199. Snow Tracks at Holden Arboretum

<><><><>

Follow along on this adventure as we look for clues in the snow of just Who’s Been Here? After reading the story by Lindsay Barrett George about what Cammy, her brother William and their dog find we will see what we can find. Lots of animals stay here through the winter. Join us as we venture outside to see whose tracks we can find, where they went and what they were doing.  At the end make your own track story and enjoy hot chocolate. Dress for the weather. $5 per child, members; $8 per child, nonmembers Children ages 5 and up with an adult Saturday, Jan. 21 3-4:30pm

Registration

Location:

9500 Sperry Road

Kirtland, OH 44094(440) 946-4400

196. Hello Holidays at the Lake Erie Nature and Science Center

FOR FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN AGES 1 AND UP

Friday, November 25
10 - 11:30 a.m.

Avoid the “Black Friday” buying frenzy and kick off the winter holiday season with us! Enjoy some of the Center’s favorite animals and seasonal activities.

Instructors: Christine Barnett & Maggie Watson

Fee: $5 per person ages 1 and up


More Info!

Location:
28728 Wolf Road
Cleveland, OH 44140

173. Knee High Naturalists

Sunday, June 12
Noon - 4 p.m.

Some of the activities include:
• Hikes with “Nora the Explorer” –
   Naturalist Nora Sindelar leads children on hikes, full of nature discovery.
• Discovery Sand Box –
   Plastic bugs, hand-carved potato bugs, earthworms made of rubber hose, rubber snakes, and more are buried in the sand for children to discover.
• Giant Habitat Felt Board –
   Children have fun placing hundreds of animal images on a 30-foot long felt board representing pond, field and forest habitats.
• Beaver and Frog Pools Water-play Areas –
   A small pool filled with water is home to a family of “beavers” (beanie toys) and plenty of sticks for building a lodge or dam.  Another small pool is filled with toy snails, snakes, crayfish, and frogs in various stages of development.
• Live Animals –
   View live animals for children to see and touch.
• Touch Table –
   Skulls and pelts to discover up-close, with a naturalist on-hand to answer questions.

Girl Scouts will be selling:
Hot dogs $2
Ice Cream (Good Humor) $1.50
Chips (Shearer's) $0.75
Gourmet Cookies $0.75
Candy $0.75
Assorted Cold Beverages (Coke Products) $1
Frozen Lemonade $1.50

For more information, call 440-247-7075.

Arboretum is located off Arbor Lane in South Chagrin Reservation, north of Cannon Road in Bentleyville.

Parking for the “Knee-High Naturalists” event is at The Shelterhouse Picnic Area, located off Hawthorn Parkway, east of SOM Center Road/Route 91 in Bentleyville – north of the Route 422/Route 91 exit.

From The Shelterhouse Picnic Area, a ranger will help visitors cross Hawthorn Parkway to the all purpose trail.  Follow the trail along Arbor Lane to the entrance of the Arboretum.

MORE INFO HERE!

Location:

Bedford Chagrin Pkwy and Arbor Ln
Solon, Ohio 44139

168. Family Fun Fest

Family Fun Fest and Great Duck Race return Sunday, June 5 from Noon - 4 p.m.. Duck Race sponsorships are on sale NOW at our Welcome Desk. View or print a Great Duck Race sponsorship form here. You may also use our online donation form to purchase duck race sponsorships. Simply fill in your "other amount" AND enter "Duck Race" in the special instructions box.
New this year! Purchase a souvenir duck for $5 or get one free with every 5 duck racers you sponsor. Souvenir ducks are only available at our Welcome Desk - not online.

More Info!

Location:
28728 Wolf Road
 Bay Village, Ohio 44140

160. Family Bird Walk

Walk off that big Mother' Day Brunch at the Family Bird Walk Sunday May 8 from 3-5pm.

A walk specially suited for the whole family and check out the beautiful birdlife waiting to be discovered!

More Info


Location:
Nature Center at Shaker Lakes
2600 South Park Boulevard

Cleveland, OH 44120
(216) 321-5935

155. The Eye-Spy Trail

5/14/11 and 5/15/11

The Eye-Spy Trail - Susan Hambley Nature Center - 12 to 5 p.m. Vision plays an important role in nature observation.  Challenge your sense of sight as you hike down the trail looking for “unnatural” objects.  Stop by between Noon and 5 p.m. and keep track of what you spotted to determine your level of eye-spy sharpness.  All ages. No registration required. Free.

