Yesterday, we took a field trip to the Pioneers Park Nature Center, located in the west section of Pioneers Park at 32-1 S. Coddington in Lincoln. As always, we began in thePrairie Building. The children love looking at the snakes, turtles and kestrels on display inside. Baby Bear watched the snakes intently while Little Mouse put on a puppet show. We played with the diorama for a bit, talking about the different animals and their habits. We then began our hike.
In January, Great Horned Owls begin to nest. Near midnight, a chorus of hooting begins. (Click on the first thumbnail and it will launch an interesting slide show with great pictures and good information.) I have been able to identify up to five separate owls calling, looking for a mate. Keen eyes can often pick them out on fences and light poles along the highway where they take advantage of the mown grass to see their quarry. For the next month, their calls will be regular and predictable enough to wake the little ones up to listen to their calls. Since we have been listening to our nighttime friends, Little Mouse was especially interested in the owl display at the park. They have Great Horned Owls and Barred Owls outside, and a little screech owl in the Chet Ager building. We talked a bit about the birds and were able to find numerous owl pellets in the cages. If your child is curious about this sort of thing, here is a link to a virtual owl pellet dissection. Or you can click here to get information about ordering your very own owl pellets!
We had to trek back to the far west end of the park to see the bison and the elk. We talked about what life was like as these great beasts roamed the prairies in herds numbering in the millions. We found wallows and talked about how these have become a part of the Nebraska landscape.
We then continued on to the Chet Ager building. There is a large selection of stuffed Nebraska animals and some skeletons on display. Through the large viewing windows, you can watch a variety of Nebraska birds visiting the feeder, and perhaps get some inspiration on how to turn a shady spot of your lawn into a bird oasis. We saw goldfinches, purple finches, cardinals, woodpeckers, chickadees and some juncos during our brief stay. There is also now an injured bald eagle on display outside. He is still a juvenile and you can stop back frequently to watch as his brown plumage is slowly replaced by the characteristic markings of an adult bird.
Here are some upcoming events at the Nature Center that might be of interest: ********************* Free Guided Hikes, Every Saturday and Sunday Meet at 2:00PM at the Chet Ager Building Jan 14-15 Mammals in Winter Jan 21-22 Plants in Winter Jan 28-29 Hibernation Investigation
Feb 4-5 Winter Woods Walk Feb 11-12 Tracks and Traces Feb 18-19 Antlers and Horns Feb 25-26 Raptors of the Nature Center
March 4-5 Migration Mysteries March 11-12 A Bit of Green ********************* Critter Tales (preschoolers) January through March 1st and 3rd Mondays, 10:00-10:30AM $.50 per child Jan 16 Birds of Prey Feb 6 Snow Days Feb 20 Bats Mar 6 Beaver ********************* January 14 Full Moon Ramble 6:30-8:00PM at the Prairie Building $6 per person Registration deadline: January 11 ********************* January 21 and February 18 1:00-4:00PM at the Chet Ager Building free, no registration ********************* February 3 Orion and Friends (ages 6 and older) 7:30-8:30PM at the Prairie Building $6 per person Registration deadline: February 1 ********************* February 12 Geology Day 1:00-4:00PM at the Prairie Building Free, no registration ********************* February 18 Primitive Pine Needle Baskets (14 and older) 9:00-noon at the Chet Ager Building $8 per person Registration deadline: February 15 ********************* March 18 Tracking the Wild 2:00-4:00PM at the Prairie Building $6 per person Registration deadline: March 15 ********************* March 20 Sandhill Crane Trip 12:30-9:30PM $40 per person Registration deadline: February 17 Call the Nature Center at 402-441-7895 for more information
As always, email with any events or great places for home schoolers in your area so that others can take advantage of your knowledge!
Updates for homeschoolers living in or moving to Nebraska.
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