2013 Home School Program Schedule

WAYNE COUNTY PARKS

Nankin Mills

33175 Ann Arbor Trail Interpretive Center Westland, MI 48185

Located on Hines Drive Just east of Ann Arbor Trail

For more information call 734-261-1990 www.waynecountyparks.org

Nankin Mills Interpretive Center is pleased to offer our series of monthly educational programs designed for home school students and their parent to attend together. Call 734-261-1990 if you have any questions.

ALL PROGRAMS ARE HELD 1:30 – 3:00 PM at Nankin Mills unless another time is indicated. See program dates and topics below.

REGISTRATION PAYMENT Pre-registration and prepayment are PLEASE NOTE required. Register only for the topics you NEW PROGRAM FEES are interested in attending. You will not be registered for a program until payment is Each program received. $6.00 per student, $2.00 per adult Registration can be mailed in, called in with Out of County residents a credit card or payed at the Park Office at $7.00 per student, $3.00 per adult the above address. Please have an adult stay with each family Please follow the age recommendations group. listed when registering for the enjoyment of We accept cash, credit card or check made all participants. payable to “Wayne County Parks”. PROGRAM REGISTRATION SORRY, NO REFUNDS or program credits OPENS will be given unless Wayne County cancels a TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013 program. 2013 Home School Program Schedule

TUESDAY, JANUARY 15: ANIMAL TRACKS/ANMIALS IN WINTER Bring a light-colored T-shirt to track up! Learn to identify different animal tracks and take a hike to search for real tracks in the snow. Discover different ways that animals survive the Michigan winters. Half indoors and half outdoors, dress for the weather. Ages 4 – 12.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 24: ANIMAL KEYING: SKINS, TRACKS, SCAT AND SKULLS Michigan mammals will be highlighted as students look for clues to key out and identify their fur, tracks, scat and skulls. Bring your observation and detective skills to solve the mysteries in this hands-on activity. Indoor program, Ages 9 – 15.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19: HARRIET TUBMAN AND THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD,1:30 – 2:30 PM Rosie Chapman, a.k.a. Miz Rosie, is a teacher, performing artist, author and school social worker. Her interactive performances are truly educational and entertaining. She will present her one- woman Show about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. Indoor program, Ages 7 and up. Adults Will enjoy it too!

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28: MINING AND PASTIES Michigan has a rich mining history. Miners were often of Scandinavian heritage and brought many of their customs to America with them. One such custom was to eat a pasty for lunch. These delicious meat, vegetable and potato creations were easy to eat with your hands down in the mine, where tables and silverware were not available! Learn about Michigan’s mining past, make a miner’s helmet and taste the miner’s fare! Indoor program, Ages 7 – 15.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13: MAPLE SUGARING AT CASS BENTON PARK March is maple sugaring month in Michigan. Bundle up and join our naturalist at Cass Benton Park in Northville, off Northville Road north of Six Mile, near the picnic shelter and play structure. See how trees are tapped and sap is boiled to syrup and sugar. Also learn how the early Native Americans first discovered maple sap and prepared it. Be sure to dress for the weather, program is outdoors. Ages 4 - 15.

THURSDAY, MARCH 28: ASTRONOMY - OUR SOLAR SYSTEM Locating winter constellations and learning about the planets and moons in our own solar system will be the focus of this astronomical adventure! A constellation craft will also be part of the fun. Please bring a T-shirt for craft. Indoor program. Ages 7 – 12.

THURSDAY, APRIL 25: CRANBROOK SPACE LAB, 1:30 – 2:30 PM The Cranbrook Institute of Science will lead us in a tour of the universe! Enter the portable planetarium and you will be transported on a journey through the night sky to discover distant stars, planets and constellations. Immerse yourself in the lore from past cultures who were also in awe of the night sky! Indoor program, Ages 6-14.

TUESDAY, APRIL 30: EARLY BIRD HIKE, 8:00 – 9:30 AM The early bird may catch the worm, but the early bird watcher catches a glimpse of the birds! Join us for any early start as we venture into the woods and field in search of our feathered friends starting their day. We have binoculars available for your use, but you can bring your own if you have them. Outdoor program, Ages 7 – 15.

