A Wonderful Wonder Bugs Family Day!

Leaves were our topic for the day based on the book Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert. Would you believe that we found Leaf Man four times in the woods? He even looked like a fish one time! A leaf man has got to go where the wind blows. 

Leaf man’s trail led us to the sugar maple where we piled up leaves and jumped in them. We had a blast!  With masking tape bracelets we collected a variety of leaves and seeds and made our own leaf men back inside.

Do you know why leaves change colors in the fall? Can all trees make red leaves? What does weather have to do with leaf color? Click here to find out more!

 Or, ask a wonder bug friend who came to the family day!

Snack is back on track this fall! Leaf-shaped sesame seed crackers (made right in the ALNC kitchen) were a hit. See below for the recipe.

Leaf-ing you until next time,

Miss Tara

Thin Wheat Crackers
Pg. 170 The King Arthur Flour Bakers Companion: the All-Purpose Baking Cookbook

1 cup (4 ¼ oz) unbleached pastry flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup (5 oz) whole wheat flour or white whole wheat flour
¼ cup (1 ¼ oz) sesame seeds
¼ cup (1 ¾ oz) granulated sugar (I only use about ¾ oz)
½ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons ( ½  stick,  2 oz) butter
Scant ½ cup ( 3 ¾ oz) milk
Coarse salt (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the flours, sesame seeds, sugar, and salt. Cut in the butter, then stir in the milk, adding just enough milk to form a workable dough.

Divide the dough into 3 pieces and roll in out ultra-thin, one piece at a time- 1/16 inch, if you can manage it. Sprinkle with a bit of coarse salt, if desired, and use the rolling pin to press the salt into the dough.

Cut the dough in to 1x2 inch rectangles. Transfer the crackers to baking sheets and bake for 20-25 minutes, until they begin to brown. Cool on a rack.  Makes about 8 dozen.

Next Wonder Bugs Session:

Tails at Night
9:30-10:45 am
Tuesday, October 4 & Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Registration Deadline: Friday, September 23, 2011

Opossum tails aren’t tall but they sure are good for hanging. Learn all about this shy night-loving animal and have fun hanging around.Click here to register!

Single session: ALNC Members: $6/child; Non-Members: $7/child
Package option: All 7 sessions: $38.50/members; $45.50/non-members

 

Goosey Goosey Gander!

Honk! Honk! We spent our time learning about Canada geese since we usually see them at the nature center. However, there are different kinds of geese. Some of them look like the stuffed tundra swan. Click here for an online puzzle of a white goose!

It is about that time of year when we will see geese and other birds heading south for the winter (migrating). It is a fascinating occurrence that humans have been studying for many, many years. Geese can fly on cloudy nights (without the sun or stars for guidance) partly because they have tiny magnets (called magnetite) in their heads. That’s right; birds might have a built-in magnetic compass! 

On the Wing: American Birds in Migration by Carol Lerner is loaded with facts, pictures and maps about bird migration. 

Brush up on your bird calls and click here for a description of the Identiflyer- the fun gadget we had that made bird sounds at the touch of a button. The wonder bugs loved this!

While checking the sky and fields for geese, sing the Goosey Song by Miss Tara Von Dollen:

(Tune: I’m a Little Teapot)
I’m a great big goosey, look at me.
Here is my dark bill. Here are my wings.
When I get all angered up, I flap and hiss,
Scaring off the bad guys just like this. (flap and hiss again)

Honk honk,
Miss Tara

Favorite Fall Hikes This Thursday

Looking for some great hikes this fall? Come join the staff from the Ice Age Trail Alliance at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center as they guide you on a virtual tour through some of the unique places in the Ice Age Trail.

The Ice Age National Scenic Trail is a thousand mile footpath—entirely within Wisconsin—that highlights the Ice Age landscape features while providing access to some of the state's most beautiful natural areas. If you’re looking for new places to hike close to the Madison area this fall, you don't want to miss this presentation!


Here are the specifics:

REI PRESENTS: FAVORITE FALL HIKES ON THE ICE AGE TRAIL, A PRESENTATION FROM THE ICE AGE TRAIL ALLIANCE
7:00 - 8:00 pm
Thursday, September 22, 2011
FREE

 
Visit Rei.com/Madison to register. Pre-registration is required.

