Dragonfly Walks

Adventures for the young and the young at heart

Read an article about January’s Dragonfly Walk from the “Notes From a Mom in Chapel Hill” blog.

Our Dragonfly Walks program invites you and your little ones to join us for monthly nature adventures that are simple, quiet, and slow-paced — ideal for little explorers who are just beginning to learn about the natural world around them, and for those who love them!

Join parents, grandparents, guardians and children. Bring your curiosity, open minds and come ready to play and explore. Meet other families and help your kids enter into a gentle and engaging relationship with the natural world.  Find a nature-oriented community that is dedicated to raising wonderfully curious and courageous young people.

Details

Who: For children 0-5 years old and their guardian(s).

When: Second Monday of the month, 10:00am – 12:00pm

Cost: $10 per walk

Register: To register for a session, call our office at (919) 489-0900.

• December 12: Animals in Winter
  Investigate the lives of animals in winter! We will learn how they stay warm, how they find food, and where they go. We’ll search for hidden insects who have tunneled under logs, seek out the dens and burrows of small mammals, and notice which birds are still around. We can even help the local birds and squirrels to a feast of handmade feeders.

• January 9: Winter Wonders
  Explore the wonders of winter weather — frost, ice, and snow! We’ll look at the intricate designs of snowflakes, explore how frost forms, and create our own icicles and freeze bubbles.

• February 13: Puddle Jumpers
  Meet the amphibious creatures of our local streams, ponds, and puddles. We’ll listen to frog calls from spring peepers and chorus frogs, look for salamanders just coming out of winter hiding, and find out what the toads are up to.

• March 12: Spring Buds
  Embrace the magic of new growth in spring. We will learn what a bud is, find our favorite budding plants in the park, and explore the steps of growth in spring leaves and flowers. We’ll even take home some buds of our own, to watch them blossom in the following weeks.

• April 9: Baby Mammals
  Take a look at what is going on in animal homes in spring: birth! Animal families are busy caring for their new members, and different animals do this in different ways. We will explore how local mammals keep their babies safe and sound, and we will look for the signs of these activities around the park: nests, parent calls, even the babies themselves!

• May 14: Nests, Eggs, & Feathers
  Come on a tour of the busy lives of birds in the spring. They are building nests, laying eggs, and feeding ravenous babies — and we can see this right here in the park! We will explore the favorite nesting spots of some local birds to find out what they are up to, and practice making our own nests. We will even learn what it’s like to burst out of an eggshell!