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Celebrate the Earth
In celebration of
National Environmental Education Week,
Nature Net's "Earth Day
Bouquet of Events"
offers your family endless
opportunities to get out and enjoy the outdoors, get
involved in your local and natural community, and
become self-motivated to make a difference in the
health and sustainability of our environment.
Check the schedule of events below
and mark your calendar for a Bouquet of things to
do, explore and learn about this Earth Day.
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Looking for
an easy way to keep up to date on nature happenings,
book suggestions, craft projects and free programs
year-round?
Sign up for
Nature Net News – a free monthly e-newsletter
with tips, tricks, and cool ideas -- designed with
busy families in mind!
Sign up at
naturenet.com!
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Schedule of Events -Check back frequently for updates!
Registration fees and details vary. Click on each link for
details.
Sunday,
April 12
UW Arboretum
Family Frog Walk
1:30 -- 2:30pm
Frogs make wonderful sounds in the spring and on summer
nights—and they have fascinating life cycles. This will be
an introduction to the frogs of the Arboretum.
Monday,
April 13
Lussier Family Heritage Center
Spring Hike
Trails open 5am – 10pm
Hike at your leisure while discovering signs of spring.
Tuesday, April 14
MacKenzie
Environmental Center
Hike and explore on your own
Museum and wildlife exhibits are open 8am-4pm. Trails are
open dawn until dusk.
Wednesday, April 15
Aldo
Leopold Nature Center
Hike and Explore
9am-4pm
Come hike the Leopold Family Trail, explore the Discovering
Mysteries of the Land exhibit, or check out the Family
Trailside Backpack for loads of outdoor fun!
Thursday, April 16
UW Geology
Museum
Story Time
10:30am
Museum story time is geared toward preschool-aged children
and features a book, museum specimens and a craft to take
home.
Friday,
April 17
Olbrich Botanical Gardens
Leaf Mulch Sale
2-5pm
Get your garden ready for spring by purchasing Olbrich Leaf
Mulch made from leaves collected by the City of Madison and
delivered to Olbrich where they're composted during the
winter.
Saturday, April 18
Aldo
Leopold Nature Center
Flustered Mustard Festival
1-3pm
Search and destroy UFO’s (Unwanted Flowering Objects) in the
forest during this fun filled festival event at the Nature
Center’s Black Earth campus! Families and youth groups can
sign up for the UFO Pulling Party contest where teams
compete for prizes on who can pull and bag the most invasive
species. We’ll teach you how to spot these alien invaders of
the forest. In honor of Earth Day, join us to lend a helping
hand to the forests of Wisconsin.
Aldo
Leopold Foundation
Shack and Center Tours
Noon-4:30pm
Come visit the Center for self-guided tours all day; or sign
up for a tour of the historic Shack and farm (1-3pm), and
tour of the new LEED platinum-certified, green-built Center
(3-4pm).
UW Arboretum
Earth Day Work Day
9am – noon
Celebrate Earth Day by volunteering for restoration
activities. Tools and training are provided. Time slots for
groups are available with advance notice. Meet at the
Visitor Center front steps
Sunday,
April 19
UW Arboretum
Prairies and Savannas in Spring
1-3pm
Pasque flowers, prairie smoke, early buttercup and early
migrating birds should make this a delightful walk. Meet at
the Grady Tract parking lot, located at the southeast corner
of the Beltline and Seminole Highway.
Madison Children’s Museum
Seed Planting
1-3pm
Plant seeds at the museum and then watch them grow at home!
Monday,
April 20
Cherokee Marsh
Hike the Marsh
Park hours: 4am - dusk
Discover spring and hike the marsh at your leisure.
Tuesday, April 21
Madison Children’s Museum
Art Dabblers – Recycled Instruments
10:30-11am
Visit the art room and make music from recycled materials.
Recommended for ages 2-5.
Madison Children’s Museum
Week of the Young Child Celebration
Open House
6-8pm
Wednesday, April 22
Nature Net
EARTH DAY!
Celebrate life on Earth, take a walk or visit any of the
Nature Net sites! See
www.naturenet.com for a complete list of participating
Nature Net sites and programs.
Thursday, April 23
Madison Children’s Museum
Recycled Art
2-3pm
Visit the art room for informal art projects using recycled
materials. Recommended for ages 2-5.
Friday,
April 24
Henry Vilas Zoo
Visit the Zoo
Ground open 9:00am-5pm; Buildings open 10am-4pm.
Drop in at the Zoo and check out what’s stirring.
Saturday, April 25
Isthmus Green
Day’s Kids Corner: featuring Nature Net & Madison
Children’s Museum
9:30am-6pm
Join us at Monona Terrace as we weave a wall hanging and rug
from recycled plastic bags! “Think Green”, try your hand at
the Recycling Art project, and find Nature Net resources at
Green Day’s Kids Corner.
Aldo
Leopold Nature Center
Arbor Day Celebration
1-3pm
Join us for a day celebrating trees and the urban forest!
We’ll explore the inner workings of trees, learn how trees
help cities and towns stay cool and keep waterways clean and
meet some “alien” invaders that can harm urban trees.
Olbrich Botanical Gardens
Papermaking in the Gardens
1-2:30pm
Papermaking is a great way to creatively recycle scrap and
waste paper - and the end result is a beautiful piece of
usable paper. Join us as we create several pieces of paper
to take home, decorated with natural materials from the
garden. You'll also receive simple instructions to continue
the papermaking fun at home! Ages 5 and up.
Aldo Leopold Foundation
Controlling Invasive Plants
9am – noon
Battling invasive plants but just can’t seem to get ahead?
This workshop will help you by discussing buckthorn, autumn
olive, non-native honeysuckle, Japanese barberry, garlic
mustard and others.
Sunday,
April 26
UW
Geology Museum
Annual Open House
Noon – 4pm
Come have fun and explore the museum’s collections at this
family-friendly event.
UW
Arboretum
Nature’s Opera: Songbirds in Spring
1-3pm
Songbirds delight our senses with quick flashes of color or
pattern and drawn out melodies. Learn how to identify common
song birds by sight and sound. Take a bird watching hike and
learn how to welcome songbirds to your yard. Dress for the
weather; indoor and outdoor activities planned
Program fees and registration
vary. For event information, registration details and more
on all these events, click on the Earth Day Bouquet icon at
www.naturenet.com.
And don’t forget to check out all the
Nature Net sites for programs and special events throughout
the year at
www.naturenet.com!
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