Native American Winter Traditions

Dear Nature Nuts, 

My name is Miss Rachel and yesterday was my last day as an intern at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center. Boy what a great day it was!

I assisted with the Native American Winter Traditions Winter Break Mini-Camp. Our first task was to follow our naturalist outside and look for snow snakes. Snow snakes? We hunted high and low past the old hickory, through the oak savanna, and down to the willow by the frozen pond. Along the way our naturalist pulled dried up Queen Ann's lace out of the ground. She pulled apart the root and asked us to sniff. It smelled like a carrot! We found all kinds of snow snakes- various sizes of dead branches. We used a sharp rock to get the bark off the branch and then colored our snow snakes. Native Americans would have made shallow trenches in the snow to race their snow snakes. We may not have had snow, but our snakes slid really well on the deck (the official no-snow snake raceway).


Dream catchers were used to keep bad dreams away. We used willow branches that we gathered down by the pond. Willow branches bend really well into the shape of a dream catcher. Yarn was used as the webbing to actually "catch" the bad dream. Feathers were used to decorate our dream catchers just like Native Americans used.  I don't think I'll have to worry about bad dreams tonight. Playing outside in the fresh air and sunshine is the making of good dreams.


Keep playing,
Miss Rachel

P.S. There is still room in all of our Winter Break Mini-Camps! Try one, or the whole week (Tuesday-Friday). Here are next week's sessions:

TRACKS IN THE SNOW
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
9:00am - 4:00pm
Registration Deadline: Friday, December 20, 2011
Enjoy the outdoors searching for signs left behind by animals as they make their way through their habitats. As animals hop, run, walk, wiggle or slither around, they leave tell-tale marks in soft snow or soil. Use your new skills all year long to find out the mysteries left behind by our furry and feathered friends. We’ll also spend some time practicing making “human tracks” in the snow on snowshoes! Please bring a sack lunch; we’ll provide snacks, water and lemonade.
ALNC Members: $45/person; Non-Members: $50/person
Package Price for the Full Week (Tuesday, January 3 - Friday, January 6):
ALNC Members: $175/person; Non-Members: $195/person.
Registration Form

WINTER BIRD EXTRAVAGANZA
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
9:00am – 4:00pm
Registration Deadline: Monday, January 2, 2012
While some birds migrate south to sunny skies and warmer winters, some birds stay here in Wisconsin and “tough it out.” We will learn about and see some of these birds as we hike the habitats of ALNC.
Please bring a sack lunch; we’ll provide snacks, water and lemonade.
ALNC Members: $45/person; Non-Members: $50/person
Package Price for the Full Week (Tuesday, January 3 - Friday, January 6):
ALNC Members: $175/person; Non-Members: $195/person.
Registration Form

LITTLE CRITTERS
Thursday, January 5, 2012
9:00am – 4:00pm
Registration Deadline: Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Learning about little critters can be BIG fun! We’ll spend the day learning about mice, voles, moles, shrews, bats and more. Go on a food scavenger hunt, search for signs and scat, find out how they stay warm in winter, dissect an owl pellet to put together a little critter skeleton, and try to observe a little critter up close through live trapping and release.
Please bring a sack lunch; we’ll provide snacks, water and lemonade.
ALNC Members: $45/person; Non-Members: $50/person
Package Price for the Full Week (Tuesday, January 3 - Friday, January 6):
ALNC Members: $175/person; Non-Members: $195/person.
Registration Form

WINTER IN WISCONSIN
Friday, January 6, 2012
9:00am – 4:00pm
Registration Deadline: Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Join us for a day of celebrating winter in Wisconsin at ALNC! We’ll discover all about our winter animals and how they adapt to the cold as well as do many activities Wisconsinites like to do outdoors in winter—animal tracking, build snow structures, predict the winter weather and much, much more! Please bring a sack lunch; we’ll provide snacks, water and lemonade.
ALNC Members: $45/person; Non-Members: $50/person
Package Price for the Full Week (Tuesday, January 3 - Friday, January 6):
ALNC Members: $175/person; Non-Members: $195/person.
Registration Form

For questions or to register over the phone, please call (608) 221-0404 x1.

