Holiday Fun - Lots to Do!

No matter what holidays you celebrate, this is the season to enjoy your family, keep the kids busy on those days off, and spend time outdoors before winter reeeally hits. Looking for ideas? There is a lot going on around town these days! Or, if you'd rather cozy up around your own house or yard, there are plenty of fun activities you can do with your friends and family. Read on for ideas...

Out and About
Beyond the Edge of the Sea and Seaworthy @ the UW Ebling Library and Story Time at the UW Geology Museum. Check out this traveling exhibit featuring the magnificent watercolors of deep-sea expeditionary illustrator Karen Jacobsen (Art and Science Exhibitions on display until January 31, 2012), and stop by the Geology Museum on Thursday, 12/15 at 10:30am for their family Story Time!

Winter Solstice Celebration @ the Aldo Leopold Nature Center. Celebrate the longest night of the year with a nighttime winter hike under the stars, feed winter bird neighbors, gather around the campfire to burn a Yule log, sip cocoa and eat a seasonal solstice snack! 6:30-8pm, Friday, 12/16.

Winter Solstice Bonfire @ Glenwood Children's Park. Help shorten the longest night of the year! Bring your mug for hot cider, snack on s'mores, listen to local music and more! 6-10pm, Sunday, 12/18.

Holiday Concert @ Olbrich Garden. Enjoy festive "The Electric Orchestra"/Organ Music at 2pm on Sunday, 12/18. You can also see Olbrich's Holiday Express Flower and Model Train Show, warm up in the Bolz Conservatory and visit the outdoor gardens to see winter grasses and berries.

Exhibits Sneak Peek: Special Public Hours @ the Aldo Leopold Nature Center. Stop by 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," explore hands-on exhibits about weather and climate, and, see the winning entry from ALNC's snow globe art contest transformed into a giant spinning snow globe! Thursday, 12/29, noon-7pm.

Winter Wonder Week @ the Madison Children's Museum. Celebrate Wisconsin's signature season with special activities throughout the museum from January 2-7. Help build an ice sculpture, practice ice fishing, brave the Rooftop Ramble for frosted food, art and games, brush up on basic survival skills, enjoy a winter themed sing-along and a visit to the log cabin to learn what pioneers did for entertainment through the long, cold winter.

Tiki Torch Toboggan @ the Aldo Leopold Nature Center (Black Earth Campus). Discover the winter flora and fauna as you sled, snowshoe or hike along the snow covered trails and warm up around a roaring campfire with a cup of hot chocolate. Saturday, 1/14, 4-7pm.

At Home
Christmas Bird Count - National Audubon Society. From 12/14 through 1/5, tens of thousands of volunteers throughout the Americas take part in an adventure that has become a family tradition among generations. Families and students, birders and scientists, armed with binoculars, bird guides and checklists go out on an annual mission.

Winter Bird Feeders - You and your family and friends can make birdfeeders together and see what critters they attract this season! Using pinecones, pipe cleaners, milk cartons, or other household items, you can make quick and easy birdfeeders that will make the birds happy and give your family something to watch together. Keep track of what you see and enter them into the Christmas Bird Count or Earth Alive!

Decorate with Nature - Go Explore Nature has a great list of holiday ideas that will get you outside with your family. Check out these 5 Ways to Decorate with Nature or their 24 Days of Holiday-Inspired Nature Fun.

Track and Trail Blaze! - In case you missed December's Nature Net News, it was full of ideas for getting outside, seeing what tracks and trails you can trace, and making snow stories of your own. Check it out!

This time of year sure can be busy, but try out any of these great events and activities to make the most of the season. Have fun, and Happy Holidays from Nature Net!

Nature Net News December 2011 - Trails and Tracks

"Snow is a gift to the tracker: a blank page upon which nature writes its stories."
Paul Tappenden

Dear Reader,

Freshly fallen snow is the perfect blank slate on which the stories of nature can be written.

Whether it be loop-de-loops around the yard, impact craters in nearby snowbanks, or trails leading to treasure troves and food stores, kids, adults and animals alike are tempted by a layer of fresh, clean snow, just asking to be tracked upon.

