BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//wp-events-plugin.com//6.6.4.4//EN TZID:America/Kentucky/Louisville X-WR-TIMEZONE:America/Kentucky/Louisville BEGIN:VEVENT UID:26629@lexfun4kids.com DTSTART;TZID=America/Kentucky/Louisville:20250612T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Kentucky/Louisville:20250612T120000 DTSTAMP:20250609T181030Z URL:https://lexfun4kids.com/events/nature-in-your-neighborhood-special-pro gram-2025-06-12/ SUMMARY:Nature in Your Neighborhood Special Program DESCRIPTION:This program brings free\, family-friendly fun to parks across the city! Beginning on June 3 and continuing on weekdays until Aug. 9\, th ese activities offer a range of experiences that focus on connecting with nature and learning about our environment. Together\, we'll create art wit h natural pigments\, enjoy storytelling sessions\, discover local plants a nd wildlife\, and more!\n\nTime: 10 a.m. – noon\, Tuesday – Saturday\ nRecommended Ages: These events are designed to accommodate a wide age ra nge and are suitable for children from K-12th grade. Adults are also welco me!\nCircle of Life - Weeks 1 &\; 6\nExperience the interconnected wond ers of nature where wildlife\, birds\, and fungi reveal their secrets thro ugh engaging\, hands-on adventures!\n\n June 3 | Amazing Animals at Cha rles Young Park\n June 4 | Birds of a Feather at Castlewood Park\n Jun e 5 | Fungi Foray: A Park Exploration at Oakwood Park\n June 6 | Amphi bia! at Gardenside Park\n June 7 | Rainbows &\; Magical Creatures at  Douglass Park\n July 8 | Birds of a Feather at Valley Park\n July 9  | Fungi Foray: A Park Exploration at Dogwood Park\n July 10 | Amphibi a! at Gainesway Park\n July 11 | Rainbows &\; Magical Creatures at  Charles Young Park\n July 12 | Amazing Animals at Kenwick Park\n\nAmazi ng Animals – Meet some neat creatures living in the park and learn abo ut their habitats\, life cycles\, and survival strategies!\n\nBirds of a F eather – Stop. Listen. Look\, a bird! Join us as we learn their calls\ , seek them out\, and craft our very own binoculars to take home.\n\nFungi Foray: A Park Exploration – Uncover the hidden world of fungi\, marve l at the diversity of mushrooms and lichen\, and learn how humans cultivat e these fascinating organisms!\n\nAmphibia! – Frogs\, toads\, salamande rs\, newts! Come learn about their development cycles\, leap like a frog\, and experience the wonderful world of amphibians.\n\nRainbows &\; Magi cal Creatures – Have you ever wondered how rainbows form in the sky? L et’s make our very own spectroscopes to observe the science behind rainb ows and solve this mystery! We’ll also meet narwhals\, nymphs\, axolotls \, and other dazzling creatures\, real and imagined\, who’ll help us und erstand the wild ways light and color appear across nature’s spectrum.\n Garden Guild - Weeks 2 &\; 7\nFollow the journey of your food from seed to table! Come get your hands dirty as we dig into the summer season and learn how to plant a garden that benefits both you and the environment.\n\ n June 10 | Seed Savvy at Coolavin Park\n June 11 | Pollinators &\ ; Other Bug Friends at Duncan Park\n June 12 | Worms at Work at Gaines way Park\n June 13 | Strong as a Tree at Valley Park\n June 14 | Food For Thought at Kenwick Park\n July 15 | Seed Savvy at Northeastern Pa rk\n July 16 | Worms at Work at Castlewood Park\n July 17 | Strong as a Tree at Duncan Park\n July 18 | Food For Thought at Gardenside Park \n July 19 | Pollinators &\; Other Bug Friends at Douglass Park\n\nP ollinators &\; Other Bug Friends – Craft a bug hotel to provide a h ome for the beneficial insects in your garden while learning about Lexingt on's pollinators and other friendly bugs!