Events – Page 4 – Nature Discovery Center

Mini-Camp

2024-02-15 Maura Denman

Half day camps perfect for young or first-time campers. Hands-on activities, games, art projects, new friends, and animal encounters will give your kiddo a taste of what summer camp at the Nature Discovery Center is all about.

Campers should bring a refillable water bottle. They will have a snack at camp but will eat lunch at home.

Ages: 4 to 7

Times: Camps run from 9 am to 12 noon.

2025 Dates, Topics, & Descriptions:

May 26 – Awesome Amphibians –Get toad-ally immersed in the world of amphibians! We will explore the incredible lives of these fascinating creatures, from the familiar frog to the elusive salamander. We’ll uncover their amazing life cycles, from tadpole to adult, and learn about their unique characteristics.
May 27 – Reptile Rampage –Come one, come all and learn about a diverse group of animals, the reptiles! Snakes, lizards, crocodilians, turtles, and more! Learn about different types of reptiles, their characteristics, behaviors, and special adaptations. Be prepared for some close encounters with reptiles, this camp is hands-on!
May 28 – Mammal Mania –Do YOU know what a mammal is? We’ll explore the defining features of mammals and reveal the incredible diversity of this animal group. Join us for hands-on activities, games, and even some special mammal visitors!
May 29 – Birds of a Feather
May 30 – Investigating Insects

Cost / day: $50 member / $65 non-member

Advance registration is required.

REGISTER HERE

Adult Bird Club

2024-02-15 Maura Denman

Join our bird focused program just for tweens & adults!

Wednesdays at 5:30 pm – Adults (18+) – September 11 through November 13

Do you want to start a new hobby? Here is your chance! Join our bird club and learn the basics of birdwatching. Over 8 weeks you will learn different bird characteristics and techniques to identify birds successfully.

Each 2 hour class will include a lecture (with printed lecture notes provided) and a hike in the park to see birds.

Class Topics

Class One – September 11 – Binocular Use & Birding Basics
Learning the basics of binocular use and birding basics.

Class Two – September 18 – Shapes and Sizes
Getting familiar with silhouettes and varied sizes of birds.

Class Three – September 25 – Feathers & Beaks
Deep drive into feather anatomy and beak structure.

Class Four – October 2 – Plumages
Through the seasons birds experience different plumages. Let us talk about it!

Class Five – October 9 – Flight & Migration
Flight patterns and understanding about migration.

TWO WEEK BREAK DUE TO PUMPKIN PATCH

Class Six – October 30 – Feet & Claws
Bird feet? Different feet for different purposes.

Class Seven – November 6 – Behavior
We are viewing different examples of birds’ behavior to grow our curiosity.

Class Eight – November 11 & 13 – Field Trip – Bird Pins
We are going to a TBD location to put all our knowledge to the test! Following graduation.

Cost: $175 (This includes a pair of binoculars!) for new students; just $85 for returning students

Participants will need to bring their given binoculars to each class.

Advance registration is required.

ADULTS REGISTER HERE

Registration will close on Friday, September 6!

Please SHARE with friends, family, and social media groups.

CLOSED – Discovery Rooms

2023-12-26 Maura Denman

The Discovery Rooms will be closed

12/27, 12/28, & 12/29 – BOTH morning & afternoon

1/2, 1/3, & 1/4 – Morning only (10a-noon). They will be OPEN from 4 to 6pm on these days.

Adult Campfire Night

2023-12-05 Maura Denman

Friday, February 23, 7 – 9 pm

Visit the Center for an evening of adult fun! We’ll roast (gourmet) hot dogs and make a variety of adult s’mores by the fire, enjoy beer and wine and grown-up snacks, play corn hole, interact with live animals, and take a night hike through the woods. Vegetarian food options will be available.

This evening out is definitely for adults ages 21+.

Cost: $35/person

Advance registration is required.

