(4-Adult) Being frozen can be fun! Join the naturalist as she shares stories about animals that enjoy being chilly including penguins and polar bears plus others that just figure out a way to get through the cold. Enjoy snowman crafts. Come dressed as your favorite frozen friend. Enjoy a sit down tea with china cups, treats and crafts. Contact the nature center one week prior to event with any dietary restrictions. Children under 12 must be accompanied by a registered adult.

(2-4 yrs.) Through stories, puppet shows and songs, travel near and far to discover fun facts about amazing animals and their homes. Sneak a peek in to a Rainforest, a Caribbean Reef, Polar Regions and our local forest. Parent/guardian must stay with child.

(3-Adult) Its dinner time at the nature center and worms and insects are on the menu. Help our naturalist care for and feed the nature center's animals.

(3-7yrs.) Put on your pajamas and come to the nature center to hear bedtime stories, meet animals and wish goodnight to the center's live animals. Bring your favorite stuffed animal with you. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

(3-5yrs.) It's back, the social event of Hidden Ponds winter season! There will be dancing, refreshments, crafts and live animals to entertain.

(4-8 yrs.) Play musical valentines and critter sweetheart games as you learn how animals find a mate. Meet live animals, make an animal valentine craft. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

(4-Adult) Enjoy a campfire and learn what ancient cultures saw in the stars. Make s'mores over the embers after hearing tales of the constellations. Children must be accompanied by a registered adult. Minimum age to attend program is 4yrs.

(4-Adult) Why are constellations different around the world? Learn about the natural and cultural science of stars including fun facts about our own star and the most easily viewed constellations. Learn how you can further explore constellations as a family. Advance registration required, no walk-in registration available. Children must be accompanied by a registered adult.

(4-Adult) Why are the stars seen differently around the world? Learn about the natural and cultural science of stars including fun facts about our own star and the most easily viewed stars. Learn how you can further explore stars as a family. Children must be accompanied by an adult registered in the program.

(3-7 yrs.) Join a park naturalist and discover why beavers are so cool! Learn all about this wetland superhero through activities, stories, songs and a craft. Touch real beaver fur. Circle time followed by a nature walk to the wetland in search of a real beaver lodge. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

(2-Adult) Meet at Cabell’s Mill. Beaks, feathers, nests and talons are examined to explore the avian world that surrounds us. Find out about bird life cycles, migration patterns and adaptations that make birds such fascinating animals. Children must be accompanied by a registered adult.

(12-Adult) What's new in the night sky? Join park naturalists as they take you on a tour of constellations, comets and other current events happening in the heavens above. Canceled in case of rain or other severe weather.

(3-Adult) Join us for a campfire, s'mores, animals, and so much more! We cover a different topic and different area of the park each night.

(3-7 yrs.) Join an octopus, ray, shark, lobster and all their friends in this undersea adventure. After the show, play a game, sing songs of the sea and make a craft. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

(4-Adult) Join us in song and exploration on a wagon ride. Warm up with s'mores at the campfire. Children must be accompanied by a registered adult.

(4-Adult) Celebrate Chinese New Year with games, stories and crafts. Participate in a Ribbon Dance and a Dragon Parade. Children must be accompanied by a registered adult.

(2-12 yrs.) Stay and play for 20 minutes or more as you sip cocoa and create up to three crafts. New craft kits each month. Children younger than 10 must be accompanied and assisted by an adult.

(2-6 yrs.)Cardinals are Virginia’s state bird and with their bright red feathers, you can see why! How do these feathered friends live in the cold winter season? Join us as we learn all about the life of a cardinal, as an egg in a nest to a flying adult, these beautiful birds are fun to watch! Join a naturalist for hands-on activities, songs, games, outdoor exploration and end with a craft to take home.