\n\nSeed Savvy – Learn how pl ants grow from tiny seeds! We’ll get to know their shapes and sizes\, bu ild our plant vocabulary\, and create fun\, seed-inspired crafts.\n\nWorms at Work – Transform food scraps into nutrient-rich soil for your gard en in this vermicomposting workshop\, and take home your own wormery to ob serve the process in action!\n\nStrong as a Tree – Let’s learn what h elps trees stand tall\, from their roots to their branches\, and how they live through storms and change. We’ll honor their strength by making a n ature-based craft using fallen wood and sticks.\n\nFood For Thought – C ome learn how flowers transform into the foods we eat! Along the way\, we ’ll build our understanding of botany through hands-on observation and a few familiar snacks.\nEarth Lab - Weeks 3 &\; 8\nEmbrace your inner sc ientist as we experiment with solar power\, unearth Lexington’s geologic al mysteries\, and more! Get hands-on experience with scientific tools and leave with a deeper understanding of the unique environment around us.\n\ n\n June 17 | A Drop of Water at Gardenside Park\n June 18 | Magnets &\; Migration at Marlboro Park\n June 19 | No programming for Junet eenth city holiday\n June 20 | The Power of the Sun: Solar Snacks at Ca stlewood Park\n June 21 | Caves\, Rocks &\; Fossils at Northeastern Park\n July 22 | Magnets &\; Migration at Oakwood Park\n July 23 | The Power of the Sun: Solar Snacks at Southland Park\n July 24 | When Water Floats at Coolavin Park\n July 25 | Caves\, Rocks &\; Fossils at Masterson Hills Park\n July 26 | A Drop Of Water at Valley Park\n\n A Drop of Water – Water is essential to living in a healthy ecosystem. Join us as we investigate the waters in the park\, and learn-by-playing a bout maintaining fish populations.\n\nMagnets &\; Migration – Let ’s go on a treasure hunt through the park to learn about compasses and s trengthen our navigation skills. Along the way\, we’ll observe how magne ts work and how animals sense Earth’s magnetic field to find their way a cross great distances.\n\nThe Power of the Sun: Solar Snacks – Let’s learn how to harness the sun’s power to cook up a tasty treat in our ve ry own solar ovens! We’ll observe how sunlight becomes energy for cookin g\, growing\, and everyday life.\n\nWhen Water Floats – Join us as we l earn how clouds form in the sky and where they go. We’ll observe how wat er vapor creates the airiness of clouds\, the sweat on our cups\, the ‘s moke’ in the mountains\, fog on a cold morning\, and more.\n\nCaves\, Ro cks &\; Fossils – Unearth Kentucky’s geological mysteries as we ta ke a closer look at different kinds of rocks\, learn how they change over time in the rock cycle\, and find out how fossils and caves form over time .\nNature Crafts Weeks 4 &\; 9\nLet nature be your muse as we paint wit h foraged pigments\, mold our own clay\, and transform upcycled materials into beautiful works of art! Connect with Lexington through artistic expre ssion\, and take home unique creations that showcase your creativity.\n\n\ n June 24 | Earthbenders at Charles Young Park\n June 25 | Park Palet te at Southland Park\n June 26 | Trash to Treasure at Douglass Park\n June 27 | Grown Fashion at Duncan Park\n June 28 | Wild Playdough at  Oakwood Park\n July 29 | Park Palette at Meadowthorpe Park\n July 30  | Trash to Treasure at Gainesway Park\n July 31 | Grown Fashion at K enwick Park\n Aug. 1 | Wild Playdough at Marlboro Park\n Aug. 2 | Ear thbenders at Northeastern Park\n\nEarthbenders – Learn how to process ordinary dirt into extraordinary pottery\, and much more! In this hands-o n workshop\, we’ll see how people around the world use earth to build no t just pots\, but entire houses. From adobe to cob\, we’ll learn about t he natural building methods that have been used for thousands of years to create strong\, beautiful\, and lasting homes that are better for the plan et.