So with all this in mind, we hope this issue of Nature Net News inspires you to go out and trailblaze your own set of tracks!

Enjoy!

Kathe, Sarah & Brenna
The Folks at Nature Net

Did You Know.....

There are many different types of tracking in addition to finding footprints. For example, Large Scale Sign, used by the United States Search and Rescue Task Force, involves reading the landscape for traces of activity and habitation, such as resources an animal needs (food, water or bedding), signs of animal dens, or the presence of "indicator" animals like vole, rabbits or deer. Medium Scale Sign includes evidence of animals such as rubs, gnaws, feathers or broken twigs.

See a crazy K-shaped birdtrack? Owls and woodpeckers have a unique foot structure, known as a "zygodactyl," which means two toes point forward and two point backward. In owls, the "K" points
outward, and in woodpeckers, the "K" points in.

Following tracks can also lead you to piles of "scat," which are the droppings of animals. Scat can give you a lot of clues about what an animal eats! 

What To Do This Month:

Go track spotting! What can you tell about an animal from its prints?

See a cool trail in the snow? Make up snow stories! Use the clues you see and a little imagination... What are the animal tracks telling you? What kind of critters made them? Which way did they go? What were they doing? Tell some tales along the trail! What did the animals see on their journey? Did their adventure end in a cozy den? Continue the story inside while you warm up with cocoa, crayons and pencils! Collect some souvenirs along the way and paste or sketch them in your storybook. Enter your snow story drawings in ALNC's Snow Globe Contest, and your design might be featured on the giant animated snow globe on December 29!

Celebrate the snowy season with a Christmas Supper and woodland stroll at Bethel Horizons on Sunday, 12/4, and a nighttime snow walk at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center's Winter Solstice Celebration, on Friday, 12/16. And on Thursday, 12/29, see other kinds of snow stories during the sneak peek public hours featuring ALNC's new exhibits, family activities and the Snow Globe Contest winning design.

Other fun events this month include Tea and Trains at the Madison Children's Museum on Saturday, 12/3, Holiday Bazaar at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center on Sunday, 12/4, Holiday Concerts on Sundays at Olbrich Garden and a 12/11 Holiday Tree Lighting at Dane County's Schumacher Farm Park.

Tricks of the Trail for Parents:

Making Tracks and Keeping Warm

While out exploring, it's fun to make some tracks of your own! But when tunneling through the snow, make sure your kids are nice and bundled up with snowboots, pants, coat, mittens/gloves, and even scarves to prevent a tot-cicle! If you're out and about, be prepared with extra layers and dry socks for the ride home. Snacks are good too!

Instant Outdoor Expert:

Snow Tracking

Measuring the distance between tracks can be a great clue to how big the animal is. But also remember
that some smaller animals can stretch, hop or leap further than you might think!

The Wisconsin DNR's EEK! site for tracking has some excellent advice for any tiny trackers. While you're there, be sure to test your tracking prowess with their online tracking game! More great tracking resources here and here.

Featured Nature Net Site

MacKenzie Environmental Education Center

The MacKenzie Environmental Education Center (MEEC) is one of the most diverse environmental education centers in Wisconsin. Encompassing 250 acres, the center has a variety of habitat types including prairie and forestland. MEEC is an excellent place to visit and learn more about the natural world through hands-on outdoor experiences, family outings, hiking and picnics. Located just 25 miles north of Madison, MEEC is readily accessible to people of all ages across Wisconsin.

There are many different types of animals living at the MacKenzie Center, so trek on up and try and find as many prints as you can!

Learn About Other Nature Net Sites

Nature Craft

Trail Blazer

What you need: boots, coat, snowsuit, coloring materials, paper.

1. Go outside and look for animal tracks. Point out features like size, shape, paws or hooves and talk about what kind of animals made them.

2. Find a clear patch of snow.

3. Using your own boots, hands and a little imagination, create your own type of tracks. Can you integrate other props like a pinecone or treebranch to make toes or claws? What kind of imaginary animal would make these? What's it called? What does it act like? What does it eat? Where is it going?