Special Sneak Peek Tomorrow!

Dear Readers, 
We hope you can all join us tomorrow for our Special Public Hours: Exhibits Sneak Peek!

 

SPECIAL PUBLIC HOURS: EXHIBITS SNEAK PEEK
Thursday, December 29
Noon - 7 pm

Stop by ALNC for a sneak-preview of brand new interactive exhibits and programs, which won’t be available to the public until next Spring!

Get a one-of-a-kind view of our planet’s rarely seen “frozen world” including polar ice caps and high altitude glaciers on ALNC’s Science On a Sphere, explore hands-on exhibits about weather and climate, and learn about other exciting developments premiering soon, including Storms 360 and WKOW Kids Climate Cast.

Plus, see the winning entry from ALNC’s snow globe art contest transformed into a giant spinning snow globe! Click to find out more about ALNC’s new “high-touch” and “high-tech” programs.

General Public: $5/person; ALNC Members: $4/person

Click here, or call 608-221-0404 x 1 to register today!

Wonder Bugs - Deer John!

"Deer" Wonderbuggers,

Oh deer me! The fun that we had today was out of control- as were our somewhat floppy antlers. We got to feel real antlers, wrap up in a deer skin, and make tracks outside in the mud with a deer leg. Did you know that deer walk on two toe nails per foot? I wonder what that feels like.  It makes pretty neat tracks!

We learned that there are different members of the deer family like elk, moose, caribou and reindeer. The Deer Family (Zoobooks) by Timothy Levi Biel has great pictures of different deer as well as descriptions about what makes a deer a deer. Some of us practiced matching the antlers with the correct deer; it looked pretty silly to see moose antlers on a white-tailed deer! 

Another series of stories deer to me is “In the Woods” by Carl R. Sams II and Jean Stoick.  Each of the three stories depicts deer on seasonal adventures. We started to read Stranger in the Woods today in class. As the deer walk through the woods they encounter other woodland animals talking about the stranger. Read it to find out who the stranger is!  Apparently there are movies, too. Click here to see more.
Well deeries, it is time to go. Enjoy the holiday break and see you next year!

Miss Tara

 

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 

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

Best of 2011

With the new year just around the corner, we're taking some time to reflect back on 2011! What a tremendous year it has been for us at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center! Thank you to everyone who has helped us reach more than 40,000 children, their families and teachers this year!

Check out these "best of 2011" photos from this past year!

Winter Survival with a Coffee Can!

Dear Readers,

My name is Rachel, and I am an intern at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center. When I was growing up, my aunt used to ask me, “What did you learn today that you didn't know yesterday but want to remember for a long, long time?” That can be a difficult question to answer but not the day I learned about Winter Survival at ALNC.


I've heard about how to survive outdoors in winter if I was to get lost but have never put any of that knowledge into practice. During Winter Survival, I witnessed 7th and 8th graders venture outside "to survive" in ALNC's basswood grove armed only with an empty coffee can, matches, garbage bag, bandana, water,and hot chocolate. In one hour,and under the guidance of their naturalists, they found enough tree branches and leaves to build a lean-to that could hold 6 teenagers! Outside the lean-to, a small fire was heating up hot chocolate in an empty coffee can. Warm and cozy...sweet.


I live in Wisconsin and love winter. There is nothing better than cross-country skiing far away from the city, surrounded only by evergreens and snow as far as the eye can see. But from now on, I will take my own winter survival kit. Armed with this new knowledge, I am ready to take on winter-let it snow (please)!


Do you have a survival story to share? Email devcomm@naturenet.com to share it with us.

Staying warm,
Rachel


P.S. Tap into your inner "survivalist" with our Winter Survival Mini-Camp!




