Children
enjoy bird watching and the ever changing stages of flowers
and trees. It’s fun to learn to name and identify
birds of all kinds, flowers and trees. There are simple
books on birds, flowers and trees at your public
library to help you and your child identify the birds,
flowers and trees in your yard or around town.
Activities
to do with children
Pine
cone feeder:
Ask a child to
collect a pine cone from a yard or park, then have the
child place peanut butter on the pine cone, the adult
should assist if needed and tie a string around the top
and hang outside in a tree that you can see from inside.
As you see birds on the cone identify them with the child.
It is also helpful to have a simple bird guide near the
window.
Bread
feeder:
Ask a child to spread
peanut butter over a slice of bread and then add sunflower
seeds or bird seed on top of the peanut butter. The adult
can cut a small hole at the top of the bread and tie string
through it. Place outside where you can see from inside.
As you see birds on the bird feeder identify them with
your child. It is also helpful to have a simple bird guide
near the window.
Watch
birds outside your window:
Ask the child to
draw a picture of what he sees.
Plant
seeds:
You will need soil,
paper cups and seeds. Ask the child to measure a half
cup of soil and place in the paper cup. Add the seed and
cover with soil. Water and watch grow. You can keep a
chart and have the child draw any observations.
Make
a leaf sun catcher:
Have a child collect
leaves from the ground, as you are collecting leaves you
can identify them with the child. Take the leaves and
have the child place them on top of a piece of wax paper
and place a second piece on top of the leaves. The adult
will need to iron the top piece of wax paper for a few
minutes to create a seal. Then hang in the window.
Visit Enchanted
Learning for bird, flower, and leaf crafts.
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Some
great places to observe birds, flowers and trees are:
New
Haven County:
Edgerton
Park-Greenbrier Greenhouse and Crosby Conservatory,
75 Cliff St., New Haven (203)777-8009 Tour turn-of-the-century
greenhouse complex on the 22 acre park on the grounds of
the former Brewster Estate. On-site is The Rehabilitation
Center's Greenbrier Greenhouse Horticulture program offering
plants and herbal products and the Sarah T. Crosby Conservatory.
Peabody
Museum of Natural History,
170 Whitney Ave., New Haven (203) 432-5050 The third floor
of the museum features a great collection of mounted birds
of Connecticut, making learning to identify birds easier.
You and your child can find birds in displays of Connecticut
habitats or compare different species.
Visit their website
for Hours and Admission
FREE
admission on Thursday afternoons from 2:00 to
5:00 p.m.
West
Rock Nature Center,
Wintergreen Ave., New Haven (203) 946-8016 This
40-acre center has native birds, reptiles, and a nature
building with wildlife displays. All ages.
Ansonia
Nature & Recreation Center,
10 Deerfield Rd., Ansonia (203) 736-1053 Over 2 miles of
nature trails in 104-acre park with butterfly/hummingbird
gardens, and wildflower gardens. Hiking, cross-country skiing,
fishing pond, playing fields, playground, picnic pavilions,
and grove. Displays and programs in an interpretive building.
All ages.
Park hours: Sunrise
to Sunset, Interpretive Building hours: 9:00a.m. to 5:00p.m
Monday – Sunday. Closed Holidays. FREE.
Connecticut
Audubon Coastal Center, One Milford Point Road, Milford
(203) 878-7440 An 8.4-acre bird sanctuary and wildlife refuge
on Long Island Sound located at the mouth of the Housatonic
River. Nature center with exhibit room, outside observation
deck to view coastal birds like osprey, egrets and more.
Take a walk along the beach to look for birds. Educational
programs. All ages.
Hours: Tuesday –
Saturday 10:00a.m. to 4:00p.m., Sunday 12:00p.m. to 4:00p.m.
Kellogg
Environmental Center, Derby (203) 734-2513. Great programs
for teachers, students. families and community to learn
about and experience the natural environment. Throughout
the year, the Center offers special weekend programs, nature
walks, and family workshops.
Hours: 9:00 a.m.
to 4:30p.m. Tuesday-Saturday
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Fairfield
County:
Audubon
Center, 613 Riversville Rd., Greenwich (203) 869-5272
This Audubon Center offers 686 acres of woodland, wetland,
and meadow habitats, 5 miles of hiking trails, visitor’s
center with art gallery, nature store and book shop. Demonstrations
on bee hives, variety of weekend and educational programs.
All ages.
Visit their website
for Hours and Admission
Connecticut
Audubon Birdcraft Museum, 314 Unquowa Rd., Fairfield,
(203) 259-0416 Changing wildlife exhibits, children’s
activity corner, and dinosaur footprints. Adjacent sanctuary
has 6 acres with trails and a pond.
Visit their website
for Hours and Admission
Connecticut
Audubon Center at Fairfield, 2325 Burr St., Fairfield,
(203) 259-6305 Natural history exhibits, compound for injured
birds, and shop in Nature center. Adjacent 160-acre Larsen
Sanctuary includes 6 acres of trails, ponds, and walk for
blind, disabled and elderly. All ages.
Visit their website
for Hours and Admission
New
Canaan Nature Center, 144 Oenoke Ridge, New Canaan,
(203) 966-9577 40 acres of diverse habitats with walking
trails. Discovery Center with hands-on natural science exhibits
and live animals. Bird, butterfly, solar greenhouse, herb
and wildflower exhibits. Cider house, maple sugar shed,
educational and recreational programs.