4. When you're done with the tracks, go inside and draw the creature you made tracks for. Write a story about it!
Nature Craft Archives

Suggested Reading:
"Tracks in the Snow" by Wong Herbert Yee (baby-preschool)
"In the Snow: Who's Been Here?" by Lindsay Barrett George (baby-5)
"Animals in Winter" by Henrietta Bancroft (preschool)
"Animal Tracks and Signs: Track Over 400 Animals from Big Cats to Backyard Birds" by Jinny Johnson (4+)
"Whose Tracks are These? A Clue Book of Familiar Forest Animals" by James Neil (4-8)
"Tracks in the Wild" by Betsy Bowen (4-8)
"Who's Been Here? A Tale in Tracks" by Fran Hodgekins (4-8)
"Big Tracks, Little Tracks: Following Animal Prints" by Millicent E. Selsam (4-8)
"Wild Tracks! A Guide to Nature's Footprints" by Jim Arnosky (4-8)
"Tracks, Scat and Signs" by Leslie Dendy (4-12)
"Stories in Tracks & Signs: Reading the Clues That Animals Leave Behind" by Diane Gibbons (young adult+)
"National Audubon Society Pocket Guide to Familiar Animal Tracks" by The National Audubon Society (beginner guide)
"Mammal Tracks & Sign: A Guide to North American Species" by Mark Elbroch (beginner guide)
"Scats and Tracks of the Midwest" by James Halfpenny (medium guide)
"Tracks and Trailcraft" by Ellsworth Jaeger (expansive guide)

Browse Past Nature Net News

Find Family Events on the Nature Net Calendar

November Nature Net News - Changing Climate

"Our generation has inherited an incredibly beautiful world from our parents, and they from their parents. It is in our hands whether our children and their children inherit the same world."
Richard Branson

Dear Reader,

The seasons just aren't what they used to be! Summer days are hotter and winters more extreme. Droughts stretch across the country, followed by intense rain. Our climate is changing and it affects us every single day.

Climate change is hot topic nowadays, be you politician, environmentalist, or everyday person. This is because we all live in this world, and impacts of climate change are all around us. A matter of a few degrees in the average temperature can mean the difference between local crops thriving or drying out, or animals being able to adapt or not. 

Records show that Wisconsin's average temperature has slowly increased the past fifty years by more than one degree. Now, this might not seem like much, but consider this: since 1960, signs of spring have come weeks earlier, lakes freeze less often and with thinner ice, and winter temperatures have warmed by 4 degrees (info from here).

There have been a lot of claims and debates made in the past few years about climate change... in this issue of Nature Net News, we have sorted through some great resources to provide you with information about climate change and its impacts around Wisconsin and the world.

Enjoy!

Kathe, Sarah and Brenna
The Folks at Nature Net

Did You Know..... 60-80% of snowstorms in the United States occur during warmer-than-normal years.

The average number of days of ice cover on Madison lakes has decreased by around 29-35 days over the past 150 years.

Many Wisconsin species have adjusted their spring activities, blooming or arriving several weeks earlier in spring than they did a few decades ago.

The rate of climate change is predicted to increase over the next forty years, and Wisconsin's average annual temperature will warm by 4-9 degrees Fahrenheit by mid-century!

What To Do This Month:
Keep track of weather, plants, animals, migrations and seasonal changes around you (this is called "phenology"). You can use these observations to begin conversations about climate-related topics such as weather, atmosphere, temperature, seasons, ecosystems and more. Here are some great Nature Net resources to get you started!

Learn how climate changes are impacting animal habitats around the world with International Orangutan Caring Week (November 12-20) at the Henry Vilas Zoo.

Stay tuned for public programs and special events at the new Climate Education Center at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center!

Tricks of the Trail for Parents
Explaining Climate Change
Climate change is a complex subject, and can be especially confusing to younger children, who are not old enough to remember when the climate was different. Explain that slowly, over the course of your lifetime, the weather we can usually expect has been changing. Give examples of what your childhood weather was like, and have your children compare it to what the weather is like today. (Remember that there are always variations and extremes, but we are talking about averages over time.) What effect might these changes have on plants, animals and people?

