Youth and Family Weekend Programs

Click on the each program title to register.  Programs with an (*) are eligible for a member discount (Pacesetters and above). 

*OWL PROWL
Join us after dark to search the woods of Irvine for some of Maryland’s native owls.  We have multiple resident owls and winter is the perfect time to listen for them. We will start indoors to practice recognizing their different calls and then head out for a quiet walk on the trails and call out to these incredible creatures. Finish up with an up-close encounter with Irvine’s ambassador owls. Should be a hoot! This is a great program for families with children ages 7 and up.

Instructor: Dr. Clare Walker and Colby Warner, Environmental Educators
Friday, March 8th
6:00PM – 8:00PM
Cost: $10/individual or $25/family
Advance registration strongly encouraged. 

*ANIMAL ART CLASS: Frog Focus!
Did you know that March 20th is FROG DAY? Come celebrate your love for our amphibian friends with an art class. Learn to draw and paint these tiny, adorable animals! Class intended for adults and teens age 13+. All levels of experience encouraged to join – novice to proficient. All are welcome.

Instructor: Brittany Roger, Irvine Educator and MICA-trained artist
Friday, March 15th
6:00 – 8:00PM
Cost: $15/individual
Advance registration encouraged – class will be cancelled if minimum not met.

*FANTASTIC FROGS!
Join Naturalist Clare in the Exhibit Hall to meet some local frog and toad species up-close. Then we’ll hike to the wetlands to dip for tadpoles, froglets and frogs – the different life stages of our fantastic frogs. Please bring footwear that can get wet, a change of clothes for after (just in case) and water bottles for the hike.

Instructor: Dr. Clare Walker, Environmental Educator
Saturday, April 6th
2:00 – 3:30PM
Cost: $10/child, accompanying adult is free
Advance registration encouraged – class will be cancelled if minimum not met.

*FIND THE FROGS CAMPFIRE
Head down to Irvine’s campsite for a campfire and be serenaded by thousands of frogs! First, we’ll learn some of the different frog calls while enjoying s’mores at the campfire. Then go on a short hike to a listening spot close to the wetlands. Find out how many frogs you can tell apart by sound. Be sure to wear boots that will keep your feet dry, dress for the weather and bring flashlights. Program is rain or shine but won’t include a fire if it rains, instead we will learn calls and meet our frog ambassadors in the building before heading out – remember, frogs like the rain!

Instructor: Mallory Mylnarek & Cecilia Boynton, Environmental Educators
Friday, April 12th
7:00 – 9:00PM
Cost: $10/individual or $25/family
Advance registration encouraged – class will be cancelled if minimum not met.

*CUBS, KITS , AND KIDS: ALL ABOUT BABY ANIMALS 
Do you love baby animals? Here at Irvine, spring means lots of animal families out and about for the first time! Come celebrate new lives in nature with us! We’ll learn all about different animal families and how baby animals are raised. We’ll even venture outside for a scavenger hunt for baby animals in the wild, and then do a baby bird craft with materials from nature. Ideal for ages 3-7.

Instructor: Cecilia Boynton, Environmental Educator
Sunday, April 14th
1:00 – 3:00PM
Cost: $5/ individual (FREE for Irvine Members)
Advance registration encouraged – class will be cancelled if minimum not met.

*SPRINGFEST 2024
Celebrate Spring at Irvine with lots of family fun with games, crafts, nature activities, and live animal encounters. Plant seeds to take home, build a bird nest of your own, explore the woodland garden looking for birds along the trail, take pictures with HOOT and so much more. Ideal for ages 3-7.

Instructor: Irvine Naturalist
Saturday, April 20th
10:00AM – 12:00PM
Cost: $10/child* (Early-Bird price)
$15/child* (after April 10)
*adults and children under 2 FREE

Register early and save! Do not delay – event might sell out.

*MAY THE FOREST BE WITH YOU   
You won’t have to go to a galaxy far, far away to celebrate May the Fourth with Irvine. Go on an adventure through the Understory Loop of ‘Endor’ as we hunt for Ewoks with the help of Princess Leia. Then learn about the closest animal Maryland has to Ewoks: bears! Finally  we’ll try our hand at building a working Ewok catapult with natural materials so we can defend ourselves from the Empire. Ideal for ages 5+.

Instructor: Dr. Clare Walker & Cecilia Boynton, Environmental Educators
Saturday, May 4th
1:30 – 3:00PM
Cost: $10/child, accompanying adults are free
Advance registration encouraged – class will be cancelled if minimum not met.

*MOTHER’S DAY SPECIAL: THE KISSING HAND     
On this Mother’s day, celebrate your love of nature together at Irvine. Gather for an easy nature hike to explore and collect natural materials, where we will stop along the way for a reading of the Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn. Then each mom, grandma, or motherly figure and their child will work together to create clay hearts, decorated with their nature finds, to represent their love.

Instructors: Madison Miller, Environmental Educator
Sunday, May 12th
1:30 – 3:00PM
Cost: $10/Child,  accompanying adults are free
Advance registration encouraged – event will be cancelled if minimum not met.

*STORY TIME AND NATURE WALK    
Come enjoy storytime in the woods at Irvine! We will read a story in our Outdoor Classroom. After the story, we’ll go on a nature walk to see what we can find from the story right here at Irvine. If you and your little ones love stories and nature, this will be the perfect combination!

Instructors: Cecilia Boynton, Environmental Educator
Sunday, May 19th
10:30AM – 12:00PM
Cost: $5/ individual (FREE for Irvine Members)
Advance registration encouraged – event will be cancelled if minimum not met.

