BEGINNING KAYAK CLASS.   June 12 & 13. Wednesday, 9:30 am to 2:00 pm & Thursday, 9:30 am to 3:00 pm for ages 10 & up.   Learn the basics of kayaking and study aquatic life at the same time.   We’ll explore North lake and the St. Joseph River.   Fee $30, members $22.

 

GARDENING FOR NATURE.   June 13. Thursday, 10:00 am to Noon for ages 8 to 12. Learn the organic way to plant & care for container gardens for birds, butterflies & yourself.   Take a container garden home.   Fee $15, members $12.

 

DAY OF NATURE DRAWING.   June 14. Friday, 9:30 am to 2:00 pm for ages 8 & up.   Learn a few tricks for drawing things in nature and spend some time outdoors practicing.   Fee $10, members $7.

 

SPIDERS!   June 14. Friday, 9:30 to 11:00 am or 1:00 to 2:30 pm for ages 4 to 7.   Study these fascinating eight legged creatures.   We’ll study how they hunt, what they eat and where they live.   Fee $10, members $7.

 

BEGINNING KAYAK CLASS .   June 18 & 19. Tuesday, 9:30 am to 2:00 pm & Wednesday, 9:30 am to 3:00 pm for ages 10 & up.   Learn the basics of kayaking and study aquatic life at the same time.   We’ll explore North lake and the St. Joseph River.   Fee $30, members $22.  

 

LEAPING LIZARDS .   June 20. Thursday, 9:30 to 11:00 am or 1:00 to 2:30 pm for ages 4 to 7.   Learn the difference between reptiles and amphibians.   See live examples of both.   Walk outside to find both.   Fee $10, members $7.

 

WORKING IN THE WOODSHOP—CREATING WOODEN PENS.   June 20. Thursday, 9:30 am to 2:00 pm for ages 9 & up. A beginning woodworking class working on a lathe making two wooden pens to take home.   Fee $40, members $35.

 

WORK AND PLAY DAY.   June 21. Friday, 9:30 am to 2:00 pm for ages 7 to 12.   Help Sarett with trail work, animal care and other jobs.   There will be games, fun and snacks as well.   Fee $12, members $8.

 

LITTLE FOSSIL FINDERS .   June 25. Tuesday, 9:30 am to Noon for ages 6 to 9.   Let’s go on a fossil hunt.   We’ll learn about Michigan fossils and then use activities and games to learn more.   Fee $12, members $8.  

 

MUCKIN’ IN THE MARSH .   June 25. Tuesday, 1:00 to 2:30 pm for age 6—12.   Walk off-trail through the marsh.   You must wear old long pants, old tie shoes and you will get wet and muddy.   Fee $10, members $7.

 

CHICAGO ADVENTURE .   June 26. Wednesday, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm for ages 9 & up.   Spend a day at the Brookfield Zoo.   Bring your camera, comfy shoes and a good lunch.   Fee $40, members $35.

 

KAYAK THE KALAMAZOO.   June 27. Thursday, 9:30 am to 3:30 pm for ages 10 & up.   Kayak from the dam to the pipeline access.   Must have Sarett kayak experience.   Fee $25, members $20.

 

BEGINNING GEOCACHING.   June 28. Friday. 9:30 am to 2:00 pm for ages 10 & up.   Join us in this high tech treasure hunting game using GPS devices to locate hidden containers outside.   Fee $12, members $8.

 

TOTALLY TURTLES.   July 3. Wednesday, 9:30 to 11:00 am or 1:00 to 2:30 pm for ages 4 to 7.   Get to know the turtles of Sarett.   Have turtle races and look for the giant snapper of Circle Pond.   Fee $10, members $7.

 

KAYAK THE DOWAGIAC .   July 9. Tuesday, 9:30 am to 3:30 pm for ages 10 & up.   Paddle from M-62 to Dodd Park.   Must have Sarett paddling experience.   Fee $25, members $20.

 

NUTS ABOUT SQUIRRELS .   July 10. Wednesday, 9:30 to 11:00 am or 1:00 to 2:30 pm for ages 4 to 7.   Learn the local squirrels, their amazing behaviors and adaptations.   Fee $10, members $7.

 

WORKING IN THE WOODSHOP—GOING BATTY .   July 10. Wednesday, 9:30 am to 2:00 pm for ages 9 & up.   Make an official   bat house to take home and learn about the bats of our area.   Fee $40, members $35.

