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A member of | Exhibits, Events and Nature Walks |
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Mia's Garden This spring Roaring Brook Nature Center will begin work on Mia’s Garden, an area in front of the Nature Center building that will serve as a combination garden, educational exhibit and resting place for our students and visitors. The Garden is in memory of Mia Shand, a beautiful young lady who loved nature and had a tremendous curiosity about the natural world and how things work. Mia's Garden will consist of two seating areas. The garden to the side of the front door will provide a gathering/seating area for our visitors and educational signs on animal senses. The circular garden to the side of the building will provide benches and educational signs explaining the local geology. Extraordinary geological rock specimens will also be on display in this area of the garden. New native plantings, a small water feature and bird feeding stations will complement this garden renovation. We are very excited about this project and look forward to its completion in the months to come. We thank the many members of the Canton community who have been so generous in contributing to this project. If you have questions about Mia’s Garden, |
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Special Events
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Saturday
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ANNUAL HOBGOBLIN FAIR
Suitable for children ages 3-8 and parents
Cost per child: $5.00members, $6.00 nonmembers. Fee includes the track-and-treat walk and two activity tickets for crafts. (Additional activity tickets on sale the day of the Fair).
PLEASE NOTE: this event will be held
Pre-registration with payment is required. Click here for registration form
Children are encouraged to wear costumes IF they are suitable for walking in the woods and participating in crafts. Parents should plan to stay with their children. Click here to learn more and to see pictures
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Sunday
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Start your holiday shopping with our nature-related gifts for all ages. Handmade crafts will include candles, pottery, jewelry, soaps, felted ornaments and many other items. Proceeds from this Friends of Roaring Brook fundraiser benefit the programs and activities There is no charge to visit the Nature Center or
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Nature Programs & Events
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Saturdays
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Meet Matt Messina - Wildlife Artist On Saturdays this fall, Nature Center visitors will have an opportunity to watch Avon High School student, Matt Messina, at work. Matt is an up and coming wildlife artist. Last spring he won the Connecticut State Duck Stamp for students. He is a student of Kathy Goff, a well-known wildlife artist who has a studio at the Farmington Valley Arts Center. Matt will be working here most Saturdays during our regular hours. |
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Saturday
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Mushrooms with Mushroom Marlene Join Marlene Snecinski of the Connecticut Valley Mycological Association for a talk and stroll along the trails of Werner’s Woods. Learn fascinating facts about fungi, which ones are sought after as delicacies and which ones not to touch. Photography is encouraged. |
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Sunday
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Bring a picnic lunch and join us in the fields of Werner’s Woods as we watch for migrating hawks and other birds. Stay for a short time or as long as you’d like. This is the height of the fall migration and there is no telling what may fly by including birds, butterflies or dragonflies! Pre-registration required. $6.00 member, $10.00 nonmembers. |
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Sunday
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Would you like to spend a day this September Gnoming Around With Mrs. Daly-Byrnes and Mrs. Cohen? Mrs. Cohen is a Pine Grove School Art Teacher and Mrs. Daly Byrnes is a Pine Grove School Reading Specialist. These two Pine Grove Teachers, both former Avon Teacher’s of the Year, have collaborated to bring Art and writing together in a children’s book entitled Gnoming Around. Learn about the process of creating their children’s book, listen to their story, see a demonstration of how the illustrations were created, and make your own gnome house! Together, we will go on a nature scavenger hunt… and maybe even find a gnome! Pre-registrtion is requested Signed copies of the book will be available Gnoming Around will be used for the scavenger hunt |
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Sunday
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Aliens in Our Backyard! Join us for a presentation on these alien plants (and animals) and a hike on the trails of Werner's Woods as we go in search of these alien species. Cost: $4.00 members, $6.00 nonmembers. |
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Sunday
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Autumn Hike & Yoga for Children Explore the outside wonders of nature with an autumn hike, and then stretch, move & chill out with some fun & soothing yoga with yoga instructors Leslie Gordon and Julie Erasmus. Suitable for ages 6-12. No yoga experience is necessary. Bring your own mat, if you have one. Pre-registration is required. Cost: $8 members, $10 nonmembers. |
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Saturday
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Join us as we take a trip back in time to learn how your backyard might have looked 100, 500 or 10,000 years ago. Find out what changes have occurred in our area and how geology, ecology and human history have combined to create the landscape as we know it. Pre-registration is requested. Cost: $4.00 members, $6.00 nonmembers. Half price for children. |
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Sunday
Ken Feder is the author of |
An Ever Widening Circle: When Jon Elwell died in the late nineteenth century, newspapers called him the "last of the Lighthouse tribe." When Sol Webster died in 1900, newspapers call him the "last of the Lighthouse tribe." Just before Mary Matilda Elwell died in 1928, she called herself the last of the Lighthouse tribe. But in fact, the Lighthouse people are not extinct or gone, nor are they forgotten. The descendants of the original settlers, the Narragansett man, James Chaugham and his white wife, Molly Barber, have not disappeared but are, in fact, vibrant members of an ever widening circle. Ken Feder, Professor of Anthropology has, along with his students from Central Connecticut State University, excavated the village of what has been called the “Lighthouse tribe” in what is now Peoples State Forest. Dr. Feder will speak about the things he found there that illuminate the lives of the village’s residents. Cost: $4.00 members, $6.00 nonmembers. Reservations requested. |
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Sunday
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Join us for a guided fall foliage walk through Werner’s Woods and the nature center’s gardens, learn why the spectacular fall color show happens each year, and why some years are more colorful than others. Find out why trees lose their leaves and what happens to them when they hit the ground. A short program on fall leaves will be followed by a hike to view the colors. Cost: $4.00 members, $6.00 nonmembers. Half price for children. Pre-registration is required. |
