Above: The Library and Mass DCR are offering monthly nature programs with stories, crafts, and experiments for kids this fall. (image)
Over the summer, Mass DCR (Dept of Conservation & Recreation) held a free series of water-themed programs for children at the Southborough Library.
They’ll be back next week, holding free monthly Nature Story Times with experiments and crafts. These early-afternoon, educational programs are all geared for 2–5 yr olds.
The summertime programs were put on by DCR’s Division of Water Supply Protection. Not surprisingly, they focused on teaching kids about the watershed’s role in the water supply and the importance of protecting it for humans and wildlife.
This time around DCR’s promoted themes appear to include that, but have expanded to also cover other topics related to wildlife.
Each month this fall, the program will be held on a Wednesday afternoon from 1:30 – 2:15 pm in the Children’s Room. Registration is required for each.
First up, on September 24th, is a story time titled “Tweet Tweet Hoot”:
Enjoy stories that feature bird songs across different habitats and seasons. Experiment with natural materials to make a bird nest collage craft.
Register kids to participate here.
Below is the schedule for additional programs later this fall:
- Nature Story Time: The Noisy Puddle — October 15: An introduction to the noisy, wiggly, and splashy friends who live in a special kind of puddle, called a vernal pool. Followed by a simple water experiment and a pond collage craft using colorful papers and natural materials.
- Nature Story Time: Who’s Been Here? — November 19: Have you seen any wildlife lately? Let’s find out what animals have been around by looking at the clues they left behind. Listen to stories, be nature detectives, and get creative with a craft.
- Nature Story Time: Water is Everywhere — December 17: Water-themed picture books and hands-on activities introduce different forms and uses of water. Followed by a simple water experiment and a collage craft.
In response to Carl’s message. I am very confused, just a few months ago we were told we could well afford a new school, and it would just be a small addition to our taxes. Based on your letter we went from weeks away from setting up the Southborough Sovereign wealth fund to a debt rating the same as Zimbabwe (formerly the very wealthy Rhodesia). I have no idea why the select board is so averse to the commercial side of the taxpayers paying more of their FAIR share. I could understand if the developers and commercial property owners made large contributions to the select persons campaigns for re-election, but I don’t have the feeling that too much money is spent on elections, it must be something else???
I do support your plan for increased commercial tax rates, and I also support the idea of welcoming a new retail development to Southborough, BUT with a restrictive zoning agreement that does not allow other projects to piggyback on the retail developments zoning deal. I would tell their lawyers to get back to the drawing board and spend the two hours it might take to re-write the zoning ordinance strictly for their clients use without loopholes for other favorite landowners. Sometimes a special party tries to influence the zoning change to help their project, they think they can fool the citizens and not have their nuanced deal noticed. In this case the planning board people seemed to notice the loopholes very quickly. My congratulations to the transparency the planning board has brought to the citizenry.
Thank you, Carl, for all you do,
Jack Barron, Citizen, taking advantage of a free press and free speech