Events

Summer 2008 Calendar

Making Herbal Salves

Date: Sunday, July 13

Time: 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Place: Meet at The Nature Museum

Cost: Members $35
Cost: Non-members $40

  • All materials included

In this workshop, taught by Laura Senes, participants will learn the entire process of making salves. We will learn to identify and harvest several herbs, make oils, and make salves for a variety of uses. Handouts will be provided with information about the herbs and a general recipe for making your own salve at home. Each participant will go home with a 2 oz. jar of his or her own salve.


Camouflage Critters

Date: Saturday, July 12

Time: 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Place: Meet at The Fish Ladder Visitor Center, Bellows Falls

Cost: Free to the public

Come and join us for a fun time learning about how wild animals blend in with their surroundings. Families have a chance to make some fun crafts and play games while learning about camouflage. This program is part of the “Exploring Rockingham: Nature Out Our Backdoor” series, which is made possible by a grant from TransCanada.


Butterfly Tea Party

Date: Saturday, July 19

Time: 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Place: In Grafton's Secret Garden

Cost: Members - Adults $20; Kids $16
Cost: Non-members - Adults $25; Kids $18

  • Please pre-register

Celebrate these winged wonders and the sweetness of time spent together sipping tea in this delightful garden party. Light lunch, lemonade, tea, wearable butterfly wings for the children, and tea cups for all.


Stream and River Ecology Walk

Date: Saturday, July 26

Time: 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Place: Meet at The Fish Ladder, Bellows Falls

Cost: Free to the public

Cynthia Nichols from Antioch New England Graduate School will be leading this walk that will take participants along the Connecticut River on the Vermont side through the proposed “Riverfront Park”, to where the Saxtons River comes in to the Connecticut. This program is part of the “Exploring Rockingham: Nature Out Our Backdoor” series, which is made possible by a grant from TransCanada.


Garden Photography Workshop

Date: Saturday, August 2

Time: 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Place: Olallie Daylily Gardens, South Newfane, VT

Cost: Member - $15
Cost: Non-members - $20

  • Class size limited to 12. Please Pre-register

Photographing flowers is like immersing yourself in color. During our afternoon at the Olallie Daylily Gardens, we will explore light, composition, color and contrast. We will create images from different perspectives and with different results. Pam Nelligan, a professional photographer from Chester, Vermont, will lead this informative and fun workshop. She will bring photographs for discussion during the first part of the workshop. Digital or film cameras are welcome. It is a good idea to bring a hat and comfortable footwear.


Old Home Days Fish Ladder Open House

Date: Saturday, August 2

Time: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Place: Meet at The Fish Ladder, Bellows Falls

Cost: Free to the public

In honor of Bellows Falls Old Home Days the Fish Ladder will have special exhibits and activities for everyone to enjoy. This program is part of the “Exploring Rockingham: Nature Out Our Backdoor” series, which is made possible by a grant from TransCanada.


Last Blast of Summer Camp: Treasures in the Forest

Date: Tuesday, August 19; Ages 6 - 10

Time: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Place: Meet at The Nature Museum

Cost: Member - $30
Cost: Non-members - $35

Come explore the Village Park using a treasure hunt; collect your treasures to use on the afternoon crafts; eat lunch by the brook and of course, get wet to cool off.


Last Blast of Summer Camp: Walter Bioblitz

Date: Wednesday, August 20; Ages 6 - 10

Time: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Place: Meet at The Nature Museum

Cost: Member - $30
Cost: Non-members - $35

Come explore our local pond to see how many different creatures we can find; sketch your favorite three and return to the museum to create one or more for our Pond Diorama; eat lunch by the brook and, of course, get wet to cool off.


Coyotes in Vermont

Date: Tuesday, August 26

Time: 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Place: Rockingham Public Library, Bellows Falls

Cost: Free to the public

Kim Royar, of Vermont Fish and Wildlife, will be leading this program about Eastern Coyotes. In Vermont, the coyote population has stabilized since the animal first arrived from the West about 60 years ago. Vermont has between 4,500 and 8,000 coyotes. Join us and we learn about this fascinating animal. This program is part of the “Exploring Rockingham: Nature Out Our Backdoor” series, which is made possible by a grant from TransCanada.


Mushroom Exploration

Date: Sunday, August 31

Time: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Place: Meet at Grafton Ponds Nordic Ski and Mountain Bike Center

Cost: Member - $4
Cost: Non-members - $6

Join Dick McCarrick as he introduces us to safe mushroom hunting techniques; shares with us specimens of poisonous and non-poisonous mushrooms; and takes us for a walk in the woods as we look for these special woodland wonders.


Town-wide Scavenger Hunt

Date: Saturday, September 6

Time: 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Place: Meet at the Nature Museum

Cost: Free to the public

Collect your scavenger hunt at the Nature Museum and explore Grafton while you look for the answers. Prizes available for the winners.


Moon Journals Workshop for Educators

Date: Saturday, September 13

Time: 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Place: The Ray School, Hanover, NH


Mighty Acorns Preschool Explorers Club

Date: Wednesday, September 17

Time: Session 1: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Time: Session 2: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Place: Meet at The Nature Museum

Cost: Members $5
Cost: Non-members $7 (prices are for all participating children)

  • Pre-registration preferred

Once a month, The Nature Museum will offer this fun-filled time for preschoolers and their caregivers. Participants will explore outside and visit different habitats. This hands-on time will foster observation skills and allow them to connect with the natural world. The activities this month will be focused on the meadow habitat.


Night Out for Nature
Inspired by Bach: The Music Garden

Date: Saturday, September 20

Time: 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Place: Horowitz Performing Arts Center, Vermont Academy, Saxtons River

Cost: $12 Admission

Landscape designer Julie Moir Messervy and cellist Judith Serkin explore the relationship between music and garden design. Messervy, designer of the award-winning Toronto Music Garden based on the “First Suite for Unaccompanied Cello” by J.S. Bach, will explain how the aesthetic and structural elements in the music influenced her design choices. Serkin will perform the Suite in its entirety at the conclusion of the program.

It is best to buy the tickets before hand since they could sell out. Call 802-843-2111 or send a check made out to The Nature Museum at PO Box 38, Grafotn, VT 05146.


Astronomy Workshop for Educators

Date: Saturday, September 27

Time: 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

  • See "Education Update" section for more information

The Nature Museum at Grafton, 186 Townshend Rd, Grafton VT 05146, phone (802) 843-2111
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