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Saturday
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Discover what fall treasures can be found in Werner’s Woods as you brush up on basic orienteering skills and follow clues deciphered through riddles and rhymes. For families with children eight years old and up. Cost: $4.00 members, $6.00 nonmembers. Half price for children. |
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Sunday
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REI Winter Camping Demonstration Winter can be a wonderful time to go camping if you are properly equipped and prepared. To find out what you might need to make a winter camping adventure safe and fun, join us at the Nature Center for a one-hour demonstration of winter camping equipment by REI (Recreational Equipment, Inc.), a national outdoor gear and clothing retailer. This program is offered free of cost. A donation to help support the programs and activities at Roaring Brook Nature Center would be appreciated. |
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Saturday
Call the Nature Center |
A special tour of the Livingston Ripley Waterfowl Conservancy in Litchfield followed by birding at the White Memorial Conservation Center. Meet at the Nature Center at 9:30 AM to carpool, or meet us at the Waterfowl Conservancy. Bring a picnic lunch after which we will go birding on the grounds of one of the largest privately held nature preserves in the State. Pre-registration with payment is required for this trip and reservations are limited to 12 participants. Cost is $20 for members, $25 for nonmembers and this includes a donation to the Waterfowl Conservancy. This trip is not appropriate for young children |
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Saturday
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Here is a great opportunity to feed our feathered friends while also supporting the programs and activities at the Roaring Brook Nature Center! We offer the high quality and well-known Lyric Wild Bird Food, at discounted prices. Orders are due two weeks before the pick up date of November 13th. Call the Center at 693-0263 to receive your order form! |
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Sunday
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Find out how plants and animals prepare for the coming winter season on this leisurely hike along the trails through Werner’s Woods. Pre-registration is not required. Cost: $4.00 members, $6.00 nonmembers. Half price for children. |
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Summer Animal Demonstrations
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THIS SUMMER
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DAILY ANIMAL DEMONSTRATIONS New this summer - Nature Center visitors may learn about native wildlife each afternoon at 2 PM. A 15-minute animal demonstration will be held daily Monday through Friday with close up opportunities to see an animal and learn about its habits. We may also have nature crafts, exhibit tours and guided walks through the woods available for our visitors. Stop by and see what's happening at the Nature Center this summer. No charge for these demonstrations or activities with admission to the Center. Additional information is available by calling |
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| Classes
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Monday
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Adventure Story Time for children ages 2-5 will be held this fall on the third Monday of each month from 1:00-2:00 PM. Adults and children can participate in a shared story with a craft and short walk. Children must be accompanied by an adult |
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| DISCOVERY DAY PROGRAMS | ||||
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Discovery Days is the Nature Center’s enrichment series for children in pre-school and in grades K-3. The cost of each four week session is $40.00 for members, $50.00 for nonmembers. Discounts are extended to families with multiple children attending during the same time period. Portions of the program are held outdoors, please dress accordingly. To learn more about our fall programs, click here. |
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NATURE CENTER 2010 SUMMER PROGRAMS Spaces remain in several of our SUMMER 2010 Discover Days programs. Nature Center programs offer your child a unique blend of education and recreation that takes advantage of the curiosity and sense of wonder that all children feel towards the natural world. This summer's program offerings include activities for pre-schoolers through students entering grade 8. Enrollment is limited; early registration is strongly recommended. To view our summer programs, click here. For more information , please call us at (860) 693-0263 or send us a short e-mail at rbnc@thechildrensmuseumct.org |
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| Guided Nature Walks
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Wednesdays
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Wednesday evening walks provide a relaxing end to a busy summer day and an opportunity to observe animals that become more active in the cooler evening temperatures. Long sleeves, a flashlight and insect repellant are recommended. Cost: Adults $3 members, $5 nonmembers Children: $2 members, $3 nonmembers. Pre-registration is not required. |
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Saturdays
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Join us as we wander the trails through Werner’s Woods during the fall migration season. Binoculars and footwear for wet ground conditions are all you’ll need. Geared for all levels of birding expertise. Bird walks are not geared for younger children. Bring binoculars and dress for wet ground underfoot. Cost: $2 members, $3 nonmembers |
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Friday Evenings
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Our evening walks provide a relaxing end to the busy work/school week and an opportunity to observe a wide range of animals that become more active in the cooler evening temperatures of autumn. Dress for cooler weather and bring a flashlight Pre-registration is not required. Cost: $4.00 members, $6.00 nonmembers. Half price for children.
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Guided
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| During July and August, group nature walks may be scheduled by individuals, families or by organized groups on selected weekday afternoons. Walks may be general or may focus on a specific topic of interest. Call the Nature Center for additional information. | ||||
Volunteers Needed!
For more information on our volunteer needs, click here. |
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Birthday Party Opportunities During July and August, the Nature Center will offer birthday parties on selected weekday afternoons from 1:30 – 3:30 PM. (Please note that birthday party availability is subject to the Nature Center’s summer program schedule of classes and public events). For more information, click here. To make a reservation call the Center at (860) 693-0263. |
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Scout Programs (For more information on Scout programs, call the Center at 693-0263.) |
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