Snow Globe Art Contest!

 

Calling all budding artists! Here's your chance to create a piece of artwork that can be seen around the globe at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center! To enter, draw, paint or color a winter scene using the snow globe template found here. Get creative—your art can depict animals, trees, animal tracks and anything else you see outdoors in winter! Click here to see a video of the snow globe in action!

One entry from each age category (3-6, 7-9, 10-13, and 14-18 years old) will be selected to be transformed into a 6 foot-wide spinning snow globe during a special sneak preview of new exhibits and programs at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center on Thursday, December 29th from noon to 7 pm. Winning artists will receive free admission for themselves and their immediate family to the sneak preview.

Click here to find out more and download an entry form. An activity station to complete entry forms will also be available our Winter Solstice Celebration on Friday, December 16, from 6:30-8 pm.

Gobble Gobble goes the Wonder Bug

How do you sing the turkey song? Does a male turkey gobble or does he yelp? Our Wonder Bugs who attended Gobble Gobble can tell you!

Kids, Moms, Dads, Grandpas & Grandmas too practiced doing the waddle and strutting their tailfeathers. As a reward they were rewarded with a "fowl treat" of insect larvae, wild grapes, and field corn. (Don't worry...we use puffed rice, raisins, and popcorn). 

We got to make our very own customized turkey caller that yelped like a turkey hen--sure to bring Mr. Tom Turkey around to investigate! We had to go outside to see if it would work. Yelping, gobbling, strutting - no luck! Oh well, that didn't stop us from playing turkey:


The sun was shining so we searched for turkey food. Then the moon came out and it was back to our "tree" to roost. The sun came out again so we hopped down from the tree to look for food, but this time coyotes, skunks, and eagles that looked a little like Moms and Dads were waiting to snatch up an unsuspecting turkey. It's tough being a turkey! But there's nothing better than being outside, playing with other turkeys, yelping and gobbling to our fowl heart's content.


Thanks everyone for coming to Wonder Bugs the day before Thanksgiving. I sure had a lot of fun. We look forward to seeing you again!


Miss Rachel & Miss Tara

NEW WINTER WONDER BUG SESSIONS:
Package price for all 6 Winter Wonder Bugs sessions (choose Tuesdays or Wednesdays)ALNC Members: $33/child; Non-Members: $39/child (When registering on-line list "Winter Session" as event/program name and and "Tuesday" or "Wednesday" as the date)Prices for Wonder Bugs for all individual sessions:
ALNC Members: $6/child; Non-members: $7/child
Registration Form 

WINTER WEBS
Tuesday, December 6 & Wednesday, December 7, 2011
9:30-10:45am
Registration deadline: Friday, December 2, 2011
Spiders come and spiders go...even in the winter! Discover a web of fun and take home an egg-sac full of memories! Bet you can’t wait!
Registration Form 

DEER JOHN
Tuesday, December 20 & Wednesday, December 21, 2011
9:30-10:45am
Registration Deadline: Friday, December 16, 2011
You are in luck! Deer do not write goodbye letters for the winter. They bed down here and leap over there. Today the songs, games, and fun a-bound!
Registration Form

BEAR-LY BREATHING
Tuesday, January 10 & Wednesday, January 11, 2012
9:30-10:45am
Registration Deadline: Friday, January 6, 2012

Winter is a good time for napping, especially if you’re a black bear! "Cub" and find out something surprising! No bear bones about it- this day will be den-tastic!
Registration Form 

ME AND MY SHADOW
Tuesday, January 24 & Wednesday, January 25, 2012
9:30-10:45am
Registration Deadline: Friday, January 20, 2012

"Wood" you believe that the groundhog is “chuck” full of surprises? "Wood" you come down for songs, crafts, and a chuck-load of fun? I hope to see your shadow while we learn about all things groundhog.
Registration Form

KEEP ON TRACKING…
Tuesday, February 14 & Wednesday, February 15, 2012
9:30-10:45am
Registration Deadline: Friday, February 10, 2012
While the snow is stacking! Discover what it’s like to walk in someone else’s shoe (prints). Practice counting the toes- they always knows- and you’ll be able to guess the animal who walked there since.
Registration Form

MICE ON ICE
Tuesday, February 28 & Wednesday, February 29, 2012
9:30-10:45am
Registration Deadline: Friday, February 25, 2012

For birds of prey, this is a delicacy in the winter! Explore the predatory world of raptors in winter. Songs and games are sure to keep you roasty toasty.
Registration Form

Holiday Bazaar & Pioneer Portraits

Looking for unique, one of a kind gifts? Visit the Aldo Leopold Nature Center’s Holiday Bazaar & Pioneer Portrait Sale this Sunday, December 4, from noon to 4 pm! The Gift Shop is stocked with lots of new gift-giving items. Avoid the long lines at the mall, park right outside our door, and stop in for a fun, relaxed shopping experience! Enter a chance to win a holiday basket filled with fun items!

