Category Archives: Nature Center Activities

Information on activities held at the Nature Center.

Firefly 5K Family Fun Night Meander – Saturday, July 23

Posted on by

fireflyFire pits will be ignited at 7:30pm and the Firefly 5K Meander will begin. Fireflies won’t be visible until around 8:45pm. $4.00 per participant Come walk our forest paths to see the last fireflies of the season. The start and finish of the walk is at the Nature Center where we will be roasting marshmallows by the fire pit all evening and into the night so you can enjoy them when the path adventure is complete. Pick up your glowing arm band at the Nature Center front desk early; OR pay online and retrieve a band on the night of the event by clicking: HERE>> 

This event is a walk not a run and will not be timed. marsh

 

Backyard Birding Class This Saturday, 8:00 am – 9:30 am at the Nature Center

Posted on by

wildbirds logo cropped

Backyard Birding
This Saturday at the Nature Center 8am-9:30am
Just $3 per person
Join Sherri Barlett, owner of Wild Birds Unlimited, and learn the basics of birding including identification of the many we have right here in our neighborhood.  Pre-registration is required before arriving to the class…Details>>>

Sherri will teach you the basics of birding and include identification
of the many we have right here. This will be a recurring class
beginning with basics and moving to advanced bird-keeping in
coming weeks. Ages 12+.  To learn more about Sherri’s store, Wild Birds Unlimited, please visit: http://ashburn.wbu.com/

DON’T MISS OUT ON THIS AMAZING OPPORTUNITY! Camp Wilder – Primitive Skills Summer Camp – 06/27/2016 – 07/01/2016

Posted on by

ARE YOUR KIDS AGED 9-14? DO YOU HAVE PLANS FOR THEM THIS SUMMER? TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY, A ONE-OF A KIND, EXTRAORDINARY SUMMER CAMP ONLY OFFERED IN BROADLANDS! SIGN UP WHILE REGISTRATION LASTS, SPOTS ARE LIMITED.

Camp WilderSkills.blast_Page_1Join Jason Drevenak, primitive skills expert and founder of North American Bushcraft and Erin Fairlight, head naturalist of Broadlands, for a week of living in the wilds right here at the Nature Center and surrounding forests.

REGISTRATION: Opens Monday morning at 9:00 am on March 1 and closes on April 1. There are only 12 spots available.  Camp runs 8am-5pm, M-F with additional BBQ/Sleepover on Thursday. Click to Register HERE>>

DESCRIPTION

  • Camp runs June 27-July 1, 8:00am – 5:00pm, Monday-Friday for ages 9-14.
  • Campers will build shelters, satchels, tools, cordage, bows & arrows, and create water filtration all from the materials in our neighboring forests.
  • Other activities campers will learn: Build fires without matches, create emergency wilderness medicine with our local plants, forage for food, learn tracking, tree, animal, and insect identification.
  • Campers will learn about the skills and tools Native Americans and early frontier people utilized daily to produce food, shelter, water, music and thrive off of the land. All activities are designed for the group to begin and end together, no one is first or last; we do every thing as a team. By the end of the week all campers can expect to have created several crafts such as their own wooden spoon, buckskin leather bag and a basket made from native materials.

COST

  • $400 per camper (with special discounts for siblings. please contact naturalist@BroadlandsHOA.com for modification in pricing for families)
  • $40 for additional sleepover/BBQ night on Thursday, June 30th

 

Friday, March 11, 3-5pm, Build Dinosaur Fossil Models at the Nature Center

Posted on by

NATURE CENTER

Fridays: March 11 & 18, Construction/Craft Days Begin 3pm-5pm at the Nature Center…

  • Friday, March 11th, 3-5pm, Build Dinosaur Fossil Models ($8, all ages welcomed)  Please pre-register by click HERE>>

 

Next Friday Craft Date: March 18th, 3-5pm, Construct Monarch Rearing Cages ($10, all ages welcomed )Please pre-register by click HERE>> 

AMAZING OPPORTUNITY! Traditional Archery Weekend @ Nature Center, Feb 20–Feb 21 @ 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Posted on by
Bushcraft school headerHURRY & SIGN UP WHILE SPOTS ARE STILL AVAILABLE! Building a functional self-bow from carefully selected trees is arguably one the most exciting primitive skills to learn and practice. Participants will start with a “stave” of Carpus Caroliniana or American Hornbeam and slowly remove to ultimately turn it into a functional shooting bow. You will learn about the growth rings or early and late wood and their significance to making different types of traditional long and short bows. Each student will learn to use a shaving horse and different bowyer’s tools such as hatchets, draw knives, rasps, and cabinet scrapers. During the class we’ll discuss different woods that make good bows, different types of bows used by Native Americans and Europeans, bow making tools Bushcraft Archery – jason with arrow picand even how to make your own shaving Bushcraft Archery - jason with arrow pichorse from inexpensive materials found at any hardware store. Each student will complete and take home their own bow by the end of Saturday. Sunday will include creating the cordage for and stringing the bow and then fletching arrows.Only 8 spots are available for this class as seasoned staves for the bows are limited and costly as well as the traditional tools needed to craft them. This program is geared towards adults over the age of 18, however, kids 8-18 can attend under the direct supervision of a registered adult also attending.
Class runs 9:00 a.m. – 400 p.m. each day with breakfast provided. Please bring a bag lunch.
  • $180 per adult for Saturday and Sunday
  • $100 per adult for Saturday only – this session was added for folks who could not attend both days. IMPORTANT FOR SATURDAY ONLY ATTENDEES: Please note that you will complete your bow on Saturday, however, cordage and arrow production will occur on Sunday. You will be given cordage at the end of class on Saturday, but will have to learn the process to string a bow on your own.
To register and pay, please click HERE>> and select the Buy Now button at the bottom of the page. Questions? Contact Naturalist@BroadlandsHOA.com.