Seasonal Programs

Ashland Nature Center - Hockessin
Coverdale Farm - Greenville
Dupont Environmental Education Center - Wilmington

ASHLAND NATURE CENTER

Nature & Art Go Hand-in-Hand     Max: 15
Program #: W10-088-AS
Wednesday, January 27, 3:30 - 5:00 pm
Member/Non-Member: $9/$15
Leader: Wendy Toman

Take a nature walk in winter then roll up your sleeves and get ready to feel the paint on your fingertips. Create brilliant colors and marvel at the variety of textures and patterns found in nature that we will use to produce works of art. Children will experiment with different artistic mediums and methods of design using natural and recycled materials.

Show Your Love, Naturally     Max: 15
Program #: W10-089-AS
Friday, February 12, 4:00 - 6:00 pm
Member/Non-Member: $9/$15
Leader: Wendy Toman

What ways can we find to show our love for our families using what Mother Nature provides, rather than buying gifts made from plastic or other wasteful materials? Handmade gifts are always the most-treasured. Test your creativity to come up with a variety of gifts that say "I love you" in time for Valentine's Day.

Owl Moon     Max: 15
Program #: W10-090-AS
Friday, March 5, 6:30 - 8:30 pm
Member/Non-Member: $9/$15
Leader: Kristen Sensabaugh

Who can swoop down and grab small running animals when it is pitch dark outside? Owls, of course! Visit Ashland in the evening to find out which owls are spreading their silent wings over the winter landscape. Learn about their calls and incredible night senses. Read Owl Moon before setting out on an owl prowl through Ashland's forest during the full moon phase to find Screech and Great Horned Owls.

Dress Up Your "Kaya" Doll...Native American Style Max 15
Program #: W10-091-AS
Sunday, March 7, 2:00 - 5:00 pm
Member/Non-member: $12/$18
Leader: Wendy Toman

Learn about real Native Americans of the Lenni Lenape tribe. Try on some replica clothes, then make faux deer hide clothes for our dolls. Make other accessories for your doll using dyes, beads, feathers and other natural items. Bring your Kaya doll, or any kind of doll, to the program.

Mining and Minerals     Max: 13
Program #: W10-092-AS
Saturday, March 20, 2:00 - 4:30 pm
Member/Non-Member: Adult $10, Child $10/Adult $15, Child $15
Leader: David Pragoff

Dig for mineral treasures like mica, quartz and garnet at a unique feldspar quarry near the Brandywine River. Learn why these minerals are here and how they were mined. Bring your rock hammer or borrow ours as we head out on a rock-ing mining expedition. Meet at Ashland to ride in the van to the nearby location. Parents are welcome to register as well.

Spring Break: Herp Hunters Day Camp     Max: 15
Program #: W10-093-AS
Tuesday, April 6, 8:30 am - 3:00 pm
Member/Non-Member: $35/$50
Leader: Sarah Hendrickson

Head out to Ashland's freshwater marsh for a wetland exploration and locate different life stages of frogs and toads. Keep your eye out for newts, turtles and other water creatures as we explore their habitat. Meet face to face with amphibians and reptiles from Ashland's collection. Bring a bag lunch.

Outdoor Photo Safari     Max: 15
Program #: W10-094-AS
Saturday, April 17, 9:00 am - Noon
Member/Non-Member: $12/$18
Leader: Christy Belardo

Capture the beauty and excitement of the outdoors in the lens of a camera. Learn how to look at nature with an artist's eye from the tiniest detail to an open landscape. Choose your subject, study it from all angles and snap a picture to take home. Visit forests, fields and wetlands to find your best image of the outdoors.

COVERDALE FARM

Clay Bowls and Stone Soup
Program #: F09-101-CF        Max: 12
Friday, December 18 - 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Member/Non-Member: $35/ $50
Leader: Bea Kaplan

This two-part program teaches you how to make a delicious soup and the clay bowl to eat it from! In the first class you'll fashion your very own clay soup bowl; in the second class you'll prepare a scrumptious "Stone Soup" to ladle into and eat out of your fired and finished bowl. Dinner included in both programs.