Hope to see you there!

Fishing with a Green Heron

Did you know that the Green Heron is a natural "fisherman"? 

Green Herons, like the one shown here at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center, commonly drops bait onto the surface of the water and grabs small fish that are attracted. 

Like any smart fisherman, it uses a variety of baits and lures to attract different catches and can be seen using insects, twigs, earthworms, or feathers to bait its prey. Now that breeding season is over, Green Herons can be seen "fishing" in our area, but you'll have to look carefully! Although they are common in watery habitats across much of North America, this bird can be difficult to spot because it spends a good deal of time standing motionless amid dense waterfront vegetation.

Here are some more cool facts about Green Herons to share with your young birder:

• Green Herons are part of a complex of small herons that sometimes are considered one species. When lumped, they are called Green-backed Heron. When split, they are the Green Heron, the widespread Striated Heron, and the Galapagos Heron.
•  Green Herons tend to wander after the breeding season is over, seeking favorable foraging areas and do not travel far, but occasionally some travel greater distances, with individuals turning up as far as England and France.
  Green Herons typically lay 2-6 pale, green eggs per season
  Green Herons nests resemble a basket of sticks, placed in small tree or shrub, usually over water. Nests in small, loose colonies.

Find out more about Green Herons and how to get your kids birding at Bird Sleuth.

To see more of ALNC's Green Heron, click here.

Happy birding!

Stop Drop and Roll Wonder Bugs!

Dear "Wonderbuggers,"

Roly-Poly bugs are so much fun and they have so many different names!  We discovered that in order to find the sow bugs we had to look in dark, moist places. We had a blast turning over logs, checking under rocks, and watching the pill bugs run or roll away!

I wonder, why do the potato bugs roll up into balls? To avoid being eaten by frogs, lizards or little kids!  It doesn’t always work, but their hard shell does offer some protection when they are rolled up.

Did you know that wood lice have 14 legs?  

That is a lot of legs! We lined up to see what 14 legs looks like. On Tuesday we needed every wonder bug and a couple of adults to get to 14 legs. I wonder, what would it would be like to try walking with 14 legs?See how many places you can find isopods at home in your yard and sing the Roly-Poly Bug song while you are at it! And, check out these sites for more fun you can do with these bugs at home:

http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/family/insect-activities7.htm
http://blog.growingwithscience.com/2009/10/pill-bug-activities-for-kids/

Roly-Poly Bug
By Miss Tara Von Dollen
(Tune: I’m a Little Teapot)
 

I’m a roly-poly bug with many names.
Here is my hard shell.
Here are my 14 legs.
When you reach to touch me I stop, drop, and roll,
Into a little ball, down in the hole.
 

Have a ball!
~Miss Tara

The new Wonder Bugs sessions have been announced and are up on ALNC's website! Hope you can join us for one of them or for one of our Wonder Bugs Family Days!

WONDER BUGS FAMILY DAYS
Saturday September 24, October 22 & November 19
9:30 -10:45 am

Join us for weekend Wonder Bugs familyhttp://www.naturenet.com/alnc/wonderbugspreschoolprogram.htm days we will explore, sing, and craft the day away to a different nature topic each month. You won't want to miss out on the opportunity to share the Wonder Bugs experience with your whole family! Appropriate for children 2-5 years accompanied by an adult.

ALNC Members: $6/child; Non-Members: $7/child
Click here to find out more or to register!

Family Geocaching Adventure Next Saturday!

Bring your family to a modern-day treasure hunt at our first ever Family Geocaching Adventure next Saturday, September 10, at our beautiful Black Earth Campus! Geocaches are hidden containers that you track using GPS units. Learn how to use a GPS unit and spend the afternoon on a geocaching adventure as you hike and explore to find caches! GPS units will be provided, but feel free to bring your own if you have one. No experience is necessary! Hope you can join us!

Here are the details:

ALNC Members: $6/person or $20/family; Non-members: $7/person or $25/family

Family Geocaching Adventure
1 – 4 pm
Saturday, September 10, 2011
at the Black Earth Campus (10648 Sutcliffe Rd. Black Earth, WI 53515)

Registration Deadline: Thursday, September 8

ALNC Members: $6/person or $20/family; Non-members: $7/person or $25/family

Click here to register!