Check out real-life stories of changes in Wisconsin!

Take a look at EPA Climate Change Kids site, and A Student's Guide to Climate Change!

Explore NASA's findings on climate change.

Interact with the Global Climate Dashboard to view a variety of Earth's changes over different time periods.

Research_Explorer has an interesting site on the science of climate change at the Exploratorium.

Check out the WICCI (Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts) website to see what our state is doing in response to our changing climate!

Once you've learned about climate change, find out what you can do about it - at home, school, at the office or on the road.

Instant Outdoor Expert:
Tricky Terms
Why are there so many different (and sometimes scary!) titles for what is happening in the world around us? Here are some definitions to help explain the terms.

Climate Change: difference in long-term averages of daily weather and other characteristics of Earth's systems.

The Greenhouse Effect: how Earth's atmosphere keeps the planet warmer than Outer Space. Earth gets energy from the Sun in the form of heat and light, and its surface absorbs some of this and warms up. Earth then gives off a different form of energy, called infrared radiation. But before all this radiation can escape to Outer Space, it passes through greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which absorb some of it and hold it close to Earth. As the atmosphere gets warmer, it also makes the Earth's surface warmer (from EPA Kids). The Greenhouse Effect is very important for keeping Earth comfortable and suitable for life, but the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere (especially carbon dioxide) has been increasing.

Carbon Cycle: the path carbon takes as it cycles through the world. Many living beings, such as humans and animals, inhale air and exhale carbon dioxide. Plants take care of the carbon we exhale, converting it to oxygen, and Earth's oceans absorb a lot of carbon, too. Other things on Earth also emit carbon, through decomposition, combustion, etc. The burning of fossil fuels in recent centuries is adding huge amounts of carbon to the atmosphere, and the trees and plants and oceans can't keep up with the pace.

Weather vs. Climate: Weather is a small-scale phenomenon, while climate is large-scale, made up of an average of weather in an area over months, years and longer. Climate is also what tells us what conditions we can generally expect in a place and time. (Watch "Episode 2" here for a good explanation.) For example, there can be sunny days or rainy days (weather) in the Amazon Rainforest, but the climate there is largely warm and wet.

Phenology: literally "the science of appearance;" studying the physical changes in an environment over the course of the seasons. For example, a phenologist marks the day she sees the first robin of spring, and can then compare it to other years' records or others' observations.

Featured Nature Net Site:
The Aldo Leopold Nature Center has been busy putting together climate education exhibits and programs in their newly expanded facility, including Science on a Sphere, Global Warming: Facts and Our Future, Storms 360 Fly-Through Immersive Theater, Madison Gas & Electric Renewable Energy Center, Nina Leopold Bradley Phenology Center and more!

ALNC members recently got a preview of the exhibits at Fall Fest, and teachers had a sneak peek at the Educators' Open House. The Aldo Leopold Nature Center has also just started booking pilot school groups to test out new fieldtrip programs. Stay tuned for more opportunities to check it out in the coming months!

Learn about other Nature Net sites

 Nature Craft

Rice Krispie Planet

What you need: 3 tablespoons butter, 1 package regular marshmallows (or 4 cups mini marshmallows), 6 cups Rice Krispies, 2 colors food coloring (we used green and blue), 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (optional).

1. Melt butter in saucepan over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely blended. Remove from heat.
2. Add Rice Krispies and optional vanilla. Stir until well-coated.
3. Divide mixture into two bowls. Add one food coloring to one bowl and another color to the second - a few drops is all you need! Mix well. (You can mix with your hands - be sure to wash them before and after!)
4. Being careful of the temperature, use your hands to combine blue Rice Krispies and green Rice Krispies to make your own Rice Krispie planet!
5. Let cool completely on wax papered surface.
6. Enjoy!
*Note* Be careful of the amount of food coloring used--your teeth may stain!
(Nature Craft adapted from DLTK.com and RiceKrispies.com)
Nature Craft Archives

