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Local urban adventurers with a bent for all things wriggly, and all spaces green, are in luck this summer, as local educator, author and mom Julia Attaway returns this summer with her Nature Adventure for Kids, as sponsored by advocacy group Greenacre Foundation.
The series will allow children of all ages to engage in a bit of hands-on science fun in the outdoors. For Attaway, the outdoors as classroom is a natural connection. “Nature provides way more than fresh air and an activity without a plug,” she explains. “When you’re exploring, you’re developing a relationship with the real world. That gives you a starting point for realizing that there are a million questions to ask, and that you have the ability to discover things.”
The sessions will range from discussions on ladybugs to the diet of dinosaurs, and of course, worms.
“Kids are so curious; they’re the most hands-on people on the planet,” explains Attaway.
“And it’s always better to have the lightbulb go on in a child’s mind than to say, “Here’s the switch and I’ll show you how to turn it on”.
After two years with the program, though, there are some questions Attaway has come to realize she should be prepared to answer.
“If you’re wondering whether your worm is male or female, it’s both,” she says. Another tidbit? “Ladybugs have yellow blood. [And] there’s always a child who has to prove it!”
The Nature Adventure Series
Children must be accompanied by an adult. The hour-long sessions will take place throughout northern Manhattan’s parks, and families can opt in for one session or do them all.
Ladybugs
Saturday, August 6th, 10 am, Bennett Park. Meet outside the playground.
Sunday, August 7th, 1 pm, Isham Park. Meet at the northeast corner of Seaman Avenue and Isham Street.
Wriggly, Squiggly Worms
Learn how worms help our parks and wildlife.
Saturday, August 13th, 10 am, Bennett Park. Meet outside the playground.
Saturday, August 13th, 12 noon, J Hood Wright Park courtyard. Meet in the courtyard outside the playground at 174th Street and Fort Washington Avenue (wheelchair access is available at 173rd Street and Fort Washington Avenue).
Saturday, August 20th, 10 am, Isham Park. Meet at the northeast corner of Seaman Avenue and Isham Street.
Saturday, August 20th, 12 noon, Anne Loftus Playground in Fort Tryon Park. Meet at the entrance to Anne Loftus Playground near the A-train at Broadway and Riverside Drive.
What the Dinosaurs Ate in Fort Tryon Park
Go back in time and discover Fort Tryon Park in the age of the dinosaurs. If you were one, what would you eat? Which plants have survived all these years?
Saturday, August 27th, 11 am, Heather Garden in Fort Tryon Park. Meet at the entrance to the Heather Garden in Margaret Corbin Circle.
This is the second summer for the Nature Adventures series, which is funded by the Greenacre Foundation. We also did a 3-part series in the winter in Fort Tryon Park, where we looked at plant and animal life in the cold months.
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