Education & Community

Celebrate the annual great migration of the monarchs from Minnesota to Mexico at Lake Nokomis this fall. Break out your best orange and black to walk in the costume parade or learn more about these incredible butterflies by tagging and releasing your own. You can explore the butterfly naturescape by the lake and even find out how you can help to protect the species in the future. Read more about Minneapolis Monarch Festival

Experience a Taste of Greece at the Minneapolis Greek Festival at St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church. Try authentic Greek food, from gyros to baklava, while participating in the various cultural experiences available. It will be a weekend full of bookstores, boutiques and dancing finished off with a 5K run for Chloe’s Fight Rare Disease Foundation. Read more about Minneapolis Greek Festival

Join us for the 2nd Annual ‘Shout Out Loud’ Suicide Prevention and Resource Awareness event! Our main goal with Shout Out Loud is to normalize the conversation about suicide prevention in our community and encourage participation in local wellness resources. Our goal with Shout Out Loud is to normalize the conversation about suicide prevention in our community and encourage participation in local wellness resources. Read more about Shout Out Loud Minnesota - A Suicide Prevention Charity Event

(ALL AGES)

It is FUN to be outside in the wintertime! Take a hike or snowshoe down to the pond for a fun exploration then make S’mores.

Fee: $5/person. Register by Thursday, Dec 28  Read more about S'more Nature Fun

(ADULTS; CHILDREN AGES 8 AND UP WITH ADULT)  

Drop in to watch and record winter birds on our trails or at our feeders. Enter your sightings using the eBird app or hand-write a list for the naturalist. Double the fun by renting a pair of snowshoes for $5/pair (if 6” snow on ground)!

FREE! Drop-in Program.  Read more about December Brrrrd Count

Walk when the Moon is full to listen and look for these flying mousetraps! Great horned and barred owls make the nature center home. Back inside, dissect an owl pellet to identify the teeth and bones of the creatures they eat. Learn to identify 5 owl calls and practice calling, too! Bring a mug for a hot beverage afterward! Small scout or youth groups welcome.

Fee: $5 per person, Register online by Tuesday, December 10. Read more about Full Moon Walk

Learn how to read weather radar for your home, drive, and for events planning.  Learn more about what those forecasts really mean, and what to watch for during Minnesota Winters.  Learn about cloud formations and take home your very own cloud chart. This program is great for folks who have just moved to Minnesota, AND life-long Minnesota dwellers alike!  Learn winter preparedness tips and tricks from the Naturalist including how to keep warm and stay safe in winter.  Read more about Wild Weather in Minnesota With Pete Boulay

Make and take a scented bath bomb using simple, environmentally friendly ingredients. Add a few dried flower petals for some extra pizazz! Bring home two bombs (one for you and one for a gift), a recipe, handouts and a mold. Wear old clothes, bring an ice cream bucket or large bowl, large stirring spoon and a Ziploc bag to transport your creations home.

Fee: Prepay $8/person by Wednesday, November 20. Read more about I's the Bomb!

(AGES 7 AND UP WITH ADULT, SMALL SCOUT TROOPS WELCOME!)

Meet a snake and salamander, and learn where Minnesota’s wild reptiles and amphibians go in the winter. You can share your stories about real wild animal encounters, if you choose! Try a wild animal craft to take home too!

Fee: Free. Register by Friday, November 15  Read more about Walk When the Moon is Full

Get the scoop on trees that grow in to Minnesota that are good for carving, and take a short tree id walk outside with the Naturalist.  Learn how to carve a spoon from a fresh cut native tree using traditional Nordic carving techniques. We cover axing out a blank (roughed out spoon shape), knife holds for the hook & sloyd knife, drying, and finishing. This class is great for the beginner or the person wanting to learn Sloyd style carving. The class fee includes tool rental, materials, a finishing kit, and safety glove rental. Please wear pants and close toed shoes. Read more about Woodland Spoon Carving