Events – Page 21 – Nature Discovery Center

Early Childhood PLT Workshop

2017-12-05 Maura Denman

Project Learning Tree: Environmental Experiences for Early Childhood (3 hours)

This 2011 Teacher’s Choice Award winning program was developed for preschool educators and early childhood specialists teaching children ages 3 to 6. It includes over 130 experiences that engage children in outdoor play and exploration. Topics include exploring nature with five senses, meeting neighborhood trees, experiencing trees through the seasons, and more. An accompanying music CD features songs from children’s musician Billy B. Brennan that encourages children to sing, dance, and move.

Date: Saturday, February 10, 2018 from 10am – 1pm

Cost: $30 teacher / $25 current student

Registration link coming here soon.

Sparrow ID Workshop

2017-11-25 Maura Denman

Sparrow Identification Workshop

with Dr. Cin-Ty Lee

Once again Dr. Cin-Ty Lee has volunteered to teach a bird identification workshop as a fundraiser to help support birding programs at the Nature Discovery Center – this one on wintering Sparrows in the area! All proceeds will go directly to the Nature Discovery Center.

This workshop will feature a one evening sparrow identification lecture, followed by an all day field trip to several places in the greater Houston area to look for some of our over-wintering sparrows.

Workshop Details:

Lecture: Wednesday, January 31 at 7 pm at the Nature Discovery Center

Field Trip: Saturday, February 3 at 7 am and continue through lunchtime, with the possibility of going longer if people want to keep birding. Car-pooling is recommended. Specific birding locations will be selected by Dr. Lee closer to the date of the field trip.

Cost: $65 – members; $90 – non-members

Advanced registration required. Class size is limited to 15 participants. Registration link coming HERE soon.

What to Bring & Wear: Lots of water & drinks, lunch, snacks, sunscreen, mosquito repellent, binoculars and bird books. Layered clothing, hat, closed toed shoes.

Frisky Fauna Adult Nature Night Event

2017-11-25 Maura Denman

Are you looking for an unusual and interesting way to celebrate Valentine’s Day? Join Head Naturalist Eric Duran for a fun and slightly off-color presentation about love and courtship in the animal kingdom! We’ll mingle over champagne and snacks, and a few party games, before the talk. There will be a few laughs, and a lot of strange nature. This presentation is definitely for adults only!

Adult beverages and snacks will be provided.

Day, Date & Time: Friday, 02/10, 7 – 9 pm

Age Restrictions: Adults only ages 21 and up

Cost: $25/person

Attendance limits: 25 people

Advanced registration is required. REGISTER HERE

For cancellation, refund and other program policies, please read our FAQ for Classes and Camps.

Turtle Town Book Release with Melissa Williams

2017-11-25 Maura Denman

Saturday, December 9 from 10 am to 12 noon

Accomplished children’s author Melissa Williams will launch her next children’s book, The Golden Boy, at the Nature Discovery Center during a special book release event. The Golden Boy, set in Australia, is the 3rd and final book in the series Turtle Town.

The Turtle Town series is targeted to the upper elementary aged reader and has a conservation theme.

To learn more about Melissa Williams and her books, visit: melissamwilliamsauthor.com/

Photos with Santa

2017-11-25 Maura Denman

Saturday, December 1 from 10 am to 1 pm

John Daugherty Realtors is sponsoring Photos with Santa at the Nature Discovery Center. Come visit with the animals at the Center while you wait for your child’s turn on Santa’s lap. Participants will receive a free photo.

Great Backyard Bird Count

2017-11-25 Maura Denman

Join us for the 2025 Great Backyard Bird Count! Friday, February 14, 9 am – 10:30 am

Families are welcome.  We will meet at the front porch of the Nature Discovery Center.  If you are a little late, just find us in the park.

Bring a pair of binoculars, but if you don’t have any, we have some here you can borrow.  Please call or e-mail the Center (713.667.6550) at least a day ahead of time so we can have a pair ready for you.

