Programs and Events: 2021
Check out these programs by our partners and are offering this Fall! Education and trainings are also included.
The Buzz About Pollinators
August 28, 2021 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
1301 Mitchell Blvd Springfield, OH
https://ntprd.org/the-buzz-about-pollinators/
Price: Free
Registration Deadline: August 25, 2021
Celebrate our local pollinators as you enjoy learning opportunities with education stations. Learn the habitat needs of native bees and butterflies and how to attract them to your garden.
Fairy and Gnome Home Festival
Recommended for families with young children
September 11, 2021 1:00-4:00 p.m.
2230 E. Centerville-Station Rd Centerville, OH
https://cwpd.recdesk.com/Community/Program/Detail?programId=2154
Price: Free
Registration is required and limited.
The fairies and gnomes need someone to build their homes!
Families will receive a home-building kit to take into the woods and use to build a dwelling for our magical woodland inhabitants. Once your home is constructed, listen to a story, play a game with an elf and enjoy a sweet treat! Kona Ice will be available for purchase. This is a Tools to Trek program.
Full Moon Stroll
September 18, 2021 7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Aullwood Farm, 9101 Frederick Pike, Dayton, OH 45414
https://aullwood.audubon.org/events/full-moon-stroll
Price: Free for Aullwood, NAS and ANCA members, Nonmembers $10 per adult and $7 per child admission
Registration Deadline: September 17, 2021
Explore Aullwood by the light of the (nearly) full moon! Look and listen for creatures of the night such as owls and coyotes. You’ll have a howling good time! It’s OK to bring a flashlight/headlamp; though the naturalist leading the walk will give instructions on how to use it during the program. This walk will meet in front of the Farm Discovery Center, 9101 Frederick Pike. Pre-registration is required and walks are limited to 20 participants.
Play OUTside with Ohio Naturally: Sticks and Stones
Teacher Workshop
September 24, 2021 2:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Centerville, 6450 Marshall Rd, Washington Township, OH 45459, USA
Price: $10.25
Children are often drawn to sticks, rocks, shooting activities and big body play. This training will engage participants in discovering the developmental nature and value of these behaviors. We’ll review NAEYC recommendations about active outdoor play and ways to say yes to these behaviors and items in a classroom setting. Teacher perspectives will be examined and we’ll discuss how working outdoors with children and finding ways to be responsive to the natural behavior and pivot those to enhance learning.
*Registration and tickets are non-refundable unless the presentor cancels the event due to inclement weather or emergency. This program will take place in light rain or cold/hot weather.
Play OUTside with Ohio Naturally: Quick Start to Nature-Based Education
Teacher Workshop
September 24, 2021 4:30-5:30 p.m.
Centerville, 6450 Marshall Rd, Washington Township, OH 45459, USA
Price: $3.08
The realities of COVID-19 in schools have shifted thinking to what is possible when working outdoors with children. However, many teachers struggle with how to feel like they are accomplishing their developmental and learning goals when outdoors. This training will introduce 4 core routines that you can use in your classroom right away as containers to hold other activites and lessons. An experienced Nature Based Educator who has working in ODJFS and SUTQ programs utilizing these methods will help you embrace the outdoors-no need for a fancy nature playground or forest!
*Registration and tickets are non-refundable unless the presentor cancels the event due to inclement
The Return of Grassman
This is a self-guided program
October, 2021
Various locations in Centerville, OH
https://cwpd.recdesk.com/Community/Program/Detail?programId=2143
Price: Free
Registration is required and limited. Recommended for families with children ages 8-12
Registration Deadline: September 29
Sightings of Grassman, Ohio’s legendary Big Foot, are on the rise in our area! Rumor has it that he and the other Fantastic Beasts of Ohio are tired of hiding in the shadows. They want you to know their stories, and they want you to find them!
Grassman is on a mission! He has been unfairly blamed for strange activity in the parks and wants to prove his innocence. Can you help solve the mystery?
Sign up for this free program, and every Friday in October we will send you a clue to find Grassman in one of our 51 parks! When you find him, you will also discover clues as to who or what is really to blame for the unusual reports. Complete a scavenger hunt sheet with information for each week’s location and we will reward your monster detective skills with a fun prize.
Full Moon Stroll
October 23, 2021 7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Aullwood Farm, 9101 Frederick Pike, Dayton, OH 45414
https://aullwood.audubon.org/events/full-moon-stroll-0
Price: Free for Aullwood, NAS and ANCA members, Nonmembers $10 per adult and $7 per child admission
Registration Deadline: October 22, 2021
Explore Aullwood by the light of the (nearly) full moon! Look and listen for creatures of the night such as owls and coyotes. You’ll have a howling good time! It’s OK to bring a flashlight/headlamp; though the naturalist leading the walk will give instructions on how to use it during the program. This walk will meet in front of the Farm Discovery Center, 9101 Frederick Pike. Pre-registration is required and walks are limited to 20 participants.
National Take a Hike Day Hike
November 17, 2021 4:00 – 5:30 p.m.
Bill Yeck Park, 2230 E. Centerville Station Rd. Centerville, OH
https://cwpd.recdesk.com/Community/Program/Detail?programId=2150
Price: Free
Registration is requested. Walk-ins are welcome.
Hiking not only gets our hearts pumping and our muscles moving, but being outdoors is good for our minds. Many of us spend too much time indoors behind a desk or playing video games. Hiking can burn between 400 – 550 calories per hour.
Join staff for National Take a Hike Day as we lead you through the park. Trails will be marked so you may hike at your own pace. Please dress for the trails and bring water. Strollers are not recommended.
Registration is requested.
If we have to cancel a hike due to inclement weather, we will post the announcement on the Park District website.
Other Program Resources
Brukner Nature Center Young Birders Club
Geared just for students in grades 6TH-12TH with an interest in birding, membership in the YBC is just $10/year, plus high-quality binoculars and field guides are provided for meetings and field trips, so no additional equipment is needed! Please contact Brian for more information at brian@bruknernaturecenter.com!
Walk with a Doc Programs
Walk With a Doc is a nationally recognized program that takes place throughout the Miami Valley. To find a location near you to participate in, click here.
Initiatives
MVLNCI has Partnered with Dayton Regional Green on a Connect to Nature Site Certification. Our work was featured in an article on the Children and Nature Network written by Richard Louv! Click Here to read about this initiative.
Information from our past Safe Routes Forum event can be found here. http://www.mvrpc.org/transportation/complete-streets/safe-routes
The MVLNCI collaborative engages and empowers our community to make time and create access for outdoor exploration, play and learning.
Contact us at miamivalleylnci@gmail.com
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