Suggested Reading
"A Hot Planet Needs Cool Kids" by Julie Hall (4-8)
"Ask an Expert: Climate Change" by Richard Spilsbury (4-8)
"The Magic School Bus and the Climate Challenge" by Joanna Cole (4-8)
"What are Global Warming and Climate Change?" by Chuck McCutcheon (6-12)
"Climate Change" by DK Publishing (9-12)
"Weird Weather: Everything You Didn't Want to Know About Climate Change But Probably Should Find Out" by Kate Evans (9-12)
"Global Warming: The Threat of Earth's Changing Climate" by Laurence Pringle (9-12)
"Under the Weather: Stories About Climate Change" by Tony Bradman (9-12)
"The Climate Crisis: An Introductory Guide to Climate Change" by David Archer and Stefan Rahmstorf (adults)

Browse Past Nature Net News

Find Family Events on the Nature Net Calendar of Events

Your Feedback Needed! Wisconsin's Plan for Environmentally Literate and Sustainable Communities

Now is your chance to have a voice in the future of environmental education and sustainable communities in Wisconsin!

We at Nature Net are excited about the new Wisconsin Plan for Environmentally Literate and Sustainable Communities, preliminarily released this month from the Wisconsin Environmental Education Board (WEEB), Wisconsin Environmental Education Foundation (WEEF) and the Wisconsin Association for Environmental Education (WAEE), in partnership with a range of individuals and organizations across the state. Building on Wisconsin's history of strong conservation ethic and environmental education leadership, this plan serves as a pathway for moving forward in developing an environmentally literate twenty-first century society comprised of sustainable communities. This encompassing proposal focuses on the knowledge, skills and attitudes of Wisconsinites at home, work, school and play, in promotion of healthy citizens and environment. (To read the plan, click here.)

The plan is currently in a Public Preview Period (October 17-24, 2011), and your feedback is welcome! Take a moment to review and comment on Wisconsin's Plan for Environmentally Literate and Sustainable Communities and have a say in EE and sustainable living in Wisconsin. The final version will be unveiled at the WAEE Fall Conference in November.

Educators' Open House

EXCLUSIVE EDUCATOR SNEAK PEEK!

Calling all K-12 teachers: be among the first to see the exciting new offerings at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center!

WHEN: Thursday, October 27, 2011 - come anytime from 4-6pm!

WHERE: Aldo Leopold Nature Center, Monona, WI

WHAT: Preview brand new hands-on, interactive educational exhibits designed to teach your students about climate science, renewable energy and sustainability! Bring the family and explore the exhibits together - view our planet as the astronauts see it with Science on a Sphere, see how global temperatures shape Earth's past, present and future with Global Warming Facts & Our Future, and discover the latest green innovations with the Madison Gas & Electric Renewable Energy Center.

Find out about new programming in the works and opportunities for fieldtrips, professional development and more. Enjoy teacher resources, free classroom materials, raffle prizes, coffee and cookies and more! Register to win one of three grand prizes, sign up to be one of the first to pilot our new programs, and learn how you can qualify for fieldtrip subsidies to the Aldo Leopold Nature Center.

October Nature Net News - Rascally Raccoons

"In plain sight now, within the den, we found four baby raccoons, a month old perhaps. The entire litter of kits might easily have fitted within my cap. Each tail had five black rings. Each small face had a sharp black mask. Eight bright eyes peered up at us, filled with wonder and worry."
- from Rascal, by (Wisconsin's own!) Sterling North

Dear Reader,

Who is that marauding at midnight? Who's ripping up and spreading around all your trash? Who washes their food and hands before every meal? It's the masked crusaders of the dark - they're raccoons!

Ever since childhood, I've had a special affinity for these cunning critters. From Racoony, who would launch himself at our front door to eat my mom's ornamental corn wreathes, to Big Guy, rapping on our sliding glass doors for more catfood, I've had 'coon run-ins aplenty. But, despite their mischievous acts, I still find myself grinning whenever I see one of those little masks looking at me from a tree or trashcan.