 

TREE OF LIFE .   July 11. Thursday,   9:30 am to 2:00 pm for ages 8 & up. Get to know the big trees of Sarett.    Find out what animals use trees and what trees do for the animals and us,   Fee $12, members $8.

 

DIRTY DIRT .   July 12. Friday, 9:30 am to Noon for ages 8 & up.   Plan to get down and dirty this morning finding out all about the soil and the organisms that live there.   Wear old clothes.   Fee $10, members $7.

 

QUACKING DUCKS.   July 12. Friday,   1:00 to 2:30 pm for ages 4 to 7.   Everyone loves ducks.   Find out about the wild ducks of Sarett, where they live, what they eat and what they look like.   Games, activities and duck races. Fee $10, members $7.

 

NATURE CRAFTS.   July 16, 17, 18.   Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, 9:30 am to 12:30 pm for ages 9-12.   Make several nature inspired craft projects.   Fee $25, members $20.

 

NIGHT FLIERS.   July 16. Tuesday. 9:30 to 11:00 am or 1:00 to 2:30 pm for ages 4 to 7.   Learn about the animals who come out after dark and can navigate the night sky.   Learn their adaptations for survival in the night sky.   Fee $10, members $7

 

POND LIFE .   July 17. Wednesday.   9:30 am to 2:00 pm for ages 7 & up.   We’ll try scooping in several ponds at Sarett to find who lives there, what they eat (and who eats them), and how they survive. Wear old clothes and shoes. Fee $12, members $8.

 

BEECH TO BEACH. July 18. Thursday.   9:30 am to 1:00 pm for ages 8 & up.   Explore the beaches, dunes and water of Van Buren State Park.   We will get wet.   Fee $10, members $6.   Sponsored by Preserve the Dunes.

 

KAYAK THE PAW PAW RIVER.   July 19. Friday. 9:30 am to 2:30 pm   for ages 10 & up.   Paddle the Paw Paw from County Line to Watervliet.   Must have Sarett paddling experience.   Fee $20, members $15.

 

UNDER THE GROUND .   July 23. Tuesday.   9:30 to 11:00 am or 1:00 to 2:30 pm for ages 4 to 7.   Learn about groundhogs, moles, and ground squirrels of Sarett.   Crawl through a cardboard tunnel, play games and learn about life underground.   Fee $10, members $7.

 

WORKING IN THE WOODSHOP —PUZZLE DAY.   July 23, Tuesday.   9:30 am to 1:00 pm for ages 9 & up.   Learn to make a wooden wildlife puzzle with jig saws at the woodshop and other puzzles at the nature center.   Fee $22, members $18.

 

NATURE’S RECYCLERS .   July 24. Wednesday. 9:30 to Noon for ages 8 & up.   Be informed!   Learn about nature’s recycling methods and how you can recycle and be part of the solution.   Fee $8, members $5.

 

GEOCACHING AT SARETT .   July 25. Thursday, 9:30 am to 2:00 pm for ages 8 & up.   Play this high-tech treasure hunting game using GPS devices to locate hidden containers outside. Harder to find caches than the first class.   Fee $12, members $8.

 

FOSSIL FINDING .   July 26. Friday, 9:30 am to 1:00 pm for ages 8 and up. Try your hand at finding fossils along the Grand Mere beach.   Fee $10, members $7.

 

FLYING HIGH .   July 30.   Tuesday.   9:30 am to 2:00 pm for ages 8 & up.   Create kites, fly kites and learn about wind, air masses and the science of flight.   Fee $15, members $12.

 

MOTHS VS BUTTERFLIES .   July 31. Wednesday, 9:30 to 11:00 am or 1:00 to 2:30 pm for ages 4 to 7. Learn the differences between moths and butterflies.   Visit the butterfly house.   Fee $10, members $7.

 

ST. JOE EVENING PADDLE .   July 31. Wednesday, 4:00 to 8:30 pm for ages 10 & up.   Kayak or canoe the St. Joe River from Berrien Springs to Jasper Dairy Access.   Fee $20, members $15.

 

CARNIVOROUS PLANTS .   August 1, Thursday. 9:30 am to 2:00 pm for ages 8 & up.   Welcome to the gruesome world of insect eating plants.   Learn which one grows in our area with area expert Ron Dudek.   Fee $15, members $12.

 

VENOMOUS ANIMALS .   August 2, Friday. 9:30 am to 2:00 pm for ages 8 & up.   Learn which Michigan animals use venom to subdue their prey.   Are there any we should worry about?   Learn about this awesome adaptation. Fee $12, members $8.