REGISTER

Birding the Hotspots of Greater Houston

2023-08-14 Maura Denman

A Family-Friendly Field Trip with Cin-Ty Lee and Mary Ann Beauchemin

Note: This trip is good for beginning birders as well as advanced birders, as there will be something for
everyone.

Ages: Adults and families with children ages 7 and up are welcome. All children must be registered attendees and be
accompanied by a registered adult attendee.

Additional trip details, including meeting points and times, will be emailed to all registered participants.

Cost: $75 member / $95 non-member

Advance registration required. Registration link below.

Birding the Hotspots of Greater Houston
Saturday, November 11 Re-scheduled for December 9 due to weather

Do you need to increase your Harris County bird list or do you want to know your local birding spots better? Join us
where Galveston Bay meets Houston. This is the place to go for those hard to find waders, sparrows, gulls and
vagrants that are difficult to find elsewhere in Houston. We will start early in the morning scanning the bay for
terns, gulls, mergansers, shorebirds and maybe even a scoter. We will then head over to San Jacinto Monument,
where we should see Vermilion Flycatcher, a variety of sparrows, waders, waterfowl, and rails. There’s always the
possibility of a rare warbler, towhee, tanager, and more.

Meet Your Birding Guides

Cin-Ty Lee is a professor of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences at Rice University, where he teaches a wide variety of courses ranging from geology to bird biology. He spends much of his spare time studying, photographing and painting birds and other wildlife. He has written numerous articles on bird identification, focusing on some of the more difficult bird groups, such as loons, immature orioles, pewees, pipits, dowitchers, and recently, Empidonax flycatchers.

Mary Ann Beauchemin retired as the Nature Discovery Center’s Senior Staff Naturalist, but she continues to volunteer her time and talents guiding birding activities for the Center. She is an avid birder with decades of experience birding (and guiding) throughout the Greater Houston Area, along the Texas coast, and beyond.

Birding Bolivar Flats and Anuhuac

2023-08-14 Maura Denman

A Family Friendly Birding Field Trip with Cin-Ty Lee and Mary Ann Beauchemin

Note: This trip is good for beginning birders as well as advanced birders, as there will be something for
everyone.

Ages: Adults and families with children ages 7 and up are welcome. All children must be registered attendees and be
accompanied by a registered adult attendee.

Additional trip details, including meeting points and times, will be emailed to all registered participants.

Cost: $75 member / $95 non-member

Advance registration required. Registration link below.

Birding Bolivar Flats & Anahuac: The Return of the Waders
Sunday, October 22

Join us on a trip to see the shorebirds and waterfowl that have returned from the north. Houston Audubon’s
Bolivar Flats and the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge are two of the most famous migratory stopover spots in
the country. We should see thousands of shorebirds on the Bolivar Flats. Early October is a good time for
migrating passerines as well, and we will stop by small patches of trees in search of buntings, sparrows and
immature warblers. At Anahuac, we will be treated to waders and waterfowl.

REGISTER

Meet Your Birding Guides

Cin-Ty Lee is a professor of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences at Rice University, where he teaches a wide variety of courses ranging from geology to bird biology. He spends much of his spare time studying, photographing and painting birds and other wildlife. He has written numerous articles on bird identification, focusing on some of the more difficult bird groups, such as loons, immature orioles, pewees, pipits, dowitchers, and recently, Empidonax flycatchers.

Mary Ann Beauchemin retired as the Nature Discovery Center’s Senior Staff Naturalist, but she continues to volunteer her time and talents guiding birding activities for the Center. She is an avid birder with decades of experience birding (and guiding) throughout the Greater Houston Area, along the Texas coast, and beyond.

Batty Bridge Family Field Trip

2023-05-22 Maura Denman

August 23 from 6:30 to 9:30 pm

We will begin our time at the Nature Discovery Center learning all about bats, doing some bat crafts, and eating some snacks. We will leave the NDC at 7:30 to head to Waugh Drive Bat Colony to continue our talk there and watch the emergence. Families will be responsible for their own transportation to the bridge. Families will be free to go home from the bridge whenever they chose.