More INFO!

Location:

1473 Parschen Boulevard
Brunswick, Ohio 44212

154. Medina County’s Earth Day Celebration

Earth Day - Buffalo Creek Retreat - 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Come celebrate Medina County’s 15th Annual Earth Day at the Medina County Park District’s Buffalo Creek Retreat, just south of Hubbard Valley Park. There will be earth-friendly exhibits, fishing, kids’ activities, food and much more, so bring the whole family for a fun-filled day. Additional parking for this event will be at Hubbard Valley Park with shuttle service provided to Buffalo Creek. All ages welcome. No registration required. Free admission.  April 16, 2011

More INFO!

Location:
8708 Hubbard Valley Rd.Seville, OH 44273
Located in Guilford Township south of Blake Road and
north of Greenwich Road

97. Bug City Bug Fest

Saturday August 14
11 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Garfield Park Nature Center  

Visitors of all ages will be introduced to the cool world of insects!  Learn what insects do, why they are important and even what they taste like!
Tour the Bug House to view a wide variety of bug exhibits from Ohio to Africa. Enjoy bug cooking demonstrations, bug recipes, crafts and more at the Culinary Bugstitute.  Or, head over to the Art District for ‘buggy’ music with Gary Lee and class is in session with Dr. Insecta.
Experience Bug SafariLand and enjoy the great bug hunt, the ant trail and the must-do activity for kids – the Mealworm 500, where kids can watch the mealworms race to the finish line!
“Buzz” over to the B & B Area to view a variety of butterflies and bee exhibits, or visit Buggywood for bug bingo and puppet shows.
Walk down Predator Alley, where visitors can view the little bug city and see live animals provided by Lake Erie Nature & Science Center.
Families can also take rides on the Bug Express Train ($1/person).
Children can obtain passports to be stamped at a variety of learning activity stations on their Bug City tour.  After filling their passports, kids can receive their own key to “Bug City.”
And, grab a curbside seat for the Bug City Parade at 1 p.m., followed by a cookie celebration (while suppli
MORE INFO!

Location:
Broadway Avenue

Garfield Heights, Ohio 44125

Get Directions

(216) 341-3152

Idea Provided By:  Patty McClure Whitaker

Area served:  - 

Category:

Unverified listing

89. Nature at Night

Nature at Night
Saturday, July 24
5 - 11 p.m.
Free!
Stories, puppets, music, and an outdoor movie!  Nighttime revelers can enjoy the ‘nighttime animal’ maze, night insect discovery area, special natural history presentations, and more!  Visitors can also browse the great merchandise selections of EarthWords Nature Shops, and enjoy the refreshment area.

Location:
North Chagrin Nature Center

3037 Som Center Road

Willoughby Hills, OH 44094

56. Lake Erie Nature and Science Center Family Fun Fest 2010

The 2010 Family Fun Fest features The Great Duck Race, The PNC Mobile Learning Adventure, live animal and planetarium shows, Creativity for Kids nature crafts, an obstacle course, carnival games, bounce houses, balloon twisters, nature hikes, Moms Like Me activity station, food and much more!

Family Fun Fest runs from Noon – 4 p.m. on Sunday, June 6. During the 2:30 p.m. Great Duck Race, a swarm of rubber ducks will race down Porter Creek to the finish line where cash and great prizes await the cheering winners. You don’t need to be present to win!

Sponsor a duck at $5 for one duck or 5 for $20. Admission to Family Fun Fest is free, but many activities require a ticket. Activity tickets are $1/ticket, $10/12 tickets or $20/26 tickets. Ducks and activity tickets are now available for presale at the Center’s Welcome Desk. Cash only is accepted as payment for food. For more information call 440-871-2900.

More INFO HERE!

Location:
28728 Wolf Road
Cleveland, OH 44140

Idea Provided By: Mary Bender

36. Carlisle Reservation

 FREE fun on the West side!  Spend the afternoon at the Carlisle Reservation.  Enjoy the children's playroom (picture above), and the wildlife observation room - both housed in the visitor's center.  The next building is the Raptor Center and the Maple Sugar Shack.  

There’s still one more place to see at Carlisle--the Duck Pond Picnic Area. Centered around two large connected ponds, this area attracts a variety of aquatic wildlife and is a favorite of fishermen (Ohio fishing license required.) The area also includes a reserve-able picnic shelter and small playground  and a trail-head that leads to the other parts of the reservation.