Bring your family and dress up in our “pioneer garb” to have your old-fashioned portrait taken in the Children’s Shack to send to your family and friends. Peruse hand-made jewelry, nature-dyed silk scarves, beautifully made candies and art by local artisans, and stop in the ALNC’s Gift Shop, for great gifts like:

• Flower press kits
• A Sand County Almanac, by Aldo Leopold
• Science Magic toys
• Pocket tornadoes
• Glow in the dark shark tooth fossil excavation kit
• Glow in the dark stars and solar system
• Dinosaur and Science kits
• Hand-made walking sticks
• Night sky projection kits
• Solar print art kits
• Wisconsin Garden Journal
• Nature photography cards
• ALNC T-shirts
• Nature bookmarks
• Gift memberships and more!

All proceeds will support hands-on educational programs at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center. Hope to see you there!

Can’t make it to the sale? Click here to shop ALNC’s gift shop online.

Chew on These Beaver Tidbits!

Dear Wonder Bugs,

Here are some beaver books to devour! 

Beaver Pond Moose Pond by Jim Arnosky (We read this in class!)
Beaver Is Lost by Elisha Cooper (A picture book with only 4 words and exciting yet simple illustrations. You will enjoy this page-turner!)
Old Beaver by Udo Weigelt (A heart-warming young versus old story.)
Busy Beavers
Check out last week’s blog for local places with busy beavers.

As an extra treat, here's a song for your and your wonder bug!

Noble Beaver of the Pond Song
By Miss Tara Von Dollen
(Tune: “Noble Duke of York”)

Oh the beaver chops down trees.
The beaver chews up bark.
He hauls the trees up to the dam,
down by the water dark.

And when you’re up you’re up
and when you’re down you’re down
And when you’re only halfway
up you’re neither up nor down.

*Stand up or crouch down with the words “up” and “down.”

Have fun,
Miss Tara

NEW WINTER WONDER BUG SESSIONS:
Package price for all 6 Winter Wonder Bugs sessions (choose Tuesdays or Wednesdays)ALNC Members: $33/child; Non-Members: $39/child (When registering on-line list "Winter Session" as event/program name and and "Tuesday" or "Wednesday" as the date)Prices for Wonder Bugs for all individual sessions:
ALNC Members: $6/child; Non-members: $7/child
Registration Form 

WINTER WEBS
Tuesday, December 6 & Wednesday, December 7, 2011
9:30-10:45am
Registration deadline: Friday, December 2, 2011
Spiders come and spiders go...even in the winter! Discover a web of fun and take home an egg-sac full of memories! Bet you can’t wait!
Registration Form 

DEER JOHN
Tuesday, December 20 & Wednesday, December 21, 2011
9:30-10:45am
Registration Deadline: Friday, December 16, 2011
You are in luck! Deer do not write goodbye letters for the winter. They bed down here and leap over there. Today the songs, games, and fun a-bound!
Registration Form

BEAR-LY BREATHING
Tuesday, January 10 & Wednesday, January 11, 2012
9:30-10:45am
Registration Deadline: Friday, January 6, 2012

Winter is a good time for napping, especially if you’re a black bear! "Cub" and find out something surprising! No bear bones about it- this day will be den-tastic!
Registration Form 

ME AND MY SHADOW
Tuesday, January 24 & Wednesday, January 25, 2012
9:30-10:45am
Registration Deadline: Friday, January 20, 2012

"Wood" you believe that the groundhog is “chuck” full of surprises? "Wood" you come down for songs, crafts, and a chuck-load of fun? I hope to see your shadow while we learn about all things groundhog.
Registration Form

KEEP ON TRACKING…
Tuesday, February 14 & Wednesday, February 15, 2012
9:30-10:45am
Registration Deadline: Friday, February 10, 2012
While the snow is stacking! Discover what it’s like to walk in someone else’s shoe (prints). Practice counting the toes- they always knows- and you’ll be able to guess the animal who walked there since.
Registration Form

MICE ON ICE
Tuesday, February 28 & Wednesday, February 29, 2012
9:30-10:45am
Registration Deadline: Friday, February 25, 2012

For birds of prey, this is a delicacy in the winter! Explore the predatory world of raptors in winter. Songs and games are sure to keep you roasty toasty.
Registration Form

By the Light of the Beaver Moon!

