Easy Raccoon Craft

Want a fun, quick craft that makes the cutest raccoon? Well, look no further. Here is a quick and fun raccoon craft. You only need a few supplies: Any color paper Black construction paper A newspaper Scissors A glue stick Googly eyes   Step 1: Cut a rounded pyramid out of the newspaper and glue Read More »

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Turkey Day is Almost Upon Us

Since Thanksgiving Day is almost here, I thought it would be fun to look at the history of Thanksgiving and how turkeys became the focal point. Every year for Thanksgiving, there are around 46 million turkeys eaten across the U.S. But how did this come to be? Why do we eat turkey on Thanksgiving? At Read More »

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Spider with Web Craft

As Halloween is coming up, I was looking for a fun craft that could also be a decoration. On Pinterest, I found a Spider with a Web craft and it just so happens to go with meeting Pinki our Tarantula on social media this week. You will need: Scissors Hole Punch Tape Paper Plate Yarn Read More »

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Bee and Butterfly Festival 2020

The Dickinson County Nature Center is excited to announce that Dee’s Bee & Butterfly Festival is set for September. “Although this year will not be the same as previous years, I am excited to keep the tradition of celebrating our pollinators alive through this modified event,” said Bryanna Kuhlman, environmental education coordinator. Instead of a Read More »

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Family Nature Night – Geocaching

  The Dickinson County Nature Center is excited to host its first summer program of 2020 with Family Nature Night Friday, July 24. The free family program will focus on geocaching, a global phenomenon in which users can hunt for specially hidden caches with GPS-enabled devices. Staff will give a short presentation on geocaching at Read More »

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Animal ambassador conservationists: Luna Leopold

likeness of luna leopold

Luna the hedgehog’s name works on multiple levels. First, luna means moon in Spanish, and since the Dickinson County Nature Center’s African pygmy hedgehog is nocturnal, a name meaning moon is quite apt. Second, like many of our animals, Luna is named after a famous conservationist — Luna Leopold. Leopold was born in 1915 in Read More »

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5 rock books for kids

Rocks can be the perfect way to get little ones interested in the outdoors. They’re easy to find. They can be touched, picked up and collected. There is a wide variety, from sparkly to chalk-like, smooth to holey. Read a good book about rocks and then head outside to see what rocks you can find! Read More »

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Free fun in the Nature Playscape

child crossing a swinging bridge

Open all day every day, the Nature Playscape is a perfect place for families to enjoy the Okoboji outdoors. Located in Kenue Park, just outside the Dickinson County Nature Center, the playscape offers a variety of recreational play items. “Just another one of our free offerings, the Nature Playscape is a hit with kids of Read More »

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How prairie plants disperse seed

gray-headed coneflower

As a kid, we all picked a puffy dandelion and blew the wisps into the air. Little did we think that we were actually helping dandelions disperse their seeds. Dandelions and other plants only survive when their seeds are dispersed so that new plants grow the next season. They spread through a variety of ways Read More »

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