Children's Nature Programs:
No School Day at the VIC: Track Seasonal Change at the VIC
5 March 2014 | 12:45 PM - 4:45 PM

Signs of Spring in the Adirondacks: Melting ice on Barnum Brook in late March

Let’s find out what the VIC community is up to at this time of the year!  As we approach spring, we can feel the increase in sun energy.  The plants soon begin to peer out of the snow, sleeping animals come out of hiding, and woodpeckers begin their mating drums.  These key seasonal changes occurring in plants and animals from year to year are referred to as phenology.  Investigate signs of VIC organisms during a sensory walk and describe the signs of activity through counting, drawing, and mapping our findings.  Our data can be added to Journey North, an online kid’s citizen science project, focusing on recording local phenology.  This study may be revisited over time to track seasonal and yearly changes. 

Bring your outdoor clothes for walking and playing in the snow, and food for snack.  Bring snowshoes or rent them for an additional fee of $5.  This program will follow a half day of school for many students, running from 12:45 PM to 4:45p PM  Reservations are required. Reserve your place by 12:00 PM, Tuesday, 4 March 2014, by calling 518-327-6241. Minimum class size is 4. The fee is $20 per person, $15 for Friends of the VIC.

No School Days at the Paul Smiths VIC

This event is part of VIC's No School Days Program, which provides half-day and full-day environmental education sessions to teach children aged 7-11 to become VIC eco-explorers, learning about the natural world in the Adirondack Mountains.   Activities include: hiking, exploring the marsh, playing games, and making arts and crafts. Fun is number one, while we develop sensory awareness, creative thinking, listening comprehension, and empathy. No School Day programming is led by VIC Educator Michelle Berrus. For additional dates when No School Days programming is offered, click here. This program is supported by Friends of the VIC.