Stamford
Museum & Nature Center, 39 Scofieldtown Rd., Stamford,
(203) 322-1646 New England farm with animals, nature’s
playground which includes an 8-foot- high hollow log leading
to a 3-foot hollow branch opening into a sand pit where
children can dig for fossil and dinosaur bone replicas,
two 7-foot-wide hawks’ nest in which to climb, a chipmunk
burrow in which to rest, a 30-foot-long otters slide on,
a tree house, a beaver lodge replica, and a water area for
possibilities such as dam construction or boat racing. There
is also hiking trails, picnic area, Planetarium and Observatory
Visit their website
for Hours and Admission
Woodcock
Nature Center, 56 Deer Run Rd., Wilton (203) 762-7280
146 acres of self-guided tours, swamp boardwalk trails.
Interpretive center contains live exhibits and nature store.
Education programs offered. All ages.
Hours: Monday-Friday
9:30 a.m. to 4:30p.m., the trails are open dawn to dusk
everyday.
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Hartford
County:
Connecticut
Audubon Center at Glastonbury, 1361 Main St., Glastonbury
(860) 633-8402 This
Center is adjacent to the 48-acre Earle Park with its forested
trails, ponds and meadows. The center has exhibits on native
flora, fauna, and Connecticut River ecosystem. Hands-on
discovery room. All ages.
Visit their website
for Hours and Admission
Roaring
Brook Nature Center, 70 Gracey Rd., Canton, (860) 693-0263
Visit an Indian long house, seasonal exhibits, live animals
and self-guided nature trails. All Ages.
Visit their website
for Hours and Admission
Tomasso Nature Park, Granger
La., Plainville, (860) 747-6022 An
11-acre park with 4 acres of wetland, painted turtles, fish,
and other animals and plants. Observation areas, trails,
and bridges. All ages.
Hours: Open March
15 to November 15 from dawn to dusk.
Wethersfield
Nature Center, 30 Greenfield St., Wethersfield, (860)
721-2953 Visit the Nature Center and see many mammals, reptiles,
and birds. There are also educational exhibits, hands-on
science displays, a log cabin, and gift shop. 110-acres
of Wintergreen Woods Park in well within walking distance
for hiking. All ages.
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Litchfield
County:
Flanders
Nature Center, Church Hill and Flanders Rd., Woodbury
(203) 263-3711 Van
Vleck Farm and Whittemore sanctuaries offer hiking trails
with wildlife, woodlands, a bog, nut trees and grove, seasonal
farm, and educational programs.
Sharon
Audubon Center, 325 Rte 4, Sharon, (860) 364-0520 Explore
the 11 miles of scenic hiking trails, and included 860 acres
of mixed forest, meadow, wetlands, ponds, streams, herb
garden, picnic area and a nature store. All ages.
Hours: The visitors
center and nature store are open Tuesday-Saturday 9:00
to 5:00p.m., Sundays 1:00p.m. to 5:00p.m..
Admission: To the visitors center is free. Fees for trails
and most programs.
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New
London County:
Connecticut
College Arboretum, Williams St., New London (860) 439-5020
750 acres with
a variety of natural ecosystems. Hiking trails, ponds, woody
landscape plants from around the world. Self-guided tour
brochures are located at the entrance on Williams St.
Hours: Open daily
from dawn to dusk.
Denison Pequotsepos
Nature Center, 109 Pequotsepos Rd., Mystic (860) 536-1216
A 200-acre sanctuary
with woodland, wetland, and meadow habitats. Seven miles
of hiking trails. Visit the summer wildflower garden. A
Natural history museum and gift shop. All ages.
Hours: Monday-Saturday
9:00a.m. to 5:00p.m., Sunday 10:00a.m. to 4:00p.m.
Visit their website
for Admission
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Putnam
County:
Connecticut
Audubon Center at Pomfret, 189 Pomfret St. Rte. 169.,
Pomfret Center, (860) 928-4949 Adjacent
to the Bafflin Sanctuary offers a nature center and some
of the best birding in the state providing habitat for hard-to-find
grassland birds. Hiking trails.
Hours: Open daily
from dusk to dawn.
Public
Libraries
offer great books on birds. Your FREE library card from
your local branch will let you take books from any library
in Connecticut. Many have great children’s sections
with toys, computers, storytimes, and special events. They
lend a variety of FREE and reduced-price passes to area
museums, check your local branch for details.
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Links
Connecticut
Institutions Related to Birding
CT
Department of Environmental Protection's Peregrine Falcon
CT
Department of Environmental Protection's Special Features
on Connecticut's birding projects.
The
Connecticut Ornithological Association is the only statewide
organization devoted to birds and birding in Connecticut.
Since its founding in 1981, its membership has grown to
well over 500 people who range from beginning birders to
professional ornithologists.
To learn more about
birds visit Audubon
Center.
For fun facts on Connecticut's
Trees/Plants/Flowers log onto CT
Department of Environmental Protection
To learn about native plants log onto Connecticut
Botanical Society.
FirstGov
for Kids
The
U.S. government interagency Kids' Portal. This site was
developed and is maintained by the Federal Citizen Information
Center. It provides links to Federal kids' sites along with
some of the best kids' sites from other organizations all
grouped by subject. Explore, learn, have fun and don't forget
to add us to your favorites!
Visit
Plants and Animals.
For kids activities
and gardening tips visit Kids
Gardening.
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Back
to Places to Go, Things to Do page.
Birds,
Flowers, and Trees
Yale School of Medicine