Lowe-Volk Nature Center
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Upcoming Programs & Events

Feeding Day 
Monday, January 19   11am   Lowe-Volk Park 
Will it be fruits, vegetables, leafy greens, shrimp, worms, or mice? Can you guess what’s on the menu for the animals in the Nature Center? Come join Lisa if you would like to help feed some of the wildlife ambassadors. 
 
Little Explorers: Winter Wonders 
Tuesday, January 20   5:30pm   Lowe-Volk Park 
Little Explorers is an interactive program for young children, ages 0-5. Activities always focus on stimulating infants’ senses and developing toddlers’ and your preschoolers’ fine motor skills. This month we’ll search for snow, frost, ice, or mud. We will explore these by using our senses to help describe our finds. Dress for the weather as we will be outside for part of the program.
 
Cocoon Hike  
Saturday, January 24   2pm   Lowe-Volk Park  
While butterflies and moths are absent during the freezing winter months, their pupae remain, waiting for the spring to come to emerge as winged adults. Join us for a short hike through Lowe-Volk Park as we search for cocoons and other evidence of insect life.   
 
Viewing the Night Sky 
Saturday, January 24    6:30pm   Lowe-Volk Park 
Come out and join the Crawford Park Astronomy Club to view the targets for winter, such as Saturn, the Andromeda Galaxy, M15, the Ring Nebula, the Crab Nebula, and so much more. If the weather and sky conditions are unfavorable, the program will be held in the Nature Center.
 
Nature Tic Tac Toe
Thursday, January 29   5:30pm   Lowe-Volk Park
We are well into winter, and you might be hearing, “I’m bored!” Come out to the Nature Center and join Ms. Joy to make a Tic Tac Toe board from a tree cookie, sticks, and little plastic trees and deer. Call the Park Office at 419-683-9000 to register.
 
Photo Exhibit: Ron Paynter
Sat., Jan. 31- Feb. 28   NC Hours   Lowe-Volk Park
Each year, we select a nature-loving photographer to showcase some of their work in the Nature Center. This year Ron Paynter is our featured photographer. Stop out to see the amazing bird and other wildlife photographs he has captured. This is a showcase you won’t want to miss!
 
Meet the Photographer Open House: Ron Paynter
Saturday, January 31   1-3pm   Lowe-Volk Park
Come meet former Crestline native, and as he describes himself, a “serious amateur” photographer, Ron Paynter. He was a student at Leesville Elementary School, which is just a few blocks away from Lowe-Volk Park, but now he resides in Georgia. On his trips back to Ohio, he visits with his Aunt Jan Maddy and has frequented Magee Marsh during the biggest birding event of the year! Stop out for light refreshments and to ask Ron about his techniques for “capturing the shot”!
 
Viewing the Night Sky 
Saturday, January 31    6:30pm   Lowe-Volk Park 
Come out and join the Crawford Park Astronomy Club to view the targets for winter, such as Saturn, the Andromeda Galaxy, M15, the Ring Nebula, the Crab Nebula, and so much more. If the weather and sky conditions are unfavorable, the program will be held in the Nature Center.
 
Winter Storytime 
Mon., February 2   10am & 2pm   Lowe-Volk Park 
Snuggle in for a reading of Bear Snores On and a creative craft where kids color Bear’s cozy cave and his woodland friends. We’ll talk about hibernation and explore how different animals survive the chilly winter months! 
 
Homeschool in Nature: Reptilia
Thurs., Feb. 5   10am & 2pm   Lowe-Volk Park 
It is estimated that there are millions of animal species in the world, and it would be nearly impossible to discuss all of them. Less than half of the known amount are vertebrates, and of those, about 10,000 are reptiles. This month we will learn about how animals are classified into the class of Reptilia. We will even get to meet an animal or two. Classes are for 5–12-year-olds.
 
Ootheca Hike   
Saturday, February 7   2pm   Unger Park   
Join Naturalist Donald for a winter hike to search for the ootheca (egg case) of praying mantises. Come learn how to find and identify these foamy structures in the wild and how to raise a young praying mantis from its egg.  
 
Face to Face: Lizards   
Wed., February 11   5:30pm   Lowe-Volk Park    
Lizards are a very diverse group of reptiles that range in size from diminutive nano-chameleon to the terrifying Komodo dragon. Stop into the Nature Center to meet our lizard ambassador animals and learn all about the different families of lizards from Ohio and beyond.  
 
Rock Tumbling 
Sat., Feb. 14   10:30am-12pm   Lowe-Volk Park 
Do you love finding and collecting rocks? If so, join us for this class where you will learn all about the hobby of rock tumbling and how to make beautiful, polished rocks. A one-hour multimedia lesson will be part of this hands-on activity and there will be a wide variety of polished rocks to view. You will also learn how to polish Ohio’s official state gemstone “Flint”. Handouts will be available at the class to help you get started in rock tumbling.
 
Feeding Day 
Monday, February 16   5:30pm   Lowe-Volk Park 
Join Lisa to help feed some of the animals that reside in the Nature Center. Help prepare food for the box turtles or dangle a worm for the aquatic turtles to grab. Don’t forget our snakes would love a mouse too! 
 
Little Explorers: Ice Treasures 
Tuesday, February 17   5:30pm   Lowe-Volk Park 
Little Explorers is an interactive program for young children, ages 0-5. Activities focus on stimulating infants’ senses and developing your toddlers’ and preschoolers’ fine motor skills. This month we'll explore nature treasures that are frozen in ice and figure out how to melt them free. This program will be indoors.
 
Family Astronomy Afternoon
Saturday, February 21   1-4pm   Lowe-Volk Park 
Join our Astronomy Club for a fun afternoon of astronomy and space activities. We have a great variety of astronomy puzzles, games, BINGO, crafts, memory games, space viewers, discovery toys, and a planetarium to engage all members of your family (even young children). There are plenty of activities to keep you learning from one hour to all three hours. You are welcome to come anytime.
 
Skunk Cabbage Hike   
Saturday, February 28   2pm   Carpenter's Bottom
Skunk cabbage is one of the first wildflowers to bloom each year, pushing its way up through cold ground and even snow. Join us for a short walk around Carpenter’s Bottom as we look for the unusual looking flowers of this early-blooming and fascinating plant.   
 
Meteoroids, Meteors, Meteorites, and Space Dust 
Saturday, February 28   7pm   Lowe-Volk Park 
Come and learn about the common space material that we can see in our nightly skies and find on our Earth. This 1-hour multi-media presentation will have displays of meteorites to view. Our topics will also include asteroids, comets, and meteor showers. Don’t miss out on this “out of this world” presentation. Our monthly Viewing the Night Sky telescope viewing will start at 8pm if the skies are clear.