Nature camp, artistic campers discover famous works by artists who used nature as inspiration, then they use the nature they see at the Great Swamp OEC to inspire their own versions of that work. Our budding artists use many different media throughout the week, from sculpture to watercolor pencils to collage, to interpret what they are learning about nature. They also create their own portfolio in a journal they get to keep at the end of the week! This camp is spent about half time outside and half indoors. Survivor: Ranger July 29-Aug Every year, our popular Survivor camps explore what being in the wilderness means from a different perspective.This year focuses on Rangers and the skills they need to do their jobs like tracking animals, using a GPS unit, wilderness first aid, recognizing local plants and animals, and more. The final day is a field trip to a local river to swim, play, and roast marshmallows! Register here or Call 973.635.6629.