Audubon August Highlights for Kids

Search for Crabs and Snails and Marine Life at the Shore…
Audubon Society of Rhode Island
August 2015 Programs and Events for Children and Families

(July 1, 2015) – Kids love creatures…so bring them to Audubon to learn about tidepool animals. Summer fun begins with Audubon!

Unless noted, registration is required for all programs. A complete listing of activities and programs are detailed in the Audubon Nature Tours and Programs, a free guide to connecting with the natural world. Register online at www.asri.org or call (401) 949-5454.

August 1, 2015 Citizens Bank Free Family Fun Day
Audubon Environmental Education Center
Bristol, RI 9:00 am – 5:00 pm

Admission to the Audubon Society of Rhode Island’s Environmental Education Center will be free on the first Saturday of every month, courtesy of a grant from the Citizens Bank Foundation.

Families can explore environmental exhibits representing Rhode Island’s diverse habitats, from upland meadow and cornfields to wetlands, salt marshes and the Narragansett Bay shoreline.
Situated on the beautiful 28-acre McIntosh Wildlife Refuge, visitors can enjoy nature trails.

Shark-stravaganza
We love sharks! Join us for a day dedicated to these amazing animals.
10:00 am – 5:00 pm: Spot the Shark
10:00 am- 2:00 pm: Sharky Craft Table
10:00 am and 1:00 pm: Ocean Story
11:00 am: The Gills Club: Be a Shark Engineer
1:30 pm: Animal Interview - Meet our Tidepool Critters
2:30 pm: Nature Walk
Audubon Environmental Education Center, 1401 Hope Street, Bristol, RI

August 1, 2015 Author Meet and Greet: J. Roach-Evans “Seashells: Treasures from the Northeast Coast”
Audubon Environmental Education Center
Bristol, RI 1:00 pm
Author and illustrator J. Roach-Evans will be reading her children’s book “Seashells: Treasures from the Northeast Coast,” a beautifully illustrated pocket guide that helps young beachcombers find and identify shells found here in the Northeast. Learn about clams, limpets, whelks, mussels, oysters and more! Children will have a chance to view some of these shells in the Audubon biofact collection.
Audubon Environmental Education Center, 1401 Hope Street, Bristol, RI; Program Fee: Free. Ages: All.

August 1, 2015 The Gills Club: Be a Shark Engineer
Audubon Environmental Education Center
Bristol, RI 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Calling all girls ages 8 and up! Audubon partners with the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy to host Be a Shark Engineer, part of The Gills Club learning series, which connects girls with female marine biologists. The program will entail a brief presentation on different technologies that allow scientists to explore and research the underwater world of sharks. Girls will design and build their own new technologies. Engineer a shark cradle for lifting sharks, and then test it out with gummy sharks! Design and build a new tool for studying sharks too! Program is free but registration is recommended.
Audubon Environmental Education Center, 1401 Hope Street, Bristol, RI; Program Fee: Free. Ages: 8+. Register online at www.asri.org.

August 6, 2015 Tidepool Trek
Audubon Environmental Education Center
Bristol, RI 10:30 am – 12:00 pm
Want to bring the family to the beach but don’t feel like dealing with the crowds? Take a trek down to the shore for a different kind of beach outing. Discover firsthand the amazing life at the rocky shoreline of Narragansett Bay. We will use nets and magnifying glasses to investigate the species that call the tidal zone home. Please dress appropriately and wear shoes that can get wet. Program is weather dependent. Adults must accompany children. Registration is required.
Audubon Environmental Education Center, 1401 Hope Street, Bristol, RI; Program Fee: $5/member child, $7/non-member child. Ages: All. Register online at www.asri.org.

August 8, 2015 Fairy Beach Houses
Audubon Environmental Education Center
Bristol, RI See Times Below
Even fairies need a day at the beach! Use natural materials to create a vacation home for magical friends. Add sand, shells, seaweed, and more. Perhaps a seashell bed, or a sea glass mirror? Fairy homes are great for creative play or display. Adults must accompany children. Registration is required.
August 8, 2015: 1:00 pm- 2:30 pm
Audubon Environmental Education Center, 1401 Hope Street, Bristol, RI; Program Fee: $10/member child, $14/non-member. Ages: 5+. Register online at www.asri.org.