Farm Breakfast for Dinner     Max: 12
Program #: W10-094-CF
Friday, January 22, 4:30 - 7:30 pm
Member/Non-Member: $25/$35
Leaders: Michelle Johnson and Judi Vanderwerff

Where does your breakfast come from? Explore the farm to discover from where eggs, bacon, sausage, milk, butter, yogurt, corn muffins and other delicious breakfast fare come. Return to the Coverdale kitchen and make your very own breakfast...for dinner! Finish the evening with a craft, a delicious story and fun.

A Farmer's Valentine     Max: 10
Program #: W10-095-CF
Saturday, February 13, 5:30 - 8:30 pm
Member/Non-Member: $25/$35
Leader: Michelle Johnson

Celebrate Valentine's Day the Coverdale Farm way. Deliver love to the pigs by giving them warm straw to sleep in; bring joy to the sheep and chickens by feeding them delicious grain; show love to cows by feeding them crunchy hay. Warm your heart with a delicious dinner and make a farm valentine craft to take home to the ones you love.

Afternoon Animal Husbandry     Max: 12
Program #: W10-096-CF Friday, March 19, 4:00 - 5:30 pm
Program #: W10-098-CF Thursday, April 22, 4:00 - 5:30 pm
Member/Non-Member: $9/$15
Leader: Michelle Johnson

Put on your boots, roll up your sleeves and head out to Coverdale Farm. We'd love your help with our daily afternoon farm chores. Help milk the dairy cow; feed calves, pigs, chickens, chicks and sheep; bed pens; and wash milking equipment. We hope you'll lend a hand down on the farm!

Farmer's Helpers     Max: 12
Program #: W10-097-CF
Wednesday, April 7, 8:30 am - 3:00 pm
Member/Non-Member: $25/$35
Leader: Michelle Johnson

Become a farmer for a day! Help with morning and afternoon farm animal chores, dig into the garden, make a delicious lunch, take a hike, listen to stories, make a work of farm art and have a ton of fun!

A Cow, A Bee, A Cookie and You!     Max: 10
Program #: W10-099-CF
Wednesday, April 28, 4:00 - 6:00 pm
Member/Non-Member: $9/$15
Leaders: Sarah Hendrickson and Christy Belardo

One cow? A thousand buzzing bees? The bark from a tree? Is that what you really need to make honey cookies? Explore your way through a delicious recipe to see which ingredients come from Coverdale Farm and which ingredients come from far away. Make a batch of these yummy treats to take home and bake with your family. Delicious!

DUPONT ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTER

Trash to Treasure     Max: 15
Program #: W10-100-DC
Saturday February 13, 10:00 am - Noon
Member/Non-Member: $9/$15
Leader: Lesley Bensinger

"One person's trash is another one's treasure"! Join us this Valentine's Day for a mini-marsh clean up. Let your imagination run wild and turn junk and natural materials into a recycled art valentine.

Parents Night Out (Ages 3-8)     Max: 15
Program #: W10-101-DC
Friday March 12, 6:00 - 8:00 pm
Member/Non-Member: $17/$22
Leader: Lesley Bensinger

Set mom and dad loose to have dinner along Wilmington's Riverfront while you stay at DEEC and have all the fun! Use a flashlight to light your way along a dark night hike. Participate in a scavenger hunt and visit with some live animals. Dinner provided.

Shutterbug Walk     Max: 10
Program #: W10-102-DC
Tuesday, April 20, 4:00 - 6:00 pm
Member/Non-Member: $12/$18
Leader: John Harrod

Let the beauty of the Russell W. Peterson Urban Wildlife Refuge and the Wilmington Riverfront inspire the next generation of nature photographers. Use our digital cameras or bring your own and sharpen your photography skills.