\n\nPark Palette – The natural world is full of color\, texture\, a nd inspiration\, if you know where to look. Learn how to make art from the colors you find in rocks\, plants\, and soil!\n\nTrash to Treasure –  Refuse\, reduce\, reuse\, repurpose\, and upcycle! ♻️ Give dumpster-bo und items new life as we get creative with old clothes\, plastic bags\, ne wspaper\, and more through hands-on reimagining.\n\nGrown Fashion – Cre ate your own doll or figurine\, then design outfits for them using leaves\ , flowers\, and other natural materials we gather in the park!\n\nWild Pla ydough – Join us as we mix up our own playdough\, then use sticks\, lea ves\, seeds\, and other bits of nature to sculpt fun animal creations!\nPe ople and Parks - Weeks 5 &\; 10\nJoin us on a walk through the park as we learn how to be good stewards to all of its inhabitants\, from the towe ring trees to the fragrant flowers\, chirping birds\, crawling critters\, and each other.\n\n July 1 | Once Upon a Park at Meadowthorpe Park\n J uly 2 | Tree Huggers at Coolavin Park\n July 3 | Little Worlds at Mar lboro Park\n July 4 | No programming for Fourth of July city holiday\n July 5 | Stone Soup at Woodland Park\n Aug. 5 | Tree Huggers at Dogw ood Park\n Aug. 6 | Little Worlds at Charles Young Park\n Aug. 7 | St one Soup at Duncan Park\n Aug. 8 | Once Upon a Park at Woodland Park\n \nOnce Upon a Park – Come take a stroll through the park to hear some local folklore and learn how to create your own nature stories!\n\nTree Hu ggers – Spend time with the trees of Lexington as we learn about their beauty\, importance\, and the ways we’re connected. Through fun\, hands -on activities\, we’ll build relationships with these pillars of natural world and deepen our care for the land we share.\n\nLittle Worlds – C reate a miniature version of your local park using recycled and natural ma terials to capture the magic of its many little worlds. As we build\, we ’ll learn how parks are full of habitats and microhabitats - places wher e animals\, insects\, and plants live and thrive. From leaf piles to puddl es\, we’ll notice the small spaces that support life and imagine how to care for them in both real life and in our models.\n\nStone Soup – Insp ired by the classic folktale Stone Soup\, this hands-on program centers on food\, community\, and care. Together\, we'll learn how we can build a mo re just and nourished world for the kids of today and tomorrow.\nSpecial E vents\n\n\n\n Saturday\, June 28\, 7 – 9:30 p.m. | Light Up the Night ! at Jacobson Park Playground\n Saturday\, July 19\, 7 – 9 p.m. | Ani mals at Night at Jacobson Park Playground\n\nAnimals at Night – Bats\ , owls\, moths\, &\; more! Spend the evening with us learning about how animals live and thrive under the cloak of darkness.\n\nLight Up the Nigh t! – How do lightning bugs glow in the dark? Come learn about biolumin escence\, the natural light produced by organisms\, and marvel at its wond ers firsthand at Jacobson Park.\nNature in Your Neighborhood End-of-Summer Party\n\n\n\nJoin us in celebrating the fourth year of Nature In Your Nei ghborhood! We've loved learning\, playing\, and growing with you this summ er. Come out to enjoy games\, crafts\, snacks\, music\, prizes\, and more! All ages are welcome.\n\nAugust 9\, 2025\n10 a.m. – 1 p.m.\nDunbar Comm unity Center\n\n\n\n\n CATEGORIES:Age Range,Elementary,Free,Outdoor Activity,Parents,Preschoolers,STEM,Teens,Toddlers END:VEVENT BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Kentucky/Louisville X-LIC-LOCATION:America/Kentucky/Louisville BEGIN:DAYLIGHT DTSTART:20250309T030000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE END:VCALENDAR