If you are looking for occasional classes for your homeschooler, our 2.5 hour drop off class for children 5-10yrs are held twice monthly, January through May. This Earth Friends Outdoors drop off class is designed to connect children with seasonal nature study, creative arts and messy maths exploration. We promote respect for plants, animals, the... Read more »
Come explore Irvine, the first Thursday of the month, and observe Irvine at dusk, when the grounds are quiet... or are they? Use the time to walk the trails, relax at Wedding Point, check out our Aviary, explore the Wetlands, discover the Native American site, play in the Outdoor Classroom or wander the Woodland Garden.... Read more »
Sponsored by CMHC and The Center for Nature Informed Therapy. Spring is a time for emergence and renewal in community. Come join Mira and Phillip in a 1.5 hour event that invites the healing powers of nature to improve mental health and wellbeing through the practices of yoga and mindful walking. Come plant seeds of presence... Read more »
If you are looking for occasional classes for your homeschooler, our 2.5 hour drop off class for children 5-10yrs are held twice monthly, January through May. This Earth Friends Outdoors drop off class is designed to connect children with seasonal nature study, creative arts and messy maths exploration. We promote respect for plants, animals, the... Read more »
For thousands of years, until the invention of the match, people started fires with variations of flint and steel. To use this technique participants will first make their own char cloth making kit to take home. Practice first the skill of creating sparks and then the seemingly magical art of creating flame. Age 18+ This... Read more »
On this special day we can see the sun set due west and then the full moon rise. Learn why the seasons change then go on a family friendly hike in the twilight as we wait for the moon to rise (bring a flashlight in case of clouds). Listen for animals who are used to... Read more »
What is herbalism? Herbalism is as ancient as life itself. It predates recorded history, oral history, and even human beings. It is the foundation of all other forms of medicine. It is the respectful use of whole plant materials such as leaves, flowers, fruit, seed, stem, bark, root, moss, lichen, seaweed or fungi to support... Read more »
Participants will enjoy practicing moving meditative forms of body, mind, and spirit to deepen their connection to nature. The classes will begin in the tent or conference room, then transition to various beautiful locations throughout the Irvine campus. Qigong forest bathing and Qigong walks will be additional components of each class. No prior experience needed, and all are... Read more »
Celebrate the changing of the season with a nature exploration along Irvine’s trails. The wetlands will be full of frog calls as we hunt for frogspawn and salamanders. Enjoy the hunt for the first flowers of the season and look for buds bursting and shoots emerging. Join Naturalist Clare on a wet and muddy adventure... Read more »
Discover a cost-effective way to create a pollinator patch to help bees and butterflies. It all begins with SEEDS! This workshop will explain the techniques used to grow native plants from seed, which plants work well, and how and when to transplant. Age 18+ Each participant will plant a ‘mini-greenhouse’ of native flower seeds to... Read more »
This 6-week program integrates nature connection with mindfulness and other resiliency practices to assist people in regulating stress, anxiety, depression, and pain. The course is led by a team of mental health professionals and includes guided relaxation, mindfulness and breathing techniques, forest bathing invitations, and therapeutic group conversations. We will explore nature’s role in stress... Read more »
An Intimate Photographic Look at the Wildlife of Maryland through the Lens of a Camera and the Eyes of a Naturalist Take an intimate and close-up photographic journey, seeing and enjoying the diversity of wildlife in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain of Maryland. Frank will share the often-amusing stories behind someof his photographic pursuits, along... Read more »
Interested in getting outside and observing nature? Concerned about the impacts that climate change is having on the plants and animals all around us? Phenology is the practice of observing the different lifecycles of plants from bud burst and leaf emergence to flowering and seeds. On this walk we will observe the plants that make... Read more »
Build your fire skills, whittle, or just enjoy sitting around a fire and chatting. Join Naturalist Clare at our fire pit to practice fire skills such as using a friction fire kit, flint and steel or ferro rod. Try splitting wood with a baton or bring a knife to practice your wood carving. Drop in... Read more »
Participants will enjoy practicing moving meditative forms of body, mind, and spirit to deepen their connection to nature. The classes will begin in the tent or conference room, then transition to various beautiful locations throughout the Irvine campus. Qigong forest bathing and Qigong walks will be additional components of each class. No prior experience needed, and all are... Read more »
Join us for a 6-week course on nature photography. Participants in the course will begin each class by learning the basics of digital photography, ranging from lighting to compositional techniques. Then the woods of Irvine Nature Center will provide them with a studio to experiment in, with the guidance of nature photographer Payton Pan, as... Read more »
This 6-week program integrates nature connection with mindfulness and other resiliency practices to assist people in regulating stress, anxiety, depression, and pain. The course is led by a team of mental health professionals and includes guided relaxation, mindfulness and breathing techniques, forest bathing invitations, and therapeutic group conversations. We will explore nature’s role in stress... Read more »
Head down to our campsite for a campfire and be serenaded by thousands of frogs! First learn some different frog calls, then we’ll go on a short hike to a better listening spot. Find out how many frogs you can tell apart by sound. Then, back to the campfire to warm up and roast s’mores! ... Read more »
Throughout history, wild herbs have been used as both medicine and an important source of nutrients. Many of the first plants to grow in spring are ones brought to America for their medicinal value but are now considered weeds and can be harvested in quantity. We will discuss which greens can be collected to make... Read more »