Bird watchers from around the world will take part in this annual event. Participants in the free event will join tens of thousands of volunteers of all levels of birding experience to count birds in their own backyards, local parks or wildlife refuges.

You can also add a checklist from your own back yard or favorite local birding spot. Checklists submitted by all “citizen scientists” help scientists and researchers learn more about how different bird species are doing, how their populations and ranges are changing, and how to protect them. Visit http://gbbc.birdcount.org/ to learn more about the count and to explore the results and check out species distribution or shifts in abundance by looking at the maps and lists in their “Explore Data” section.

Winter Break Camp

2017-11-02 Maura Denman

We are offering day long camps on select days during the 2017-2018 Winter Break from school for kids ages 5 – 10. Day camps meet from 9 am – 3:30 pm each day. Kids bring a lunch and we provide snacks and water.

Register online.

Cost/day: Members $49 / Nonmembers $59
After Care is available until 5:30 pm for $15/day.

2018-2019 Winter Break Day Camp Class Schedule

Date	Topic
12/21	Cardinals in Winter
01/02	Fuzzy Friends
01/03	Winter Nature
01/04	Plants, Animals, & Fungi
01/21	Scaly & Slimy

Decompress with Free Nature Play

2017-09-06 Maura Denman

Houston is working hard on clean up and recovery. The work is incredibly stressful for our community, including our kids. After food, shelter, and clothing, children’s next most pressing need is to play. Free play in nature is a great way to reduce their stress!

This is a FREE drop-in event (from 9am – 12pm in the nature play area); come for all or part.
Bayou City Play will provide loose parts like ropes, fabric, tubes, and other construction materials
PUCS coffee will be available
Plan to stay and play/relax with your kids. Parents or caregivers are responsible for kids throughout the play day.

View event flyer here

Food Detectives

2017-08-16 Maura Denman

Ages: 7 – 12

Would your kids enjoy digging in the garden and trying to grow their own healthy snacks or learning to make fun, edible creations of their own?

Sophia Kontos, a former camper and counselor at the NDC, is teaching this series of three classes on Saturday mornings in September on the basics of gardening, knowing where food comes from, and healthy eating. Sophia is doing this as part of earning her Girl Scout Gold Award.

Kids will learn, explore, and be enticed with healthier food options by trying new vegetables such as jicama, romanesco and kohlrabi. Kids will plant seeds of easy-to-grow vegetables and herbs, watch them grow and learn how to care for the plants. Then they will get to take them home to plant in their yards in pots or in the ground.

Dates: September 9, 16, & 23

Times: 10 – 11:30 am

Cost: $10 (for the entire 3 class series; fee goes directly to the Nature Discovery Center)

Bring: Kids should wear clothes that they can get dirty in. Mosquito spray and sunscreen are recommended.

Class size: 3 – 8 kids

Advance registration required. Register

Creatures and Cocktails Night Hike

2017-08-16 Maura Denman

Friday, Oct. 27 at 7 PM

A program for adults (21+)

Cost: $15 per person

Pre-registration required

If you are looking for a unique Halloween adventure for adults, we have the program for you! Join naturalist Eric Duran for a celebration of nocturnal nature over drinks at the Nature Discovery Center. We’ll learn spooky stories about night time creatures. With the moon above us we’ll head out into the night to encounter screech owls and other animals that creep, crawl and fly around in the shadows.

Adult beverages and snacks will be provided.

Register Event is now on WAITLIST status — Give us a call (713-667-6550) to be added to waitlist.

Events Listing

Early Childhood PLT Workshop

Sparrow ID Workshop

Sparrow Identification Workshop

Frisky Fauna Adult Nature Night Event

Turtle Town Book Release with Melissa Williams

Photos with Santa

Great Backyard Bird Count

Winter Break Camp

2018-2019 Winter Break Day Camp Class Schedule

Decompress with Free Nature Play

Food Detectives

Creatures and Cocktails Night Hike

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Creatures and Cocktails Night Hike