Preschool Story Hour: Jump Frog, Jump
Come spend an hour learning about nature! The hour will include a story and may include songs, art, rhymes and other age-appropriate activities.

Arboretum Hike
Are you thinking about adding trees or shrubs to your landscape or just want to brush up on your identification skills? Join Naturalist Karen Breternitz on this hike through the Garrett Arboretum to explore the native trees and shrubs of Michigan. This will be a slow easy hike.

Sensational Summer Days - Beautiful Butterflies
Add a special element to your visit this summer by exploring Sensational Summer Days! This indoor program includes a variety of self-guided, hands-on exploration stations. Experiments, fun facts, crafts, and scavenger hunts are just a few of the types of activities you'll find. The activities change weekly, so feel free to come back again and again!

F10-21 Local Family Kayak Trip
Here's an opportunity to get your kids or grandkids out to enjoy a trip kayaking down the Chippewa River. CNC's Dennis Pilaske will spend time teaching the basic skills of paddling kayaks and will help everyone navigate down the river. The kayaks used are excellent for beginners and are quite stable and fairly easy to learn how to paddle. Paddling a kayak gives you a totally different perspective on the landscape and the rivers around you. Throughout the trip you'll have a chance to learn how rivers work, discover some of the rarely seen critters of this aquatic environment and learn how to safely avoid common hazards on a river.

Wee Stroll
This program is designed for parents to take a guided walk with their child, learn about the outdoors and learn ways to introduce children to the natural world around them.

Butterfly Bonanza
Since the Visitor Center renovation is still ongoing, this year's Butterfly Bonanza will be held mostly outdoors, with crafts, exhibits of live butterflies, and other limited activities in the temporary Visitor Center. Of course, outdoor guided hikes will still be a major feature of the event. Come out for a fun afternoon to learn about the natural history, identification and conservation of Michigan butterflies.

CSM2 South Manitou Island Adventure (Nature Day Camp)
This trip allows our younger adventurers to get a taste of backpacking, while having the freedom to explore without all the weight. Monday will be spent getting ready and traveling to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. On Tuesday, we will take the ferry to South Manitou Island, where we will backpack to base camp. For the rest of the week we will explore an 1870s lighthouse, walk through a cemetery, discover abandoned farmsteads, visit the Valley of the Giants, climb sand dunes, watch sunsets, and enjoy becoming friends. This is sure to be a fun introduction to backpacking and a week to remember!

Sensational Summer Days - Geology Rocks!
Add a special element to your visit this summer by exploring Sensational Summer Days! This indoor program includes a variety of self-guided, hands-on exploration stations. Experiments, fun facts, crafts, and scavenger hunts are just a few of the types of activities you'll find. The activities change weekly, so feel free to come back again and again!

W10-11 Adventures for Women: Kayak Rescue
Now that you have mastered the basic skills of kayaking, you will have the opportunity to learn how to handle yourself and your kayak in slightly more challenging situations. Janea Little and Jackie Kelly will meet you at a local lake to teach you techniques for dealing with a boat full of water, rescuing another kayaker, and getting back into the boat in water over your head.

Preschool Story Hour: Good Day, Good Night
Come spend an hour learning about nature! The hour will include a story and may include songs, art, rhymes and other age-appropriate activities.

Butterfly Count
Chippewa Nature Center has hosted a Butterfly Count each July since 1988. Over 60 species have been found on the counts, thanks to the help of dozens of participants over the years. No experience is needed to participate, just enough enthusiasm to spend a few hours outside and off-trail, looking for, counting and identifying (and learning to identify!) butterflies. The start time is weather-dependent, so please call Senior Naturalist Janea Little, 631-0830, if you would like to participate in this year's count.

River Cleanup Workday
Here's your chance to help keep our local rivers clean. In past years, we've pulled out old tires, bottles, a car engine, and a motorcycle! Bit by bit, the rivers appear to be getting cleaner. We'll use a combination of wading and canoeing. If you are interested in helping clean a section of the Pine or Chippewa River, contact Phil Stephens by July 12 at 989-631-0830 or pstephens@chippewanaturecenter.org.