*ANIMAL ART : WORLD TURTLE DAY!    
Celebrate your love for turtles with an art class. Irvine’s animal ambassadors include the Maryland State Reptile, the Diamondback Terrapin! Learn to draw and paint this rare species and your other favorite turtles. All experience levels and ages welcome, ages 13+ recommended.

Instructors: Brittany Roger, Irvine Educator and MICA-trained artist
Thursday, May 23rd
6:00 – 8:00PM
Cost: $20/individual
Advance registration encouraged – event will be cancelled if minimum not met.

*TAKE FLIGHT AT IRVINE ON NATIONAL PAPER AIRPLANE DAY     
Have you ever watched a bird fly and wondered how they glide, soar, and swoop so easily? Explore the marvelous world of flight at Irvine as we meet one of Irvine’s winged ambassadors. Learn the secrets to successful flight from feathers to wing shape. Put those secrets to the test as you use your knowledge to see which paper airplanes can fly furthest, fastest, or longest. Try folding different designs before a testing session outside. Flight has never been so exciting. Ideal for ages 6+

Instructors: Cecilia Boynton, Environmental Educator
Sunday, May 26th
2:00 – 4:00PM
Cost: $5/ individual (FREE for Irvine Members)
Advance registration encouraged – event will be cancelled if minimum not met.

*FAIRY HOUSES & WANDS      
Join us for a magical day spent in nature at Irvine. Enjoy a woodland fairy story as we gather on blankets in a shady nook, then use natural materials to create homes for your fairy friends. Decorate a fairy wand so all your wishes can come true. Ideal for ages 3-6

Instructors: Madison Miller, Environmental Educator
Saturday, June 8th
1:30 – 3:00PM
Cost: $10/child
Advance registration encouraged – event will be cancelled if minimum not met.

*ANIMAL ART: MAMMALS       
Practice observational drawing with a live mammal and mammal artifacts. Leave the class with observational drawing/painting techniques and new ways expressing your connection to nature. This is a mixed media activity with options including acrylic paint, watercolor, colored pencils, charcoal, pens, and a variety of surfaces. Irvine’s animals will model for participants as they draw and paint! This is not a Paint Night style activity. We’re not all painting the same thing step-by-step. Ideal for ages 13+

Participants may take home their artwork.
Participants are allowed to bring their own supplies if they like.
Participants’ parents are not required to be a chaperone.

Instructors: Brittany Roger, Irvine Educator and MICA-trained artist
Sunday, June 9th
1:00 – 3:00PM
Cost: $25/individual
Advance registration encouraged – event will be cancelled if minimum not met.

*KIDS MAKE AND TAKE: POM POM BUMBLE BEES       
What’s all the buzz about National Pollinator Week? Come find out and celebrate with some pompom fun. Bumble bees are our fuzziest and cutest bees with their bright yellow and black stripes. Learn the method to make stipes in a pompom as you make your very own adorable bee. While we craft, there will be time to learn about why pollinators are so important and look at some real bee specimens for inspiration.

Instructors: Cecilia Boynton, Environmental Educator
Saturday, June 15th
2:30 – 4:00PM
Cost: $10/individual
Advance registration encouraged – event will be cancelled if minimum not met.

*A SUMMER SOLSTICE CELEBRATION        
Connect with nature on the special solstice that this year coincides with a full moon (or wait another 19 years). Take a gentle walk to our pollinator meadow to experience the evening peace. Listen to solstice stories from around the world while gathering around a fire scented with herbs collected on this longest day. Enjoy some seasonal beverages like elderflower spritzers. Then watch the moon rise over the meadow as it dances with fireflies. Irvine magic! Ideal for adults and children 8+

Instructors: Dr. Clare Walker & Cecilia Boynton, Environmental Educators
Friday, June 21st
7:30 – 9:30PM
Cost: $12/individual or $25/family
Advance registration encouraged – event will be cancelled if minimum not met.

*CELEBRATE WORLD MUD DAY         
Let’s get messy and celebrate World Mud Day at Irvine! World Mud Day connects children around the globe to nature by getting them outdoors, observing nature, and interacting with mess. Help us make mudpies, mudcakes, mudsculptures, and even creating mud faces on trees with mud, sticks, and leaves. Science has even shown that mud causes us to release serotines that raise our mood! So, roll your sleeves up and get ready for a fun afternoon. Wear clothes you are willing to get dirty, a hose will be available to clean off after. All ages welcome.

Instructors: Cecilia Boynton, Environmental Educator
Saturday, June 29th
1:00 – 2:30PM
Cost: $5/ individual (FREE for Irvine Members)
Advance registration encouraged – event will be cancelled if minimum not met.

*FIREFLY FLASH          
Enjoy one of the wonders of a summer evenings with the flashing of fireflies at Irvine. Take a closer look at the many species of fireflies and learn all about their magical bioluminescent bottoms while we wait for dusk. Then we will explore Irvine’s grounds for fireflies and watch their amazing display in the meadow. Bring a flashlight for the return trip from the meadow when it will be dark. We recommend long sleeves/natural repellents for anyone who would like to catch fireflies without hurting them. Ideal for ages 5+

Instructors: Dr. Clare Walker, Environmental Educator
Saturday, July 6th
7:30 – 9:15 PM
Cost: $10/ individual or $30/ family
Advance registration encouraged – event will be cancelled if minimum not met.