Submitted Photo
The 3 to 8-year-olds and their adults who come to Audubon Community Nature Center on Saturday, April 8, will become Little Explorers. They will play “Animal Hide and Seek,” learning how creatures like this grasshopper use camouflage to protect themselves.
Three to 8 year olds and their favorite adults gather at Audubon Community Nature Center (ACNC) for Little Explorers on Saturday from 10 to 11:30 a.m., to learn about “Animal Hide and Seek.”
Whether animals are looking for food on the forest floor or swimming in the pond, they have to be on the lookout for predators. Some of these animals have colors on their body to help them hide by blending into their surroundings. This is known as camouflage.
Join Audubon to explore the ways both predators and prey use camouflage as an important survival tool, whether they are matching the colors and patterns of their surroundings or mimicking other plants or animals.
After a short hands-on lesson indoors, participants head outside to look for signs of those animals and test their own camouflage skills in the forests and fields.
A snack is provided after the hike, and a craft is offered if there is time. This program takes place rain or shine, so dress for the weather. The fee is $12 for adults, $9 for children ages 3 to 8 and Nature Center members. Enrollment is limited to 15 children, 30 participants total.
Make required paid reservations by Thursday, April 6, by calling 716-569-2345 during business hours or by going to AudubonCNC.org and clicking through “Programs and Events.”
Audubon Community Nature Center is located at 1600 Riverside Road, one-quarter mile east of Route 62 between Jamestown and Warren. Visit the nearly 600-acre nature preserve, check in on the live birds of prey, and hike, snowshoe or cross country ski more than five miles of trails dawn until dusk daily for free. The three-story Nature Center building houses interactive displays, a collection of live animals including the Hellbender exhibit, and the Blue Heron Gift Shop. Visitors are welcome Mondays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Sundays, 1 to 4:30 p.m. Nature Center members and SNAP/EBT cardholders have free building admission daily. Building admission is also free every Sunday for non-Nature Center members.
To learn more about Audubon and its programs, call 716-569-2345, find Audubon Community Nature Center on Facebook, or visit AudubonCNC.org.