PEEP - Summer Session

There are still quite a few opening for Brukner Nature Center's summer Preschool Environmental Education Program (PEEP) beginning the week of August 4. This innovative program provides nature exploration, caring teachers, and small class size for your 3 to 5 year old child. Classes for this unique program will be offered on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 9:30am to 11:30am for the June and July sessions. The August session is offered Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday only! The fee is $35 for BNC members and $45 for non-members. All fees are due upon registration. Class size is limited to 12 children and filled on a first come first serve basis, so be sure to sign up early!

Fall PEEP Registration begins Sunday, July 26, 2009!

Searching for spiders! Looking for hidden snakes! Watching birds fly! These are just a few of the wonderful opportunities your pre-schooler can experience at Brukner Nature Center. Classes for this unique program will be offered Monday thru Friday from 9:30 - 11:30am with an additional Friday afternoon class from 12:30 - 2:30pm. Classes run for six weeks with a different nature related topic each week. This class is for 3,4 and 5 year olds and will start the week of September 8th. The fee is $45 for BNC members and $60 for nonmembers. All fees are due upon registration. Class size is limited to 12 children so be sure to sign up early!

PAWS
Pursuing Awareness of Wildlife and Science

Attention Kindergarten Parents!

Register your curious kindergartner in this fun filled outdoor exploration program. We investigate science and explore the outdoors while emphasizing the skills learned in the kindergarten classroom. Each class is filled with outdoor activities, crafts, games, and stories all focused around a nature theme. Small class size and child oriented classroom make learning fun! Space is limited so register soon! Summer classes will be held on Mondays from 9:30 to 11:30am or 12:30 to 2:30pm. Cost is just $35 for BNC members, $45 for non-members for each month June, July and/or August. Registration has begun!

Summer Day Camps            Brochure

This summer outdoor enthusiasts can choose from one or two camps to attend. Mornings from 9 AM to 12 noon will be spent on either Time Machine or WEBS, while those campers who decide to participate in the afternoon session from noon to 3PM, will be participating in a variety of outdoor nature games, extra hikes, and even cool nature crafts. Whether kids spend just the morning with us, or the whole day, they are bound for some fun, and will learn a ton to! All full-day campers are expected to bring a bag lunch each day.

Registration starts March 2, 2009 and closes two weeks prior to each camp. Payment must be received at the time registration closes in order to reserve your child spot. We accept both check and cash. Space is limited so don't wait until the last minute to register! Cancellations with more than two weeks notice will receive a refund but are subject to a $15 administration fee per request. Cancellations with less than two weeks notice will receive refund with a $15 administration fee only if another camper fills the available spot.

For more detailed information and pricing on each camp please check out our Summer Day Camp Brochure.

Crafty Creations
July 10, 17, 24 & 31, 2:00pm

Come join the fun as we make ECO Art. We'll be using recycled materials and things found out in the woods! Every week will be a new and exciting project for your to take home. Stop in at the picnic tables by the Log House and see what we're up to! This program is free and open to the public. Fun for all ages! No registration required. On rainy days, we'll meeting in the downstairs classroom.

Family Discovery Days
Saturdays, July 11, July 25 and August 8, 2009 2 - 3:30pm

Come enjoy the fun that BNC offers for the entire family during an afternoon of exploring nature. On July 11, have fun exploring BNC as you take part in an information scavenger-hunt to see how much you can learn! Search for crayfish, minnows and microorganisms as you discover aquatic creatures during the stream study on July 25th! Finally, see what kind of insects you can find when we go bug-catching in the meadow on August 8! Every week we will have something neat for families to take home and remember their day at the nature center. This special program is designed for families only to explore the nature center and all it has to offer. Registration is preferred by not required. BNC members can attend for free and the program is free for non-members with admission to the center.

Wild Journeys
"The Boundary Waters"
Monday, July 13, 7pm

Northwest of the Great Lakes, between Lake Superior and Lake of the Woods, lies a vast network of smaller lakes and rivers. In the heart of this wilderness lies the United States' Superior National Forest and Canada's Quetico Provincial Park joining together to for an area which has been preserved in all its primeval beauty. This is wilderness canoe country without equal. Tens of thousands of cool freshwater lakes afford almost more water than land. For years, people have met the challenge of this north woods wilderness, fishing for bass, lake trout, walleye and northern pike, swimming in clear, clean lakes, observing and photographing wildlife in their natural habitat, and exploring back country lakes and rivers. Come and share the experience of this true wilderness area. See why some many people call this north woods area their home away from home and why presenter, Matthew Turton has traveled and guided the Quetico and Superior areas fro over twenty five years! This program is free for BNC members. Non-member admission is $2 per person.

