February Vacation Adventure Days February 22, 2011

For children in grades K through 5. Sign up for the entire week or individual days. - Fee for the week (Tuesday through Friday): $145 member, $174 nonmember - Fee per day: $45 member, $54 nonmember - - Winter is an exciting time for outdoor discovery. We have put together four days of hands-on, awesome, age-appropriate activities to explore the natural world in winter. Sharpen your observation skills as we locate and learn about winter animals and tap a sugar maple tree to make syrup. We have a warm cozy Barn and Nature Center for indoor activities that include listening to stories, singing songs, playing with friends, and looking under a microscope. Participants will be divided into smaller groups by age. - - Maple Sugaring: Tuesday, February 22 - Today we'll learn about one of nature's tastiest treats: maple syrup. We'll discover how to distinguish a sugar maple from all the other trees in the forest and tap one to collect the sap. After a visit to the sugarhouse, we'll know how sap is converted into syrup and try some on our very own pancakes. We'll see who can tell the difference between store-bought syrup and the real stuff! - - Winter Homes: Wednesday, February 23 - Can you imagine living outside through the entire winter? We'll explore the woodlands, wetlands, and field edges for nests, cavities, burrows, dens, and lodges to discover how birds, mammals, and insects find homes in this challenging season. We'll build an igloo or shelter and see how warm it can be inside. - - Carnivores Dining Out: Thursday, February 24 - Winter is a great time to look for predators and the evidence they leave behind. Today, we'll look at animal bones, fur, scat, tracks, and chews. Then we'll hike the sanctuary in search of hawks, foxes, fishers, river otters, and more. We'll investigate how these animals are able to hunt prey in the cold winter weather. - - Frosty Feathers: Friday, February 25 - Have you ever watched a woodpecker peck a tree in search of food? Today, we'll observe chickadees, goldfinches, and cardinals gobbling up seed at the sanctuary bird feeders as they store up fat for the cold nights. Then we'll take a walk through the Hemlock Forest in search of owls and owl pellets. Before the day ends, everyone will make their very own bird feeder to take home. Registration is required. Call 978-887-9264 for details. See http://www.massaudubon.org/catalog/listing.php?program_code=985-IP11WI5 for more information.