TUESDAY, MAY 7: MICHIGAN’S SALT MINE, 1:30 – 2:30 PM A huge deposit of salt is buried below much of our state, left from the evaporation of ancient seas that covered Michigan long before the glaciers were here. A visitor from the Detroit Salt Mine Company will join us to present the history of salt mining in our state and share with us the fascinating story of the “city below the city”. Indoor program, Ages 7-15.

FRIDAY, MAY 17: AN EVENING WITH FROGS!, 6:30 – 8:00 PM Learn about the many different species of Michigan frogs and toads and venture out on a night hike to listen to their melodious calls! The pond at Nankin Mills will be the first stop, and then we will carpool to another location a few miles away in Holliday Nature Preserve to enjoy the spring symphony of frog romance! Mostly outdoors, Ages 7 – 15.

FRIDAY, MAY 31: OWLS OF MICHIGAN, 6:30 – 8:00 PM The many unique adaptations of owls make them very effective nocturnal predators. Our owl mounts will introduce you to some of the eleven different species that have been found in Michigan. Close examination of owl pellets allows you to investigate what owls have been eating! We will take a short hike to “call” for owls. Indoor and outdoor program, Ages 8 – 15.

TUESDAY, JUNE 18: THE PRIVY HISTORIAN, ARCHAEOLOGICAL DIG Believe it or not, outhouses can tell us a lot about history! Our Miller’s house on the grounds of Nankin Mills dates back to the 1830s. Local Privy Historian, Tony Panepucci, returns to lead an archaeological dig behind the house to unearth artifacts that were discarded by former families living in the house. His specialty is bottles and glassware. We couldn’t believe how much he found last time he was here! Outdoor program, Ages 5 – Adult.

THURSDAY, JUNE 27: FRENCH FUR TRADE IN THE GREAT LAKES Meet French fur trapper, Mathieu Richard, who will lead a program about the fur trade history of the Great Lakes region. Speaking in “Frenglais”, or mostly English with a bit of French, Richard will bring this history to life. Activities include a canoe craft and the game “Bear, Trap, Trapper”. Indoor program, Ages 7 – 15.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13: REG PETTIBONE, NATIVE AMERICAN DANCE ~ CULTURAL PROGRAM, 1:30 – 2:30 PM Reg Pettibone will draw from his traditional upbringing to share true Native American culture through dance, song, stories, artifacts and audience participation. A champion PowWow dancer and full-blooded Native American from the Ho-Chunk Nation, Pettibone and other dancers, dressed in beautiful regalia, will dispel myths about Native culture and help create a better understanding. Indoors, Ages 6 – Adult. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17: CORN HARVEST Southern Michigan is on the edge of the corn belt. Corn is the most abundant grain grown in the western hemisphere, third in the world after rice and wheat. We will grind corn with a mill, eat popcorn and watch a video about a local corn elevator and make corn dolls. Mostly indoors with short outdoor game, Ages 7 – 15.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26: THE MIGHTY OAKS OF BENNETT ARBORETUM Meet our naturalist at the Disc Golf Parking Lot off of Hines Drive between Six and Seven Mile in Northville for a visit to Wayne County’s Bennett Arboretum. Planted in the 1930’s, some of the historic collections remain to be enjoyed today. We will learn to identify over a dozen species of oak trees by their leaves and acorns and maybe have time to explore some of the other tree collections as well. Outdoor program Ages 8 – 12.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 15: LEAF PRINT T-SHIRTS & NATURE HIKE Trees will be the focus of our explorations as we take a hike to learn how to identify our local floodplain species and enjoy the autumn color show. Each student should bring a light-colored T-shirt to make leaf prints as a memory of the beautiful fall season. Indoors and outdoors, Ages 4 – 12.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24: BIRDS OF PREY, 1:30 – 2:30 PM Always fascinating and majestic, the birds of prey include hawks, owls, falcons and eagles. Learn about their natural history and get a close-up look at live birds! A presenter from Leslie Science and Nature Center Raisin River Raptors will join us to share her knowledge and her birds with us! Indoor program, Ages 4 – Adult.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19: NATURAL PLANT DYES It’s to Dye for! We will look at the history of plant dyes and try making natural dyes from a couple of different plants, such as black walnut husks. Bring a few small white clothing items or cloths to try to dye in our homemade solutions. Indoor and outdoor program, Ages 7 – 15.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21: MICHIGAN GEOLOGY Discover Michigan’s amazing geological history, which includes volcanoes, mountains, oceans and glaciers! We will take a look at the “big” picture, including plate tectonics. Then we will explore the “smaller” picture by learning rock and mineral classification. Students will do mineral testing and make a mineral collection to take home. Indoors, Ages 8 – 15.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10: EXTREME PHYSICS OF MOTION, 1:30 – 2:30 PM Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum will present a physics program focusing on roller coasters and Newtonian Catch. Newtonian Catch is a large physics demonstration in which participants Experience relative motion first-hand. Sure to be a fun program! Indoors, Ages 9 – 14.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17: WINTER HIKE/SEED CRAFT The fall colors are long gone, and the temperatures have dropped, but there is still much to be found on the nature trail. Bundle up and join our naturalist on a hike through Holliday Nature Preserve in search of seed pods. After our hike, we will warm up in the classroom and create a craft from what we have found! Indoor and outdoor program, Ages 5 – 15.