Dear Wonder buggers, 
Oh the beavers chew up bark and so did we! We enjoyed our “Tree Chips” AKA Life cereal and the gelatin leaf roll-ups that tasted like apples.Oh the beaver chops down trees…As I promised I have a few ideas of where to explore to find signs of beavers"

• The highest beaver populations are found in the northern part of the state. So a north woods trip, say to Vilas County might be fun.
• Or, head west instead to La Crosse on the Mississippi River and tour some off-river wetland areas by boat and see some highlights including beaver lodges! The Wildlife Eco tour might be your best bet (called Scenic Fall Foliage at this time of year).  It’s definitely going on my list to do!  
• If you enjoy powering your own boat or canoe, Kickapoo Valley Reserve is your ticket to beaver action. Check out this link for more information and be sure to follow their directions for the 110 mile journey.  
• He hauls the trees up on the dam…Buckhorn State Park (Castle Rock Lake) is located a little closer to Madison (about 90 miles on I-90/94). They have the Island Self-guiding Canoe Trail where a beaver lodge is a stop along the way!   
• ALNC naturalists tipped me off to locations even closer to Madison too! 
• One is the Wisconsin River near Ferry Bluff State Natural Area.  Drive along the river on County Road Y or Conservation Road and see what you can see. 
• Another is along Six Mile Creek that flows in and around Waunakee. Zoom in as far as you can go on the map to figure out your route.
• The final possibility is Lake Wingra right in our backyard. 

 
Check out this article all about beavers too! 

Now, bust out a map and go explore! Maybe even...down by the water, dark!

Happy “hunting,”
Miss Tara

Next Wonder Bugs Session:
Gobble, Gobble!
9:30-10:45 am
Tuesday, November 22 & Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Registration Deadline: Friday, November 18, 2011

Did you know turkeys roost in trees? Want to know more? Just ask please! Come find out a thing or two- about a wild birdie before you chew. Come gobble up the fun! Click here to register!

Say Gobble, Gobble for Electric Pickles!

Your child is off of school this Thursday—now what?  Send them to ALNC for a day of learning and nature discovery with one or both of these Vacation Day Programs for ages 5-12!

Weird Science
Thursday, November 10, 9 am - Noon
Registration Deadline: Tuesday, November 8

Your child will become a junior scientist for the day! They’ll learn basic science principles and conduct a variety of weird and wacky science experiments, including ALNC’s famous “electric pickle” experiment, volcanic eruptions, and many more!  Click here to register!

Gobble, Gobble
Thursday, November 10, 1-4 pm
Registration Deadline: Tuesday, November 8

Your youngster will enjoy a “fowl” afternoon of fun as they learn all about turkeys! They’ll discover how and why turkeys gobble, explore wild turkey habits and habitats and enjoy fun games, crafts and outdoor exploration. Click here to register!

Fee Per Session:
ALNC Members: $18/person; Non-members: $21/person

Add a lunch bunch from Noon-1 pm for just $5 for a full day of natural fun!

The deadline for registration is tomorrow, Tuesday, November 8 and space is limited, so click here or call 608-221-0404 x1 to register today!

Nuts to You! Wonder Bugs Family Day!

Dear Wonderbuggers,

Lois Ehlert has done it again with a fun and colorful book, this time about squirrels. Nuts to You! was the basis of our Wonder Bugs at the Wonder Bugs Family Day on Saturday, October 22. We scampered outside, searched for nuts, buried acorn and hickory bits, swirled our tails, ran away from foxes, and climbed up trees to safety. OK, so maybe some of those things the squirrels actually did, but we had fun pretending!

For snack, the (home)made applesauce and graham crackers were a hit! Squirrel away a copy of this book by Don Freeman for your wonder bug: Earl the Squirrel.  It is a delightful tail of mischief that kept us occupied while eating.
As you cruise around your neighborhoods this week be on the lookout for squirrel behavior! Are they digging in your yard? Carrying nuts in their mouths? Building a leaf nest at the top of trees for winter napping? If you find a squirrel burying a nut or seed, mark that spot later and watch it through the winter. If the squirrel doesn’t eat what he buried, check to see if it sprouts in the spring!

 

Seed you later (with a swirl of my tail),
Miss Tara

Next Wonder Bugs Session:
By the Light of the...
9:30-10:45 am
Tuesday, November 8 ( The Wednesday November 9 Session is FULL!)
Registration Deadline: Friday, November 4, 2011

…Beaver Moon! Furs and trapping. Don’t get caught napping. Singing, playing. Are the traders paying? Fun while learning. Today will keep you yearning! For all things beaver and more! Click here to register!