What are the most popular topics for nature center outside programs? 
More information: A land preserve/ nature center is exploring new
ideas for increasing its programming. The nature center is about 15
miles from
downtown St. Paul Minnesota and has over 1,000 acrea of river valley
bluffs with prairie, oak savanna and wetland environments. Currently
it has one education building, a mile of trail roads, a few miles of
unpaved walking trails and numerous deer paths.

Hello klowery1-ga,

I answered your other question earlier and I think that many of the
resources I listed there will be also applicable to this question. To
answer this question I concentrated on innovative outdoor activities
that have proved popular at other nature centers. Some of them
highlight activities while some should spark ideas for serving special
populations. I hope that they?ll provide you with material that will
spark your creativity for moving forward with your own programs.

Best wishes for a happy summer outdoors.

~ czh ~



http://www.co.outagamie.wi.us/Parks/MH_calendar.htm
(Mosquito Hill Nature Center)

SWAN SONG: A WATERFOWL WATCHING FIELD EXPERIENCE
Don?t miss this opportunity to experience the spring migration of
tundra swans, Canada geese, sandhill cranes and a variety of ducks.

BIRDING: BEYOND THE BASICS
This intermediate-level class is an extension of the popular Bird
Basics classes offered for many years.

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http://www.co.fairfax.va.us/parks/hiddenoaks/school.htm
A Real Bug's Life or There is No Such Thing as Can't to an Ant 

Back by popular demand! Students enjoy an entertaining look at the
life of insects with a special focus on ants. ? Through the use of
live insects, specimens and catch and release, students will explore
the diversity of insects in an urban woodland and the importance of
insects to other animals as well as plants. The exhibit tour will
focus on the role of insects in the food web; the trail walk will be
an insect safari.

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http://www.fairhillnature.org/Events15-1.html 
Who lives in the water? Ages 5-7

Discover the variety of creatures that live in our freshwater streams.
Learn how different animals are designed to live in water. This
hands-on get wet program is one of our most popular programs.

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http://www.gvnc.org/programsmain.html
Nature Discovery Summer Camps

From June through August, children ages 4-15 can participate in our
extremely popular summer camp program, which offers hands-on
activities, games, stories and outdoor adventures designed to
encourage a healthy relationship with the world around us.

http://www.gvnc.org/ndc.html
Nature Discovery Summer Camps - 2004
It is our mission to provide the best camp experience for your
children, an experience that is fun and one that will be remembered
for a lifetime. We are committed to quality and excellence in
everything we do. We provide carefully designed themed camps and a
dedicated and enthusiastic staff, in a fun and safe environment. Our
team of professional educators and college interns are highly skilled
and possess the commitment to each and every camper. Come experience
Nature Discovery Camps, where fun and learning go hand in hand.

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http://www.lib.niu.edu/ipo/ip900119.html
The Cabin Nature Program center includes a museum and Nature Center.
Completely accessible for wheelchairs, the Cabin's displays have been 
designed to provide tactile, sensory and wildlife experiences to
visitors of all abilities.

Accessibility is a major obstacle to handicapped and disabled
individuals who participate in social, leisure and rehabilitative
activities. Social development programs and experiences are vital to
special populations. It is unfortunate that local forest preserves or
nature centers are rarely totally accessible to those in wheelchairs,
are not staffed to communicate with the deaf and are not designed to
accommodate the special sensory needs of the blind. The Cabin Nature
Program seeks to fulfill those needs by providing sensory stimulation
and channels for communication to help handicapped persons improve
their mental, social and physical skills. Families need to enjoy
activities where being handicapped does not present special problems
or obstacles. The Cabin Nature Program Center is the only nature
center in DuPage County which totally services the handicapped and
employes full-time staff specifically for this purpose.

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http://www.smm.org/warnernaturecenter/programs/public_programs.php
Trailside Club Family Program: Snow Secrets 

Come explore snow! Learn how some forest animals use the snow to make
beds in and to help survive the cold winter. Bring along a favorite
stuffed animal and we?ll make a snow hut just its size!

-------------------------------------------------

http://www.ericdigests.org/2003-2/outdoor.html
Outdoor, Experiential, and Environmental Education: Converging or
Diverging Approaches? ERIC Digest.

-------------------------------------------------

http://www.lib.niu.edu/ipo/ip880120.html
Outdoor adventure programs offer choices to special populations 
Special Outdoor Adventure Recreation (SOAR) brings affordable
opportunities closer to home for Chicago-area residents.




SEARCH STRATEGY
popular topics "nature center" outdoor
popular programs "nature center" outdoor activities
innovative nature center outdoor programs

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Clarification of Answer by czh-ga on 30 Apr 2004 22:05 PDT

Hello klowery1-ga,

I'm sorry to see that you didn't think I gave you enough information
in my answer.  I am dedicated to giving you exactly what you need and
I wish you'd given me a chance to do so. As a new user you may not be
familiar with the Clarification option. Please review it so that your
future use of Google Answers will be more satisfying.

http://answers.google.com/answers/help.html
Get clarification on the answer to your question 
If the answer you receive to your question is unclear for whatever
reason, you can request a clarification at no additional charge. You
should ask for a clarification if you feel the answer is incorrect or
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request a clarification, go to your account page and select "My
Answered Questions". Select the question you would like clarified.
Click the "Clarify Answer" button to open the clarification window.
Select "Post Clarification" when you are done typing.

All the best.

~ czh ~

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Request for Answer Clarification by klowery1-ga on 04 May 2004 05:52 PDT

Greetings to Czh-ga, the researcher.  These are all interesting, but
fairly common programs.  In this question I am seeking to find out the
relative popularity of nature center programs.

[For example, are birding sessions more popular than geography? 
Weekend compared to week day or evening?  Are classes aimed at kids
more popular than say those amined at adults? Families? Are there
particular or unique classes  that really generate a surprizing amount
of interest such as owl watching sessions at night, or listening to
spring frog croaks? Which programs fill up most quickly?  Which kind
of programming is most apt to be cancelled due to lack of interest?]

Perhaps their is no data and I will just have to conduct my own survey.

Thanks for your answers and your willingness to guide me a bit.
-klowery

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Clarification of Answer by czh-ga on 05 May 2004 17:55 PDT

Hello klowery1-ga,

It's unfortunate that you didn't familiarize yourself with Google
Answers before closing the question and rating it. I wish you well on
your further research.

I suggest that you review the Google Answers pricing guidelines before
you post future questions. As you can see, $2-$5 questions "Can be
answered with a single link or a single piece of information.
Sometimes, if a researcher is personally interested in the question's
subject, they may provide a longer answer." What you were hoping to
get based on your clarification involves a complex, multi-part
question. According to the guidelines, "$50 -- The minimum price
appropriate for complex, multi-part questions."

http://answers.google.com/answers/pricing.html

Reviewing how the service works will assure you a better experience next time.

All the best.

~ czh ~