Nankin Mills Interpretive Center 2013 Home School Registration Form Class Time – 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm, unless another time is indicated One adult per each group of children is required

Date Program Title #Child #Adults Tuesday, January 15 Animal Tracks/Winter Hike (Bring a T-shirt, Dress for hike) Thursday, January 24 Animal Keying: Skins, Tracks, Scat and Skulls Tuesday, February 19 Harriet Tubman & theUnderground Railroad, Rosie Chapman 1:30 – 2:30 pm Thursday, February 28 Mining and Pasties Wednesday, March 13 Maple Sugaring OFFSITE, MEET AT CASS BENTON PARK, (DRESS FOR OUTDOORS) Thursday, March 28 Astronomy – Our Solar System Thursday, April 25 Cranbrook Space Lab, 1:30 – 2:30 pm Tuesday, April 30 Early Bird Hike, 8:00 - 9:30 am, NEW!! Tuesday, May 7 Michigan’s Salt Mine, 1:30 – 2:30 pm Friday, May 17 An Evening with Frogs! 6:30 – 8:00 pm, CARPOOLING OFFSITE, START AT NANKIN Friday, May 31 Owls of Michigan – Owl calling, 6:30 – 8:00 pm Tuesday, June 18 The Privy Historian, Tony Panepucci, Archaeological Dig Thursday, June 27 French Fur Trader Friday, September 13 Reg Pettibone’s Native American Dance ~ Cultural Program, 1:30 – 2:30 pm, NEW!! Tuesday, September 17 Corn Harvest Thursday, September 26 Mighty Oaks of Bennett Arboretum, NEW!! OFFSITE, MEET AT BENNETT ARBORETUM Tuesday, October 15 Leaf Print T-shirts & Hike (Bring a T-shirt, Dress for hike) Thursday, October 24 Live Birds of Prey, Leslie Science & Nature Center, 1:30 – 2:30 pm Tuesday, November 19 Natural Plant Dyes, NEW!! Thursday, November 21 Michigan Geology Tuesday, December 10 Extreme Physics of Motion, Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum, NEW!! Tuesday, December 17 Winter Hike/Seed craft TOTAL # Child/Adult X Fee Wayne Co.resident Multiply # children and # adults in line above by fee X $6.00 X $2.00 Or X Fee Non Co. resident Multiply # children above and #adults by out of Wayne County fee X $7.00 X $3.00 Total Fees due child/adult

Add your fees for child and adult columns and submit check payable to “Wayne County Parks” with this form to the Park Office: 33175 Ann Arbor Trail, Westland, Michigan 48185. To pay by credit card, call 734-261-1990. Keep a copy of the registration form for yourself. No Refunds or Credits will be given unless Wayne County cancels a Program.

Name: ______

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Total Payment $ ______Cash __ Ck# ______Chrg#______(last 4 digits)