(4-Adult) How did the Powhatan Native Americans use the plants and animals you see every day for their medicine, grocery store, clothing and fun? Immerse yourself in a way of life 400 years ago. Grind corn, make a clay pot, master corn darts and go on a guided tour to see the park from the perspective of a Virginia Indian.

(2-6 yrs.) White tailed deer are our largest mammal neighbors. Learn about these graceful animals and all about their life, from fawn to doe or buck. Join a park naturalist and learn to appreciate the wonderful life of a deer through hands-on activities, songs and a guided walk in search for deer and their tracks. Create a craft to take home with you!

Dinosaurs once roamed all the Earth, places far and near. How do we know that they were here? Enjoy a puppet show and crafts along with fun fossil facts. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

(4-Adult) Naturalists share the tales of “Yertle the Turtle”, “Gertrude McFuzz” and more and show that real woodland creatures share some of the same talents. Meet live animals and make crafts. Children must be accompanied by a registered adult.

(Adults) Take an evening stroll through the forest to one of the park's largest meadows. We'll listen for the call of the male woodcock and hopefully see his amazing courtship dance and flight. Bring a flashlight. Approximately 1.5 mile walk on uneven terrain. Canceled if rain. Meets at the South Kings Highway entrance to the park.

Students explore Virginia's ecosystem in this nature series which takes place both outdoors and indoors so dress accordingly. Series dates and topics: 1/12 Mammals, 1/19 Birds, 1/26 Trees, 2/2 Fish; 2/9 Mammals, 2/16 Birds, 2/23, Trees, 3/2 Fish.

Make your own seasonal wreath out of vines decorated with greens, cones, dried flowers and ribbons. Register one adult to reserve the supplies for yourself and/or your family. One wreath per registrant. Please register another adult per additional wreath. All ages welcome.

(4-13 yrs.) Join a naturalist and youth volunteers as we demonstrate how we feed our site display animals. Make a birdfeeder to take home and use. Search for worms and insects and assist in serving dinner. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

(4-Adult) Enjoy an evening around the campfire making s’mores and learning about the flying squirrels that live in our area. Children must be accompanied by a registered adult.

(4-Adult) Join a naturalist calling in these amazing night gliders and look for flying squirrels at roosting boxes near the nature center. Learn how you can encourage flying squirrels to visit your yard. Children must be accompanied by a registered adult.

(6-Adult) Enjoy nature's tranquil beauty and winter's bright skies under the full moon. Your naturalist guide points out signs of creatures that glide, fly and tiptoe through the woods in the dark. Enjoy a campfire after the hike with s'mores provided. Children must be accompanied by a registered adult.

(4-Adult) Enjoy a naturalist-led night hike to see a supermoon, a full moon that looks larger than usual due to the closer distance to the Earth. Learn why you should stay up very late this night for the total lunar eclipse visible from our area.

(6-Adult) Take advantage of this unique opportunity and stay out late with us at the park. The Geminids is the king of the meteor showers. It is considered by many to be the best shower in the heavens, producing up to 120 multicolored meteors per hour at its peak. It is produced by debris left behind by an asteroid know as 3200 Phaethon, which was discovered in 1982. The shower peaks this year on the night of the 13th and morning of the 14th.

(3-8 yrs.) Willard the Groundhog has a very poor track record of success in predicting the length of winter. Help him improve by joining in our dress rehearsal for tomorrow's Groundhog Day. Enjoy a dramatization, songs and crafts. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

(3-Adult) Learn the story behind Groundhog Day and some interesting facts about this animal. Visit the home of the Walney garden groundhog and play some groundhog games. Children must be accompanied by a registered adult.

(3-Adult) While sipping hot chocolate, celebrate the season by learning about our wintering animals. Make holiday ornaments of animals to take home.

(2-Adult) Bring your empty milk jugs and/or two liter soda bottles to make bird feeders. We discuss tips for feeding birds and learn to identify common birds that visit home bird feeders. Dress for the weather and bring binoculars. Children must be accompanied by a registered adult.