 

BUZZING AROUND. August 6, Tuesday.   9:30 am to 2:00 pm for ages 8 & up. Learn about our native pollinators—the bees.   Search for native pollinators,   learn how to help them & build a log nest to take home .   Fee $15, members $10.

 

WORK & PLAY DAY #2.   August 7. Wednesday, 9:30 am to 2:00 pm for ages 8 & up. Help Sarett with trail work, animal care and other jobs.   Games, fun and snacks too.   Fee $12, members $10.

 

DAZZLING DINOSAURS.   August 8, Thursday, 9:30 to 11:00 am or 1:00 to 2:30 pm for ages 4 to 7.   Dinosaurs are extinct but still fun to learn about. Play games &   have activities to help us understand these long ago reptiles.   Fee $10, members $7.

 

SARETT OVERNIGHT.   August 8 & 9.   Thursday 7:00 pm until Friday 9:00 am for ages 8 & up.   Enjoy walks, call owls, watch stars and sleep the night in the nature center building.   Evening snack & breakfast included.   Fee $28, members $22. Class size limited.   Choose only one overnight.

 

BIRDS OF A FEATHER .   August 13.   Tuesday.  8:00 am to Noon for ages 8 & up.   Become familiar with the summer birds of Sarett.   Learn to use binoculars and start a life list.   Fee $8, members $5.

 

EVENING AT THE DUNES .   August 13. Tuesday.   6:00 to 9:30 pm for ages 8 & up.   Visit our local dune system.   Learn how they were formed, the animals that live there and how fast you can run up a dune.   Fee $12, members $10.   Sponsored by Preserve the Dunes.

 

TREASURE QUEST.   August 14. Wednesday. 9:30 am to 2:00 pm for ages 8 & up.   Using GPS units, nature clues, maps and hints, join us for this A to Z treasure hunt.   May the best team win.   Fee $15, members $10.

 

SNEAKY SNAKES.   August 15. Thursday, 9:30 to 11:00 am or 1:00 to 2:30 for ages 4 to 7.   Let’s learn about these amazing animals.   We will have many live specimens.   Fee $10, members $7.

 

SARETT OVERNIGHT.   August 15 & 16.   Thursday 7:00 pm until Friday 9:00 am for ages 8 & up.   Enjoy walks, call owls, watch stars and sleep the night in the nature center building.   Evening snack & breakfast included.   Fee $28, members $22. Class size limited.   Choose only one overnight.

 

WEIRD SCIENCE .   August 20. Tuesday.   9:30 am to 2:00 pm for ages 8 & up.   Join Sarett naturalists for a day of hands on experiments, strange activities and weird facts.   Fee $15, members $12.

 

ROCK & ROLL.   August 21. Wednesday, 9:30 am to 2:00 pm for ages 8-12.   Study rocks at a gravel pit and the beach.   Make a rock collection.   Fee $15, members $12.

 

BEAUTIFUL BUTTERFLIES . August 22, Thursday, 9:30 am to Noon for ages 8 & up.   Learn the native butterflies of our area, visit the butterfly house, and investigate the gardens.   Fee $12, members $8.

 

MIGHTY MONARCH. August 22, Thursday, 1:00 to 2:30 pm for ages 4-7.   Learn about the monarch butterfly & visit the milkweed field to look for eggs, caterpillars and butterflies. Fee $10, members $7.

 

ADVANCED MUCKIN’ IN THE MARSH. August 23, Friday, 9:30 am to 11:30 am for ages 9 & up.   Be prepared to go deep into the wild wetlands of Sarett.   You must wear long pants & old tie shoes. Fee $8, members $6.

 

THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT. August 23. Friday. 8:30 to 10:00 pm for ages 5 & up.   Follow the torch lit trail with a parent to night time stations as you walk, listen & watch for creatures. Fee (adults and children) $5, members $3.

 

*** MEMBERSHIP RATES FOR SARETT NATURE CENTER . $40/family, $35/individual. To become a member please mail your name, address and check payable to Sarett Nature Center. Thank You.

 

*** PRE-REGISTRATION and PRE-PAYMENT FOR CLASSES IS REQUIRED, PLEASE SEND PAYMENT AND A LIST OF CLASS SELECTIONS TO:                            SARETT NATURE CENTER                                                               2300 BENTON CENTER ROAD                                                               BENTON HARBOR MI 49022

Please call Sarett at 269-927-4832 for more information on any of our classes.   It is important for the enjoyment of all students that your child be the appropriate age for the class.   Please dress appropriately for classes, wear a cap, good walking shoes & bring a drink and lunch if class is over the noon hour.