Nocturnal Adventures Overnight!
Friday, July 17, 7pm through Saturday July 18, 9am

Want to know how bats find their food at night? Want to discover the loudest bullfrogs that call BNC home? Then this overnight is for you! We'll be exploring the nighttime woods, playing cool games, and you'll even get to sleep in the nature center and watch a fun movie! This program is geared for kids ages 6-13 (kids will be split into groups by age). Registration deadline is Friday, July 10. The fee is just $25 for BNC Members and $30 for non-members and includes a BNC Souvenir, snacks and light breakfast.

Night Hike
“Bats"
Saturday, July 18, 9:00pm

Have you ever seen a bat's erratic flight around your street light? There's a reason for that... Ohio's insect-eating bats often catch insects on the wing by scooping them into their tail or wing membranes first, then reaching down to grab them in their mouth! All while flying about in the night sky! And how do they locate these insects? Although bats have a relatively good eyesight, most depend on their superbly developed echolocation (or sonar) system. Come on a nocturnal advent rue and discover Ohio's 11 bat species! Please meet in the main parking lot. This program is free and open to the public!

Public Star Gaze
Saturday,July 18, 10:00pm

Join the Stillwater Stargazers as they take in the starry night sky above BNC! Members will have their telescopes set up and will be available to answer questions. This program is free and open to the public, please meet in the parking lot following the night hike.

View from the Vista
Sunday, July 19, 2:00 – 4:00pm

Come discover BNC’s vista birdlife, enjoy some tasty refreshments and join members of the BNC Bird Club as you learn to identify BNC’s feathered friends! In July we start to see juveniles birds being brought to the feeders by their parents. How can you tell a juvenile pileated woodpecker from an adult? Look for the eye color - juveniles have dark eyes! Come share your bird discoveries, enjoy the fun and get hooked on bird watching, the fastest growing hobby in America!

BNC's Environmental Book Club
"Before the Echo: Essays on Nature" by Pete Dunne
Tuesday, July 21, 12-1pm

Here at Brukner Nature Center we never cease being amazed by the intricacies of the natural world. Many times BNC staff and volunteers have watched tentatively as a monarch butterfly emerged from it ten day stay inside a chrysalis or as a pileated woodpecker powerfully excavated a dead stump in search of insects. In his book, "Before the Echo: Essays on Nature", Pete Dunne studies a diversity of environmental topics focusing on the details, beauty and vulnerabilities of nature. Throughout his essays, Pete Dunne not only examines nature but also promotes its preservation. Join the Environmental Book Club here at Brukner Nature Center as we analyze, enjoy and discuss these nature-based essays. Bring along your book, thoughts, lunch and a locally grown snack to share. If you have ideas for potential reads, please email Leeanna at leeanna@bruknernaturecenter.com!

 

Entertainment Book

Entertainment Books for 2009 are here! These coupon books are only $25. and are packed with money saving coupons for dining out, travel, entertainment, shopping and more. Proceeds support Brukner Nature Center's environmental education and wildlife rehabilitation programs. Stop in and pick one up today or call to have one delivered.

Looking Ahead to August…

*Honey Harvest, Sunday, August 2, 2pm. Come enjoy a sweet taste of nature!

*Family Discover Days, Saturday, August 8, Come discover nature with your kids!

*Wild Journeys, Monday, August 10, 7:00pm. Come on an armchair adventure to Costa Rica with Jim McCormac!

*Night Hike, Saturday, August 15, 9:00pm. Come enjoy a guided hike along BNC's woodland trails.

*Public Stargaze, Saturday, August 15, 10:00pm. Join the Stillwater Stargazers for a look at the starry skies.

*View from the Vista, Sunday, August 16, 2:00 - 4:00pm. Come learn to ID those cool birds with the BNC Bird Club!

*Environmental Book Club, Tuesday, August 18, 12pm. Come share your thoughts on There's a Hair in My Dirt: A Worm's Story by Gary Larson.