Here's more info:

Winter Survival Mini-Camp
Friday, December 30, 2011
9:00am - 4:00pm
Registration Deadline: Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Any of us could find ourselves in a situation where we need to use winter survival skills. In this adventurous program, we’ll learn what nature provides to help us survive, learn how to dress appropriately, pack a survival kit and work cooperatively. After learning this, we’ll head to the woods to test our skills in building a fire without matches, creating a makeshift shelter, and cooking a snack over a survival fire.

Please bring a sack lunch; we’ll provide snacks, water and lemonade.

ALNC Members: $45/participant; Non-Members: $50/participant
Package Price for the Full Week (Tuesday, December 27 - Friday, December 30):
ALNC Members: $175/person; Non-Members: $195/person.



Click here or call 608-221-0404 x 1 to register.

Phenology Frenzy

With the warm weather we've been having, it's hard to believe that winter is almost here, but outside, the animals are scurrying to prepare for the winter!

Here's what's happening outside this week:

• Otters are having fun diving, sliding, and tunneling in the snow.
• Woodchuck body temperatures are dropping from 100 degrees to 37 degrees.
• Bobcats are desperately hunting for almost invisible hares.
• Chickadees are eating the equivalent of their own weight on these cold days.
• Each squirrel is stockpiling 40 pounds of acorns for the winter.
  

Winter Solstice Celebration

Throughout history, cultures around the globe have celebrated the Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year, as a time to reflect on the past year and look with hope to the coming year.  Join us to rejoice in a celebration of that tradition at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center’s annual Winter Solstice Celebration on Friday, December 16! Click here to see photos from last year's event!

Bring your whole family to enjoy:

• A  naturalist-led twilight hike on ALNC’s trails;
• Nature crafts for the kids including a fun and functional pinecone birdfeeder;
• Inspirational Winter Solstice stories from around the globe;
• A festive bonfire and ceremonial burning of the Yule log;
• Wassail made over a fire in the Children's Shack; and
• Hot cocoa, yummy seasonal snacks and more!

Don’t miss this special night of joyful festivities as we look forward towards longer and lighter days.

Location:  Aldo Leopold Nature Center’s Monona Campus, 300 Femrite Drive, Monona

Date/Time:   Friday, December 16, 2011         6:30-8 pm

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

Information/Register: www.naturenet.com/alnc or 608-216-9371

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

Winter Webs Wonder Bugs

Gr-eight times were had by all this week! Our special guest was a real treat; I held a tarantula for everyone to see. Of course I forgot my camera so if you have any pictures, please email me! Some wonder bugs felt the claws at the end of her leg, and we counted her legs to make sure she had all 8. She did! But did you know that tarantulas can regenerate new legs if they lose one? Wow!

We discovered that winter is too cold for spiders; we only found one dead one tucked in an outdoor lampshade. Spiders either die or head to warmer places- like inside! We found a lot in the basement and in the corners of the building. They were hanging out in their very own webs. So then we just had to make our own webs with yarn, and while we were at it we pretended to stab insects with our fangs and suck up the bug soup. Yummy!

For snack we crunched on spiders! We used two crackers to represent the two body parts, and 8 pretzel stick legs and 8 sunflower seed eyes. Plus a little cream cheese to hold it all together! Voila!



Check out some spidery books from the library to find out more about these spiderific creatures. You might especially like to finish reading Up, Up, and Away by Ginger Wadsworth. A House Spider’s Life by John Himmelman would help you understand the spiders you might find in the corners of your house. There are many, many more!
For those singable moments here’s a new spidery song!

Little Spider Weaves a Web (from Growing Up WILD, page 15)
(Tune: “Twinkle, Twinkle”)
Little spider weaves a web
With some dry and sticky threads.
Her bristled feet keep her free
From getting stuck, can’t you see?

Here comes a fly buzzing by
Inter her web, watch it fly.
Wiggle wriggle. It’s stuck tight.
Spider has her meal tonight.

Join me in two weeks (and all through the winter) for more Wonder Bugs fun!
Miss Tara

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 

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