Global Art Contest Deadline Approaching

Entries for ALNC's Global Art Contest are Due Next Wednesday!

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’s free Grand Opening Celebration on Saturday, April 21 from 11 am – 3 pm! To enter, draw, paint or make a collage of your favorite nature spot using the template on the back side of this entry form.  This could be your backyard, a park, ALNC or anywhere else that is special to you! Get creative—your art can include animals and plants or anything else you can imagine! 

Two entries 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 globe during the Aldo Leopold Nature Center’s Grand Opening Celebration onSaturday, April 21 from 11 am - 3 pm which will unveil exciting new interactive exhibits and programs. Winning artists will also receive a free ALNC membership for their family ($50 value).

Click here to find out more or here download anentry form. Entry forms are also available for pick up at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center.

Contest is open for ages 3 to 18 years old. One entry per child.  Winners will be contacted with further instructions. This entry form and artwork must be emailed to devcomm@naturenet.com, mailed, or dropped off at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center (Attn: Globe Contest, Aldo Leopold Nature Center, 330 Femrite Drive, Monona, WI 53716) by Noon on Wednesday, April 4^th 2012.

Caw, Caw, Hello!

Dear Wonder Bugs,

We all know that crows can make loud, sometimes annoying sounds.  We listened to crow sounds and discovered that they do more than caw. They make a rattle sound that reminded us of a woodpecker and they also make softer noises like coo-coo. It was great fun practicing the sounds while acting like crows!  We pretended to be smaller birds (like sparrows) who “attack” crows in order to scare them away from their nests. The wonder bugs then formed a flock of crows to frighten the sleeping owl (me!) out of the tree.

Are you smarter than a crow? The wonder bugs certainly are!  They showed their intelligence by working puzzles, playing crow memory, completing mazes, and sorting crows by size. It was impressive to see everyone working so hard on the activities!  We also had fun pretending to build a crow’s nest and hatch some eggs. Crows are quiet once they have baby birds to feed so we stopped cawing for a few minutes at least.

This book is the one I wanted to read for snack but accidentally left at home. (My daughter pulled it from my stack and has been enjoying it quite a bit.) It is called Crow by Leo Timmers, and it teaches kids of all ages the importance of acceptance.

Mr. Nathan taught with me on Tuesday and took my place on Wednesday. He also helped take some pictures on Tuesday; you can see a couple in this post. Thank you, Nathan!

Don’t be “caw-tious” about it- have a great week!

Miss Tara

Get in on the fun! Join us for these fun upcoming Wonder Bugs sessions:

LAND, HO!
Tuesday, April 10 & Wednesday, April 11, 2012
9:30-10:45am
Registration Deadline: Friday, April 6, 2012
Oceans may be far from land-locked Wisconsin, but the wonders are ever so close. Splash into a fascinating, briny world. You’ll sea and learn amazing things!

SPROUTING GRASS...
Tuesday, April 24 & Wednesday, April 25, 2012
9:30-10:45am
Registration Deadline: Friday, April 20, 2012
...Hidden ginger. Come scavenge for signs of spring that are sure to be pushing up all over! Explore new games and songs. You’ll burst with bliss!

TREES PLEASE!
Saturday, April 28, 2012
9:30-10:45am
In honor of Arbor Day we will reach for new heights. Come get up close and personal with trees. Stories and games will branch out your knowledge, and at the end of the day you’ll be asking for more!

Call of the Chorus Frogs!

Here's this week's phenology post:

• Watch for wood ducks arriving—did you know their arrival coincides with the birth of wolf pups?
• Look for spiders crawling out from their winter hiding places.
• Mosquito larvae are drifting to the surface of puddles and small ponds.
• River otter pups are being born in their dens.
• Attempting to impress mates, red-tailed hawks dive-bomb toward the ground at 120 mph!
• Listen for Chorus Frogs and Spring Peepers as they begin their spring calls. Click here to hear it!
• Keep an eye out for muskrats and herons along the water’s edge. 
• The garter snakes are coming out of hibernation.
• Canada geese are starting to lay their eggs.

 

See Your Art Go Global!

Kids—Your Art Can Be Seen “Around” the Globe at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center’s Grand Opening Celebration on Saturday, April 21 from 11 am – 3 pm!

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’s free Grand Opening Celebration on Saturday, April 21 from 11 am – 3 pm! To enter, draw, paint or make a collage of your favorite nature spot using the template on the back side of this entry form.  This could be your backyard, a park, ALNC or anywhere else that is special to you! Get creative—your art can include animals and plants or anything else you can imagine! 

Two entries 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 globe during the Aldo Leopold Nature Center’s Grand Opening Celebration onSaturday, April 21 from 11 am - 3 pm which will unveil exciting new interactive exhibits and programs. Winning artists will also receive a free ALNC membership for their family ($50 value).

Click here to find out more or here download anentry form. Entry forms are also available for pick up at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center.

Contest is open for ages 3 to 18 years old. One entry per child.  Winners will be contacted with further instructions. This entry form and artwork must be emailed to devcomm@naturenet.com, mailed, or dropped off at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center (Attn: Globe Contest, Aldo Leopold Nature Center, 330 Femrite Drive, Monona, WI 53716) by Noon on Wednesday, April 4^th 2012.

GYAO with NEW Outdoor Adventure Camps for Middle Schoolers!

GYAO (Get Your Adventure On) this summer with the Aldo Leopold Nature Center's new Outdoor Adventure Camps for ages 11-16!

These new camps offer your tween or teen hands-on learning and adventure as they learn survival skills like orienteering, explore nature interpretation and photography, fish Madison area lakes, backpack and camp on the Ice Age Trail, kayak through the breathtaking sea caves of the Apostle Islands and much more!

Summer camp registration for all age levels is now open for ALNC Members and will begin on March 16 for Non-Members! Remember, in addition to registering early, ALNC Members also receive 10% off summer camps, plus a year of free admission for ALNC's new interactive exhibits which we will be unveiling at our Grand Opening Celebration on Saturday, April 21! Click here to become a member!

Here are few more great (and NEW) features of ALNC summer camps:

• Full week packages and single sessions available for ages 4-10.  Monday through Thursday camp options are 9am-12pm, 12-1pm (lunch bunch) and 1-4pm!
• Fridays have single sessions available from 9am-12pm, 12-1pm (lunch bunch) and 1-4pm!
• Extended day option is available to help fit your work schedule for 1/2 hour prior to or after regular camp times!
• All camps are taught by ALNC's highly trained and experienced naturalists!
• Fun and diverse themes include Apostle Isle Sea Kayaking, Weird Science, Living Like Laura, Muckin’ in the Marsh, Little Lunkers and much more! 
• Check out the new Family Camps for summer fun with grandmas, grandpas, parents and all the kids. If you have found yourself jealous of your kids going off to camp each summer, this one is for you!

Camps are filling fast, so click here to find out more about ALNC's summer camps and register to GYAO!