Be a Nature Scientist! Have fun learning about the outdoors, and take care of it where you live.
This is a free nature science club for children & their families, intended to increase their connection to & stewardship of the outdoor world. We will be learning about how to monitor and protect local animals, plants, & natural resources.
This club is a blend of outdoor fun combined with learning naturalist and science-based computer skills. Each meeting includes outdoor & indoor educational games along with a hike, ecosystem exploring time, and practice using citizen science ecological monitoring apps. Please note that 2/3 of every meeting are spent outdoors (Two of the three hours).
New for 2018: This year we are converting to a cooperative club and we will be asking for families to share in leading monthly meetings. We will have a sign-up sheet at the first meeting of the year :-).
New for 2017: We will experiment with a new pattern of alternating field days & field trips with our regular meeting format. We will solicit location ideas for field trips from club members and travel locally to explore and play in a natural setting. The idea for field days will be to enjoy kids's choice outdoor games, and then work on a stewardship project during part of the hike. Snack will still be included in both meeting formats.
This is a family-oriented club. Parents & guardians & siblings are welcome, with a minimum of at least one adult accompanying children. The activities and materials are designed for children & teens, but all ages are welcome. We believe in play-based learning, so every meeting will include lots of free play & exploring time, especially during the hike.
We meet 9 times per year on Saturday afternoons closest to the full moon. We have a several ideas for themes already, but encourage club members to share their preferences at meetings, via the Feedback Form, and at the 'Future Club Directions Discussion' during the December meeting.
2018 Meetings Dates & Topics:
Saturday 27 January 2018, 1-4pm: Solar System & Stars: Field Trip to Abram's Planetarium
2017 Meetings Dates & Topics:
Saturday 28 Jan 2017, 1-4 pm: Field Day at Fenner Nature Center
Saturday 11 Feb 2017, 1-4 pm: Tracking Michigan Mammals, 2.0
Saturday 11 March 2017, 1-4 pm: Field Trip - MSU Planetarium
Saturday 22 April 2017, 1-4 pm: Michigan Birds, 2.0
Saturday 17 June 2017, 1-4 pm: Field Day at Fenner Nature Center
Saturday 12 August 2017, 1-4 pm: Field Day at Fenner Nature Center: & test prototype QR code course!
POSTPONED, date TBA: Michigan Raptors @ Haslett Library & Local Nature Area
2016 Meetings Dates & Topics:
Saturday 16 Jan 2016, 1-4 pm: Animals in Winter @ Potter Park Zoo
Saturday 13 Feb 2016, 1-4 pm: Solar System & Stars: Field trip to MSU Planetarium
Saturday 26 March 2016: Michigan Frogs & Toads
Saturday 23 April 2016: Spiders of Michigan: Field trip to MSU Campus, Natural Science Building
Saturday 18 June 2016, 7-10pm: Bats of Michigan: Evening field trip to Lake Lansing Park South
Saturday 30 July 2016, 1-4pm: Michigan Reptiles
Saturday 24 Sept. 2016, 1-4 pm: Michigan Trees
Saturday 22 Oct. 2016, 1-4 pm: Field Trip to Harris Nature Center Halloween Festival
Saturday 19 Nov 2016, 1-4 pm: Field Trip to Fenner Nature Center: Michigan Survival Skills
2015 Meetings Dates & Topics:
Saturday 10 January 2015, 1-4pm: Tracking Michigan Mammals
Saturday 7 February 2015, 1-4pm: Michigan Animals in Winter: Field trip to Potter Park Zoo
Saturday 7 March 2015, 1-4pm: Michigan Frogs & Toads
Saturday 4 April 2015, 1-4pm: Michigan Birds
Saturday 2 May 2015, 11-1pm: Phoenix's Birthday @ Lake Lansing Park South!
Saturday 13 June 2015, 1-4 pm: Bats of Michigan
Saturday 25 July 2015, 1-4 pm: Michigan Pollinators
Saturday 19 Sept 2015, 1-4 pm: Trees of Michigan
Saturday 17 Oct 2015, 1-4 pm: Michigan Wild Cats
Saturday 5 Dec 2015, 1-4 pm: Orienteering
2014 Meetings Dates & Topics:
Saturday 14 June 2014, 1-3pm: Michigan Frogs & Toads
Saturday 12 July 2014, 1-3pm: Bats of Michigan
Saturday 9 August 2014, 1-4pm: Michigan Butterflies, Moths & Bugs
Saturday 6 September 2014, 1-4pm: Ponds & Water Quality Monitoring
Saturday 4 October 2014, 1-4pm: Trees of Michigan
Saturday 1 November 2014, 1-4pm: Orienteering
Saturday 13 December 2014, 1-4pm: Solar System & Stars: Field Trip to Abram's Planetarium
Trixi Ayahr Beeker, the club facilitator, has earned an MSc in Fisheries & Wildlife from Michigan State University, is a Master Naturalist, presents children's wildlife programs at libraries, schools & nature centers, and teaches environmental science courses at local colleges.