Mind you, I'm not saying they can't be troublesome, but I find myself appreciating these clever creatures, like Sterling North and his pet Rascal, or the National Wildlife Federation's hero Ranger Rick, rather than viewing them as demons bent on destroying my flowerbeds or corn patch.

In this issue of Nature Net News, you'll learn about these crafty critters and how they adapt to their environment, along with historic and international attention they have received.

And a big "Thank You!" to Peter Green for allowing us to use one of his adorable raccoon pictures!

Enjoy!

Kathe, Sarah & Brenna
The Folks at Nature Net

Did You Know.....
Raccoons wash their food in water before eating. In fact, the word for 'raccoon' in several languages can be translated as 'wash bear.'

Raccoons are omnivorous scavengers and will eat just about anything!

Raccoons have opposable thumbs on their front paws, allowing for all sorts of mischief to happen.

Raccoons are nocturnal, meaning they are mostly active during the night.

Raccoons are able to adapt to many different environments. While they originally evolved as woodland creatures, due to widespread urban development, they have become very adept at city living.

What To Do This Month:
Check out the MacKenzie Environmental Education Center's Hootenanny on October 1 and their Haunted Hay Ride October 21 & 22. Dress up like a raccoon or other nocturnal trickster!

Stare at the stars at Bethel Horizons on October 8 and 29.

Upham Woods is having an Autumn Splendor family event on October 8 and a fall Family Camp Weekend from October 15-16.

On October 23, check out the crazy critters at the Henry Vilas Zoo's Halloween at the Zoo!

Discover all kinds of "Creatures of the Night" at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center's spook-tacular family Fall Fest on October 28!

Find Family Events on the Nature Net Calendar of Events

Tricks of the Trail for Parents:
Raccoon Reminders
While it's fun to learn about raccoons, it's quite another to directly interact with them! While your children might become excited about meeting these masked magicians, be careful not to actively attract raccoons - your trash collectors and neighbors will appreciate it! Instead, we recommend trying to spot raccoons or their tracks on nature walks, listening for them on campouts, or learning about them through literature.

Instant Outdoor Expert:
Cartoon 'Coons
Sterling North's 1963 book, Rascal (an autobiographical story about his childhood with a pet raccoon in south central Wisconsin) was adapted to anime cartoon in a popular 1970s Japanese series called Araiguma Rasukaru. While raccoons have long been seen as everything from an annoyance to a wild menace in American communities, thousands of Japanese children were enamored with these adorable exotic pets and asked their parents to import them from the United States! However, people soon realized the difference between real and cartoon raccoons and released them into the wild, where they wreaked havoc on Japan's ecosystem. Now, raccoons tend to be looked at more as pests than pets, but the cartoon about the boy and his raccoon adventure is still popular today. Learn more about this here.

Featured Nature Net Site
Lussier Family Heritage Center

The Lussier Family Heritage Center is a Dane County facility for hosting private and public events. The center is named after the Lussier Family who contributed a significant amount for its construction and preservation. It is located within the Lake Farm County Park and surrounded by native prairie vegetation and forests.

Lake Farm Park borders the Heritage Center and offers numerous recreational opportunities including boat launch, picnic facilities, campgrounds, hiking and cross-country ski trails, and playground equipment. Check out the nature and bike trails around the property!

Don't miss the Lussier Family Heritage Center's Harvest Moon Festival on Friday, October 7 to discover nighttime nature on a torch-lit stroll.
Learn About Other Nature Net Sites

Nature Craft
Paper Puppet
What you need: paper bag, black construction paper, white construction paper, glue.

1. Fold the two square corners at the bottom of the bag to form the raccoon head.

2. Cut from the white construction paper two large circles (masks), three small circles (nose and eyes), two medium triangles (ears) and a large oval (stomach).

3. Cut from the black construction paper two tiny circles (pupils), one small circle (nose), two large black circles (mask), two large triangles (ears) and two large ovals (paws). 

