Family Day at the Aldo Leopold Legacy Center

Aldo Leopold Legacy Center Family Day

E13701 Levee Road Baraboo WI 53913

This is a free, family-friendly event to celebrate the coming of spring.  The event features hands-on activities for kids and families, including games, nature crafts, nature hikes, and more! Bring the whole family for a great day of fun.

Family Day Descriptions

·         Dress Like a Crane! : Learn about the International Crane Foundation’s (ICF’s) work raising endangered Whooping Cranes for release into the wild while making your own crane mask and trying on a crane costume! In the 1980s, ICF researchers began experimenting with costume-rearing of cranes. Today, ICF researchers caring for young Whooping Cranes wear full-length crane costumes to hide their human form and use hand puppets that mimic an adult crane's head to feed and interact with the chicks. Learn more at www.cranechickcam.org  (ICF booth) (Exhibit Hall)

·         Art Project: Celebrate spring and nature while creating your own piece of art using paint, scissors and glue. (Meeting Wing)

·         See the Shack:  Stroll the prairies, pines and sands that the Leopold family created and preserves to this day around the historic "shack" of Sand County Almanac fame.  Be sure to stop by the Shack and see photo’s and hear the Leopold family stories, as well as take a hike to the river and see what animal tracks you can find.  (Shack)

·         Look & Learn Like Leopold  - Make your own nature trail bag or phenology journal out of recycled materials and have your photo taken dressed like Leopold complete with a birding vest, hat and binoculars. (ALNC Booth) (Seed Hall)

·         Learn about Reptiles - Get to know your scaly, crawly, and slithery friends! You can touch, hold (or just look at!) real live snakes and lizards, and learn about what they do for a living and why they are awesome. (Exhibit Hall)

·         Planting Activity: Recycle strips of newspaper into a pot.  Plant some seeds and once your seeds sprout, the pot can be planted directly into the garden, or planter.  The newspaper pot will compost right into the earth as the plant grows! (Seed Hall)

·         Bats Amazing! - Get to know the bats that's live in your neighborhood! Find out how amazing bats are and make a simple bat to take home with you. (Devils Lake State Park Booth) (Thermal Flux Zone)

·         Fun in the Sand! Come down to the Wisconsin River behind the Shack to make castles, sculptures, and art - all with sand!  (Shack)

·         Nature hikes: Explore our new trails and learn about the plants and animals that live in the Sand Counties! Hikes leave at 1:00pm and 2:30pm from the back porch of the Leopold Center. (New Trails)

·         Hay Rides: Leave from the parking lot every 20 minutes. The tractor will take you to and from the Leopold Shack. While you are there, you can explore the Wisconsin River, take nature hike, and learn all about the Leopold family’s time at the Shack.

·         Refreshments: Hungry? We’ve got hot dogs, Brats, fresh fruit, soda, and cookies available. Please make a suggested donation to help us cover our costs.  (Kitchen)