They also have lots of great programs for kids.  This Thursday May 6 Check out KIDDIE CRAFT CLUB: METAMORPHOSIS from 10-11 and 2-3 Fun crafting for your 3-5 year old and parent.

Get all the INFO HERE!



Location: 
12882 Diagonal Road
LaGrange, Ohio 44050
440-458-5121


Image Provided By:  Carlisle Reservation

Idea provided By:  Rochelle Blaylock

24. North Coast Nature Festival

FREE Friday, Saturday, and Sunday April 23-25.   The event  features guest speakers, hikes for all ages, live animal presentations, a digital photography scavenger hunt, musical entertainment, a birding field trip (off-site, pre-registration required), children’s activities, EarthWords Nature Shop t-shirt stamping, and more. The festivities take place on both Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. – plus, a special evening presentation Friday night and a night hike on Saturday.
 
Also a little shopping! Nature themed art, jewelry, candles, bird houses, quilts, etc. will be on sale!

**Also**North Coast Nature Festival is next weekend at Rocky River Nature Center. The Cuyahoga Astronomical Association will be having a Star Party - Celebrating the International Year of Solar Astronomy at 8 p.m. at the open field on Lewis Rd. The Cuyahoga Astronomy Association will have multiple telescopes set up to view the night skies. Experience National Astronomy Day by looking up! For details, call 440-734-6660.


Friday, April 23 • 7:30 p.m.
Saturday , April 24 • 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. & Evening Presentation 7 p.m.
Sunday, April 25 • 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.


Get all the INFO HERE!

Location:
Rocky River Nature Center
24000 Valley Parkway
North Olmsted, Ohio 44070

Image Provided By:  North Coast Nature Festival

Idea Provided By:  Barbara Krecic

21. Lake Farmpark

Go country with the kids and teach them where their food really comes from!  Daily hands-on activities include milking the cows, cheese making and grinding your own grains!  And you can hang out with the cows, llamas, sheep, pigs, rabbits, turkeys, chickens, horses, honeybees and lots more!  There is a cafe onsite for some snacks and ice cream.  Also on Wednesdays, May - October there is a farmers market with locally grown fruits veggies and other local/organic deliciousness!

They have MANY special events planned for the 2010 season, so make sure you visit their site HERE!

Farmpark is open year-round 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.

Admission:
General admission: $6
Ages 60 and older: $5
Ages 2 - 11: $4
Children younger than 2: Free
Lake County resident free days: First Sunday and third Tuesday of each month. 

Location:
8800 Chardon Road
Kirtland, Ohio 44094

Image Provided By:  Lake Metroparks Farmpark

Continue to find 365 Things To Do with Kids in Cleveland!

18. Holden Arboretum

With Arbor Day coming up on April 30, I'm in the mood to wander around and enjoy Spring and the rebirth of nature.  There's no better place than the Holden Arboretum.  With many trails ranging in difficulty from easy to rugged there's a challenge for every hiker.  There are also twelve beautiful gardens to enjoy.  There are lakes, creeks, deer, and squirrels for the kiddos to hunt out.  There are also activity plaques posted all around for you to explore our local wildlife.  There are self guided tours available and tours led by Holden volunteers.  All in all it's a relaxing walk through nature and I assure you the kids will be pooped after running, hiking and climbing all day!!

Open Daily 9am – 5pm (Closed New Year's Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day)

Admission

Members:  Free

Non-members:  $6
Seniors, 60+:  $5. Admission is free for seniors on Tuesdays.
Children 6-12:  $3
Children 5 and under:  Free


Location:

9500 Sperry Road

Kirtland, OH 44094

Get Directions

(440) 946-4400

Image Provided By:  mbtrama

14. Moebius Nature Center

As the website accurately states this is "Aurora's Best Kept Secret."  I never heard of this place and it looks really cool!  I wish it had more open hours to pop in and visit but you can register for their programs and learn more about local animals.  The next program for ages 3-9 and 10+ is April 24 on Reptiles and Amphibians you can register  HERE.

Visit their site HERE.

Location:
929 E. Mennonite Rd.
Aurora, Ohio 44200
(just East of Sunny Lake Park)
(330) 562-2592


Image Provided By:  Moebius Nature Center's Blog

Idea Provided By:  Julie Alunni Burkhart