4. Glue the black pupils on two of the small white circles. Layer the remaining circles to form the mask around the eyes. Glue the black medium "nose" circle on the white "nose" circle. Then paste your eyes, mask and nose on the paper bag's "face."

 5. Glue the large white oval on the stomach of your paper bag and glue arms to the sides of the paper bag. 

6. Glue small and big triangles together to make ears and glue to top of the puppet's head. 

7. Viola! Your puppet is ready to act!

Nature Craft adapted from Enchanted Learning - Nature Craft Archives

Suggested Reading:
"Little Raccoon's Big Question" by Miriam Schlien (baby-preschool)
"The Little Raccoon" by Elizabeth Ring (baby-6)
"Raccoon Tune" by Nancy Shaw (preschool-5)
"Raccoons and Ripe Corn" by Jim Arnosky (3-8)
"Raccoon on his Own" by Jim Arnosky (3-8)
"Little Raccoon" by Lilian Moore (4-8)
"Clever Raccoons" by Kristen L. Nelson (4-8)
"The Kissing Hand" by Audrey Penn (4-8)
"Raccoon's Last Race" by Joseph and James Bruchac (4-8)
"Raccoon Moon" by Nancy Carol Willis (4-8)
"Welcome to the World of Raccoons" by Diane Swanson (4-8)
"Kit: The Adventures of a Raccoon" by Shirley Woods (4-12)
"Rascal" by Sterling North (5+)
"Raccoons: Scavengers of the Night" by Elaine Landau (9-12)
"Raccoons: A Natural History" by Samuel I. Zeveloff (teen)

Family Nature Clubs Update - September 2011

Hi Family Nature Clubbers! We hope you had a lovely summer and were able to spend lots of time outdoors with your family. We’d like to help you keep it up this fall! Read on for some updates and ideas…

UW-Arboretum Earth Partnership for Families – Nature Play Day! Sunday, September 25 • 12:30 pm – 4 pm
September family day at the Arboretum is all about playing in the woods. Children and adults will work together in the nature free-play area to build, discover, and explore. Let your imagination be the guide. Check in with the receptionist in the Visitor Center for directions to the free-play area. Look for other families from our first nature club, Madison Family Nature Club between 12:30-2:00. Visit Madison Family Nature Club on Facebook or email club leader Sandra for more information.

More Upcoming Family Events
September 22-25: Wisconsin Science Festival @ various locations
September 24: Cranes of the World Festival @ International Crane Foundation
September 25: Fall for Donald Park Event 1-4pm @ Dane County Park’s Donald Park
October 1: Hootenanny 6:30-8:30pm @ MacKenzie Environmental Education Center
October 6: Story Time 10:30am @ UW Geology Museum
October 7: Harvest Moon Festival 6-9pm @ Lussier Family Heritage Center
October 8: Autumn Splendor 1-4pm @ Upham Woods
October 8: Draconid Meteor Shower 7pm @ Bethel Horizons
October 15-16: Family Camp Weekend @ Upham Woods

…and many more! Check out Nature Net’s Events Calendar for more information!

Are You Interested in Being a Family Nature Club Leader?
For those of you interested in starting your own Family Nature Club (being the main point of contact, organizing activities and/or delegating roles), we can provide you with resources and tools to get you started – let us know!

Nature Net Resources for Family Nature Clubs
If you haven’t seen these already, here are a few great resources available from Nature Net. Peruse NatureNet.com’s Family Nature Clubs page, Family Resources and Events Calendar, sign up for Nature Net News, visit our Facebook page, comment on our Family Nature Clubs, and check out our blog.

We Want to Hear from You!
Nature Net’s Family Nature Clubs are brand new and evolving. We are hoping to serve as a source for event and activity ideas, resources, and a place to meet other families. If you have ideas for how we could make Family Nature Clubs better for you, please let us know! Check out our resources above and email info[at]naturenet.com with any questions or ideas.

Spread the Word!
Do you know any other parents or families who might be interested? Forward this email, tell them to “like” Nature Net on Facebook, or direct them to the Family Nature Clubs page to get started. We hope to grow Family Nature Clubs together!