August 8, 22, 2015 Guided Trail Walks
Audubon Environmental Education Center
Bristol, RI 2:00 – 3:00 pm
Join an Audubon naturalist for a leisurely walk along trails and boardwalk to the coast of Narragansett Bay. Along the way we’ll stop to observe wildlife in field, wetland, and forest habitats. You never know what we may see. Bring your binoculars and camera. This program is weather dependent. Free with admission. No registration needed. For all ages.
Audubon Environmental Education Center, 1401 Hope Street, Bristol, RI; Program Fee: Free with Admission.

August 8, 2015 Map and Compass (Part 2): The Next Steps
Audubon Powder Mill Ledges Wildlife Refuge
Smithfield, MA 2:00 am – 4:00 pm
Take the next step in using a map and compass and practice the skills learned in "Introduction to Map and Compass." We will review the basics and hone our skills with some simple navigation games. Then we'll try the short orienteering course on the refuge for our final exercise. Bring your own compass or borrow one of ours. This is a follow up class to "Introduction to Map and Compass", but if you already have basic compass skills, feel free to join us for this second level class.
Powder Mill Ledges Wildlife Refuge, 12 Sanderson Road, Smithfield, RI; Program Fee: $10/member, $14/non-member. Ages: 9+. Register online at www.asri.org.

August 14, 2015 Junior Naturalists for Home-schooled Families
Audubon Environmental Education Center
Bristol, RI 1:00 – 2:30 pm
Join other home-schooled kids and learn about nature and science! This hour-long program will introduce participants to a different topic each class, with hands-on experiments and nature-based activities that are sure to foster a love of the natural world. Classes are limited to 15 children, so please register early. Adult must attend with child.
August Program: Tidepool Trek

Audubon Environmental Education Center, 1401 Hope Street, Bristol, RI; Program fee: $5/member child, $7/non-member child. Ages 6-12. Register online www.asri.org.

August 16, 2015 Bird Banding
Audubon Environmental Education Center
Bristol, RI 9:15 – 11:15 am
Join Audubon and witness bird banding, where experts capture, band, measure and release songbirds in order to record their movements. Birds will be gently removed from tall “mist nets” set in the shrubby habitats on the grounds of the Environmental Education Center. The techniques of identifying, measuring, weighing, and banding the birds will be demonstrated before they are released. The migratory habits and life history of each captured species will be discussed. Participants are encouraged to bring a camera and binoculars. Programs are limited to 15 participants, so please register early.
Audubon Environmental Education Center, 1401 Hope Street, Bristol, RI; Program Fee: $8/member adult, $4/member child; $12/non-member adult, $6/ non-member child. Ages: 6+. Register online at www.asri.org.

August 22, 2015 Little Nature Hikers
Audubon Fisherville Brook Wildlife Refuge
Exeter, RI 10:00 – 11:30 am
Bring the kids, ages 4 to 10 years, to Fisherville Brook for Little Nature Hikers. Children head outside and explore nature through games and activities. Each month we will explore different parts of the wildlife refuge. Learn about bugs, dip with nets in the pond, or explore the children's garden. Join us for one class or come for all. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Sturdy shoes and clothes that can get dirty are a must.
Fisherville Brook Wildlife Refuge, 99 Pardon Joslin Road, Exeter, RI; Program Fee: $8/member adult/child pair, $5/each additional member; $12/non-member adult/child pair; $7/each additional non-member. Ages: 4+. Register online www.asri.org.

August 26, 2015 Explore the Estuary for Kids!
Prudence Island, RI 9:45 am – 3:00 pm
Bring the kids along to explore the amazing diversity of the estuary, from tidal creeks and salt marshes to the rocky shoreline! Children will have the chance to use seine and dip nets as we search for fish, crabs and shrimp in the shallow waters of Prudence Island. This is a great family program! Reservations are required due to limited space.
Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Prudence Island, RI; 9:45 am-3:00 pm; Program Fee: $10/member adult, $5/member child; $14/non-member adult, $7/non-member child; Ages: 7+. For more details on Prudence Island trips and to register, visit www.asri.org.

August 27, 2015 Eco-stories and Art
Audubon Environmental Education Center Bristol, RI 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Bring a snack and relax while an Audubon naturalist reads a nature story. Then create a unique work of art from different recyclable materials and found objects. Will it be a bouquet of flowers made from plastic bottles? A bird’s nest made from scrap paper and yarn? Join us and find out! No registration required.
Audubon Environmental Education Center, 1401 Hope Street, Bristol, RI; Program Fee: $3 materials fee plus admission. Ages: All.