Burr Oak Woods Nature Center, 1401 N.W. Park Road in Blue Springs, is offering the following activities for the month of August. All programs are free. For more information or to register, call 816-228-3766.
- Friday Night Live: Frog Festival – for all ages, 6 to 9 p.m. tonight. Join us at Pink Hill Park as we jump into action to help our frog neighbors. Activities include the 5K Frog Hop. Call the Nature Center for more information and how to form a team to participate. No registration required.
- A Smelly Situation – for all ages, 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday. Have you ever come face to face with a skunk? It is that time of year, when the young are setting out on their own, through the forest. Discover the secrets of the striped skunk! No registration required.
- Burr Oak Woods Fun Badge: Journaling Bingo – for Junior Girls Scouts, 1 to 2:30 p.m. Saturday. Burr Oak Woods has a fun patch you can earn to wear on the back of your uniform. Come participate in an animal tracking program that will fulfill one part of the fun patch, as well as Wildlife No. 2. Call to register.
- Preparing for Change – for all ages, 2 to 3 p.m. Sunday. As we try to cool off from the summer heat, the wild creatures know that the summer will soon pass and they will have to be ready for winter. Find out what the animals are doing during the hot days of summer. No registration required.
- Conservation Kid’s Club: Can you canoe – for ages 7 to 13, 6:30 to 8 p.m. Aug. 12. We’ll meet at the Education pond for an evening of canoeing and fishing. Learn the canoe strokes that will teach you to float any of the 57,000 miles of navigable streams in Missouri. You will be challenged with games and even practice a deep water rescue. Call to register.
- Little Acorns: Worms – for age 3 to 6, 10 to 11 a.m. Aug. 12, or 1 to 2 p.m. Aug. 13. They are slimy, slippery and only seen after a heavy rain. Where are they the rest of the time? What are they doing under the ground? Explore the underground world of earthworms! Call to register.
- Bird Watchers: North Prairie – for adults, 8:30 to 10 a.m. Aug. 13. We’ll hike the perimeter of the prairie. Besides birds, we might eye some butterflies too. Bring your binoculars (or borrow a pair of ours) and your field guides. Call to register.
- Young Friends of Nature: “Nature Factor” – for ages 13 to 17, 6 to 8 p.m. Aug. 14. Get together with other teenagers for outdoor adventures. Generate ideas and help plan future program themes. We will not be eating caterpillars or lying in a tub of snakes, but this program is not for the squeamish. Call to register.
- Hike Burr Oak Woods – for families with children 8 and older, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 16. Start the morning with a hike to Bethany Falls, Habitat, and Hickory Grove Trails. Break for lunch, then head to the Nature Center area and hike the Missouri Tree and Discovery Trails. The morning hike is a strenuous six miles and the afternoon hike is easy. Call to register.
- Cold-Blooded Critters – for families, 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Aug. 17. Enjoy an indoor presentation on some of the creepy, crawly, cold-blooded creatures of Missouri. Learn the differences between venomous and non-venomous snakes and play fact or fiction to find out the truth about this often misunderstood group of critters. Call to register.
- Wild Ones: Making jelly – for adults, 9 to 11 a.m. Aug. 19. Learn how to make delicious wild jellies from native plants. There will be a sample for you to take home. Call to register.
- Burr Oak Woods Fun Badge: Journaling Bingo – for Junior Girls Scouts, 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Aug. 20. Burr Oak Woods now has a fun patch you can earn to wear on the back of your uniform. Come participate in an animal tracking program that will fulfill one part of the fun patch, as well as Wildlife No. 2. Call to register.
- Rockin’ & Readin’ Nature Tales – for ages 2 and older, 10 to 11 a.m. Aug. 23. Join us for a story hour as we lead you on fantastic nature adventures. Our imaginations are the only limit. No registration required.
- Creek Cruisin' – for families with children 4 and older, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Aug. 23, or 1 to 2:30 p.m. Aug. 24. We will dip nets and seine for local fauna, then go exploring through the Burr Oak Creek. You will venture through terrain few get to see. Bring a lunch for a picnic afterwards under the pavilion. Call to register.
- Young at Heart: Hummingbirds – for ages 55 and older, 2 to 3:30 p.m. Aug. 26. Hummingbirds are busy at our feeders, and it is not too long before they begin their long journey south. Take a close look at these tiny birds, then learn how you can attract them to your own backyard. Call to register.
- Discover Nature Women: Summer Harvest – for women 18 and older, 6 to 7 p.m. Aug. 28. Learn to identify cool native wildflowers and trees that are not just “for the birds”. Explore the gardens around the nature center and the flora of the Tree Trail to discover what nature has to offer the hungry hiker. Enjoy some prepared samples of “true” natural snacks.. Call to register.
- Tree Identification – for families with children 3 to 5, 10 to 11 a.m. Aug. 30. Join Naturalist Justin Whitman to learn about Missouri’s native tree species. Go on a short hike in search of different trees, and you’ll mark bark and tree rubbings for you to keep. Call to register.
- Down In the Dark – for ages 15 and older, 8:30 to 9:45 p.m. Aug. 30. Come see what things come out at night. We will meet in front of the nature center to travel down into the woods to see and hear the variety of wildlife at night. Bring the following: Flashlights, boots, pants and bug spray. Call to register.
- Discover Nature Families: Fishin’ Hole – for families with children 9 to 11, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Aug. 31. Learn about the sport of fishing, and learn the native fish of Missouri while trying your hand at catching some. Ages 16 to 64 are required to have a valid fishing license. Call to register.