This is a free nature science club for children & their families, intended to increase their connection to & stewardship of the outdoor world. We will be learning about how to monitor and protect local animals, plants, & natural resources.
This club is a blend of outdoor fun combined with learning naturalist and science-based computer skills. Each meeting includes outdoor & indoor educational games along with a hike, ecosystem exploring time, and practice using citizen science ecological monitoring apps. Please note that 2/3 of every meeting are spent outdoors (Two of the three hours).
New for 2018: This year we are converting to a cooperative club and we will be asking for families to share in leading monthly meetings. We will have a sign-up sheet at the first meeting of the year :-).
New for 2017: We will experiment with a new pattern of alternating field days & field trips with our regular meeting format. We will solicit location ideas for field trips from club members and travel locally to explore and play in a natural setting. The idea for field days will be to enjoy kids's choice outdoor games, and then work on a stewardship project during part of the hike. Snack will still be included in both meeting formats.
This is a family-oriented club. Parents & guardians & siblings are welcome, with a minimum of at least one adult accompanying children. The activities and materials are designed for children & teens, but all ages are welcome. We believe in play-based learning, so every meeting will include lots of free play & exploring time, especially during the hike.
We meet 9 times per year on Saturday afternoons closest to the full moon. We have a several ideas for themes already, but encourage club members to share their preferences at meetings, via the Feedback Form, and at the 'Future Club Directions Discussion' during the December meeting.
2018 Meetings Dates & Topics:
Saturday 27 January 2018, 1-4pm: Solar System & Stars: Field Trip to Abram's Planetarium
2017 Meetings Dates & Topics:
Saturday 28 Jan 2017, 1-4 pm: Field Day at Fenner Nature Center
Saturday 11 Feb 2017, 1-4 pm: Tracking Michigan Mammals, 2.0
Saturday 11 March 2017, 1-4 pm: Field Trip - MSU Planetarium
Saturday 22 April 2017, 1-4 pm: Michigan Birds, 2.0
Saturday 17 June 2017, 1-4 pm: Field Day at Fenner Nature Center
Saturday 12 August 2017, 1-4 pm: Field Day at Fenner Nature Center: & test prototype QR code course!
POSTPONED, date TBA: Michigan Raptors @ Haslett Library & Local Nature Area
2016 Meetings Dates & Topics:
Saturday 16 Jan 2016, 1-4 pm: Animals in Winter @ Potter Park Zoo
Saturday 13 Feb 2016, 1-4 pm: Solar System & Stars: Field trip to MSU Planetarium
Saturday 26 March 2016: Michigan Frogs & Toads
Saturday 23 April 2016: Spiders of Michigan: Field trip to MSU Campus, Natural Science Building
Saturday 18 June 2016, 7-10pm: Bats of Michigan: Evening field trip to Lake Lansing Park South
Saturday 30 July 2016, 1-4pm: Michigan Reptiles
Saturday 24 Sept. 2016, 1-4 pm: Michigan Trees
Saturday 22 Oct. 2016, 1-4 pm: Field Trip to Harris Nature Center Halloween Festival
Saturday 19 Nov 2016, 1-4 pm: Field Trip to Fenner Nature Center: Michigan Survival Skills
2015 Meetings Dates & Topics:
Saturday 10 January 2015, 1-4pm: Tracking Michigan Mammals
Saturday 7 February 2015, 1-4pm: Michigan Animals in Winter: Field trip to Potter Park Zoo
Saturday 7 March 2015, 1-4pm: Michigan Frogs & Toads
Saturday 4 April 2015, 1-4pm: Michigan Birds
Saturday 2 May 2015, 11-1pm: Phoenix's Birthday @ Lake Lansing Park South!
Saturday 13 June 2015, 1-4 pm: Bats of Michigan
Saturday 25 July 2015, 1-4 pm: Michigan Pollinators
Saturday 19 Sept 2015, 1-4 pm: Trees of Michigan
Saturday 17 Oct 2015, 1-4 pm: Michigan Wild Cats
Saturday 5 Dec 2015, 1-4 pm: Orienteering
2014 Meetings Dates & Topics:
Saturday 14 June 2014, 1-3pm: Michigan Frogs & Toads
Saturday 12 July 2014, 1-3pm: Bats of Michigan
Saturday 9 August 2014, 1-4pm: Michigan Butterflies, Moths & Bugs
Saturday 6 September 2014, 1-4pm: Ponds & Water Quality Monitoring
Saturday 4 October 2014, 1-4pm: Trees of Michigan
Saturday 1 November 2014, 1-4pm: Orienteering
Saturday 13 December 2014, 1-4pm: Solar System & Stars: Field Trip to Abram's Planetarium
Trixi Ayahr Beeker, the club facilitator, has earned an MSc in Fisheries & Wildlife from Michigan State University, is a Master Naturalist, presents children's wildlife programs at libraries, schools & nature centers, and teaches environmental science courses at local colleges.
(The Nature Science Club by Phoenix and Trixi Beeker is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.)
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.)