Log Cabin Life
Ever wonder what life would be like in a log cabin without electricity or running water? While some of us like to "rough it" today, these were the facts of life for our Midland County ancestors. This afternoon, join staff and volunteers at the Homestead for activities and demonstrations based on home living. You can help out with some household chores and see demonstrations such as spinning, weaving, woodstove cooking and more. Before you leave, don't forget to visit the farm animals and log schoolhouse!

CBM1 Canoeing the Big Manistee (Nature Day Camp)
Join us for an amazing trip down the Big Manistee River. We will load our canoes with our gear and stop at a different campground each night as we make our way down river. With lots of wildlife and excellent fishing, there will be plenty of time for exploration and fun. Campers will learn teamwork and communication skills while gaining a sense of accomplishment as they travel miles down river each day.

Sensational Summer Days - Damsels and Dragons (the Fly Kind!)
Add a special element to your visit this summer by exploring Sensational Summer Days! This indoor program includes a variety of self-guided, hands-on exploration stations. Experiments, fun facts, crafts and scavenger hunts are just a few of the types of activities you'll find. The activities change weekly, so feel free to come back again and again!

Dipping in the Pond
There is a tremendous amount of activity beneath the surface of the pond. Join CNC Educator Jackie Kelly as we use dippers and nets to discover what is living underwater. We'll find out the difference between a pond and lake. Then we will explore the pond. Please dress for the weather.

Full Moon Stroll
If the weather cooperates and grants us clear skies, the full moon will light up the trails enough to walk without using flashlights! Join Senior Naturalist Janea Little for this casual walk by the light of the full moon. In these evening hours, we'll also watch for wildlife, such as deer, beaver and maybe even a skunk, and listen to the symphony of tree crickets, lacewings and katydids. Please wear dark clothing, and bring a flashlight in case our night eyes aren't perfected.

Arboretum Hike
Are you thinking about adding trees or shrubs to your landscape or just want to brush up on your identification skills? Join Naturalist Karen Breternitz on this hike through the Garrett Arboretum to explore the native trees and shrubs of Michigan. This will be a slow easy hike.

CPO1 Backpacking the Porcupine Mountains (Nature Day Camp)
This extended backpacking trip allows adventurers to spend seven days in the wilderness of Michigan's largest state park. As we leave behind all of the "extras" of everyday life, we'll appreciate old growth forests, waterfalls, and breathtaking views of the Porcupine Mountains. We'll enjoy new friendships, learn new skills, and gain confidence as we successfully complete the route we have chosen. The first day of this trip will include team building, planning, and organizing for the trip. Join us for this amazing adventure, perhaps we will catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights dancing over Lake Superior.

Sensational Summer Days - Natural Defenses
Add a special element to your visit this summer by exploring Sensational Summer Days! This indoor program includes a variety of self-guided, hands-on exploration stations. Experiments, fun facts, crafts, and scavenger hunts are just a few of the types of activities you'll find. The activities change weekly, so feel free to come back again and again!

Morning Bird Walk
Late July will probably bring us a few migrating shorebirds and lots of songbirds with either the beat-up appearance of adults finishing up the nesting season, or awkward immature birds who are just learning how to live outside the nest. Join CNC Senior Naturalist Janea Little for this guided walk. Loaner binoculars are available.

F10-23 Saginaw Bay by Voyageur Canoe
Join Tom Lenon for an exciting adventure as we paddle in the Saginaw Bay in a 29-foot Voyageur Canoe. The canoe is a fiberglass reproduction of the birchbark canoes used by voyageurs to haul loads of trade goods and valuable animal pelts in the 18th and 19th centuries. During the trip we'll explore the natural and cultural resources of the area and share stories of the past all while having a truly unique outdoor experience. We expect this program to fill up quickly, so sign up right away! If weather or water conditions are not favorable, this trip will be canceled (determined the afternoon of the trip at CNC's discretion) and participants will be refunded.