Cost: $10 per person

Note: This is NOT a drop off program. All children must be accompanied by an adult, and all attendees (children and adults must be registered and have paid for their spots).

Advance registration is required.

REGISTER

Bats, Beer, & Bingo

2023-05-22 Maura Denman

October 11 from 7:30 to 9:30 pm

Come have a fun night of bats, beers, and bingo! We will have beer and wine as well as some snacks while we learn all about our batty friends. We will be playing bingo while we answer any and all questions you might have about bats! We will end the evening with a night hike using our bat monitors to see (or hear!) who is flying around above our heads.

Ages: Adults only – ages 21 and up.

Cost: $25 per person

Advance registration is required.

REGISTER

Spring Day Camp

2023-02-22 Maura Denman

Send the kids (ages 5 to 10) with their lunch and a refillable water bottle and we’ll do the rest. Your children will be engaged and entertained by our science and nature themed camps, featuring hands-on activities, games, arts and crafts, new friends, and more. Weather permitting, campers will spend the majority of their time outdoors.

Camps run from 9am to 3pm. We can not offer pre or post camp care at this time.

March 31 – Animals from Acapulco to the Andes
April 18 – Slimy & Slithery
May 2 – Aquatic Animals

Age Restriction: campers must be 5 to 10 years old at the time of camp

Cost / day: Family Level Members $70 / Nonmembers $85 (Note: You must be a NDC Family Level or higher Member at the time of your registration to receive the Member Discount.)

Advance registration is required.

REGISTER HERE

Registration is open to NDC Family Level (and higher) Members
Registration will open to non-members on February 22.

Please notify the Center via phone call (713.667.6550) and detailed email (mail@naturediscoverycenter.org) of any change in your plans or need to withdraw from camp for any reason.

Read our FAQ for Camp Registrations Here (includes cancellation and refund policies)

Camp: World of Water

2023-02-20 Maura Denman

Send the kids (ages 5 to 10) with their lunch and a refillable water bottle and we’ll do the rest. Your children will be engaged and entertained by our science and nature themed camps, featuring hands-on activities, games, art projects, new friends, and more. Weather permitting, campers will spend the majority of their time outdoors.

Ages: 5 to 10 years old

Days & Times: Monday – Friday from 9am – 3pm

Camp Cost (includes a t-shirt): Wildlife Family Level and above Member Discount $295/week or Nonmembers $375/week

Advanced registration is required. REGISTER

Please read our FAQ for Camp Registrations here before you register (includes cancellation and refund policies).

2023 Dates and Topics

Jun 5 – 9	Into the Trees – WAIT LIST
Jun 12 – 16	Into the Trees – WAIT LIST
Jun 19 – 23	Tracks and Scat – WAIT LIST
Jun 26 – 30	Tracks and Scat – WAIT LIST
July 4 week	Break Week – no camps this week
Jul 10 – 14	Creepy Crawlies – WAIT LIST
Jul 17 – 21	Creepy Crawlies – WAIT LIST
Jul 24 – 28	Messy Nature Play – WAIT LIST
Jul 31 1 – Aug 4	Messy Nature Play – WAIT LIST
Aug 7 – 11	World of Water – WAIT LIST
Aug 14 – 18	World of Water – WAIT LIST

Camp Size and Structure: Limit 20 total campers per week. Campers will be divided in two groups of 10 campers that will have separate camp spaces at the Center. Each group will have the same camp instructor and teen counselor for the entire week. Note: At the time of registration, you must list the first and last names of any friends that your child would like in their camp group. We can not guarantee that any two kids will be placed in the same group without this information up front.

What to Bring: lunches and water bottles.

Please notify the Center via phone call (713.667.6550) and detailed email (mail@naturediscoverycenter.org) of any change in your plans or need to withdraw from camp for any reason.

Events Listing

Mini-Camp

Adult Bird Club

Join our bird focused program just for tweens & adults!

CLOSED – Discovery Rooms