Family Activities Abound for April Vacation Week

by Linda Woodard, Director, Scarborough Marsh Audubon Center

June 15, 2010

Topics: Scarborough Marsh

For more than 30 years, Maine Audubon day camps led by experienced environmental educators have provided children with unique opportunities to discover nature.

As usual, Maine Audubon centers at Gilsland Farm in Falmouth and Fields Pond in Holden will be offering fun and educational day camps for kids in grades 1-5.  The five-day vacation day camp at Gilsland Farm will run from Monday through Friday, 9 am to 3 pm, and explore for signs of wildlife stirring throughout the 65-acre sanctuary. Kids can either join the camp on specific days, or join us for the whole week. 

The day camp culminates on Friday with a special presentation of live reptiles and amphibians. This exciting program will be open to the public, giving kids and adults alike an opportunity to see frogs, toads, turtles, and salamanders up-close and personal at the Gilsland Farm nature center.

For younger kids, Gilsland Farm will also host a special one-day Preschool Discovery Program on the morning of Wednesday, April 21. Drop your child off for a morning full of adventure exploring the forest, meadow and pond at our sanctuary. We will provide a healthy snack and drink. Feel free to bring a picnic lunch and join us to share in your child’s discoveries after the program.

In the Bangor area, Fields Pond Audubon Center is also offering several family activities during school vacation week. Maine Audubon's Fields Pond staff have arranged two exciting live animal presenations at the Brewer Auditorium: live frogs and toads on Tuesday, April 20, and live owls on Friday, April 23.

Kids aged 8-14 can spend Wednesday and Thursday, the 21st and 22nd of April, at the Fields Pond Audubon Center in Holden for day-long explorations of the fields, lake, and forests. The first day of camp will feature indoor and outdoor activities to explore how animals find (or avoid becoming) a meal in the wild. The second day, on Earth Day, will focus on frogs, finding amphibians in the pond, and playing frog games. 

Fields Pond will cap off the vacation week with another "Saturday in the Discovery Room" program, "A House for Salamanders." Come learn about amphibian life cycles and where salamanders go for the winter, and be prepared to go outside and get dirty!