Maple Syrup Fest

The end of winter brings the opportunity to practice the art of maple syrup brewing yet again. And who of us who has read Laura Ingalls Wilder can resist the urge to get out there and tap those trees?

Not I! No, certainly not I!

The  Maple Syrup Fest is the perfect opportunity to learn about the art and science of maple tree tapping by Native Americans, pioneers, and modern-day syrup and sugar producers. But learning about maple syrup is just the beginning! The fun doesn't end until you've tapped and tasted real maple tree sap; tested your "nature smarts" with maple syrup trivia; built your knowledge of trees with the "Build-A-Tree" game; toured the rustic Children's Shack; participated in cooking demos with early pioneer settlers; and enjoyed a good, old-fashioned ice-cream sundae topped with pure maple syrup!

Indulge in the delectable festivities at Aldo Leopold Nature Center as we partake of one of nature's sweetest and purest gifts! 

Sunday, March 24, 2013
1:00pm - 3:00pm
Aldo Leopold Nature Center (Monona Campus)
Members: $7/person and $25/family; Non-members: $8/person and $29/family 
*Preregistration is preferred, but walk-ins are welcome!

Registration Form

Sprouting Grass...Hidden Ginger

Photo Credit: Althea Dotzour

Dear Wonder Bugs,Signs of spring were sprouting up all over this week!  Grasses, flowering plants, weeds, and even ginger were showing their green colors. It was fun to “plant” dandelion seeds by blowing on the seed heads! Creeping Charlie and mint had interesting smells that some of us liked better than the smell of wild ginger.

Wild ginger is a fun, native plant because the flowers are like little surprises. Wild ginger flowers hide under the tall, heart-shaped leaves right along the ground; you have to carefully push the leaves aside until you find them.  I wonder why the flowers would be so close to the ground and not up in the air like the dandelion flowers?

There are insects that like the flowers and use them for different reasons!  There is a certain type of fly that lives underground through the winter. When it emerges in the spring, the flowers provide a warm and dry place to hide during the changing and surprising spring weather.  Once the flowers make their seeds, ants are attracted to a special part of the seed that makes a delicious food for the ants. So the ants follow the scent to the wind ginger seeds, carry the seeds back to their homes, eat the special, fleshy part, and leave the seed. If everything goes well, the wild ginger seed will sprout the next year into a new wild ginger plant!But the fun doesn’t stop there! Wild ginger can also sprout from their special root called a rhizome. Wild ginger makes a great ground cover because of its spreading ability!

Find that spring in your step!  There is more sprouting than grasses, dandelions and wild ginger- you just have to get outside and look. Create your own scavenger hunt sheet or fill up a page by drawing what you find.  Or try to sprout some seeds inside and watch what happens.

Over and sprout,
Miss Tara 

Remember to join us to share the Wonder Bugs experience with your entire family at our NEW Family Camps! Here are the details:

Evening Family Campfires (2 days each)
Wednesday & Thursday June 20-21 OR Tuesday & Wednesday July 31 and August 1
6:30-8:30 pm

Family camp is NEW 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. Bring the whole family for 2 evenings of nature activities, singing, storytelling, and stargazing around the campfire on a summer weeknight. Can you think of a better way to spend a summer evening?

Overnight Family Camps (AT our Black Earth Campus)
Friday, July 20-Saturday, July 21 OR Saturday, August 18-Sunday, August 19
6 pm-10 am

Bring the whole family for an overnight campout at our Black Earth Campus filled with nature activities, singing, storytelling, and stargazing around the campfire on a summer night! Bring your own sleeping bags, pillow (required) and tent (if you have one). Please indicate when registering if you would like to use an ALNC tent (limited supply available) or if you will be bringing your own.

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!