Mushroom Madness — Monday, April 3 at 6 p.m. at Lowe-Volk Park. The program sponsor and host is the Earth, Wind and Flowers Garden Club. The program is “There is fungus among us!” Jeff Wilkinson will share his 25 years of mushroom knowledge. From growing shiitake mushrooms, foraging for wild mushrooms, to preserving and cooking with mushrooms, this program is sure to have the information one needs to start down the mushrooming trail. Starter kits will also be available for purchase for you to grow your own healthy food! Public is welcome. Refreshments provided. Wilkinson is the owner of a forestry consulting company in Lexington.
Arrowhead/Artifact Hunt — Saturday, April 8 10 a.m. Meet at Lowe-Volk Park. Join members of the Johnny Appleseed Chapter 19 of the Archaeological Society of Ohio to walk nearby farm fields for flint and stone remnants of prehistoric cultures who inhabited Crawford County. Be the first human to touch an arrowhead since it was used thousands of years ago! Don’t miss this popular annual event. Bring the whole family, dress for the weather and don’t forget your boots if the ground is wet. Also, walking sticks and small digging tools can be helpful.
Hi-Tech Easter Egg Hunt — Sunday, April 9 1-3 p.m. at Lowe-Volk Park. Kids, bring your GPS or borrow one from us. Join Don Hatfield’s family and friends for an Easter Egg Hunt around Lowe-Volk Park. Using your GPS you will find the eggs hidden in the park, and answer a nature based question in the egg. Kids finding eggs and answering the questions will receive a small prize. Come join the fun!
Go Fly a Kite — Wednesday, April 12 5:30 p.m. at Unger Park. Kite flying has been around for centuries. Come to Unger Park to participate in this age-old pastime. Materials and a simple kite plan will be provided to construct your own flier! You can also bring your own to fly around Unger Park! Register by April 11. Fun for the whole family!
Homeschool in Nature: Wildflowers — Thursday, April 13 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. at Lowe-Volk Park. Spring wildflowers will be popping up throughout the park. Take an “I Spy” hike to see who can spy these signs of spring. Children ages 5-8 will meet from 9-10 a.m. and children ages 9-12 will meet from 10:30-11:30.a.m. Call the Park District to reserve your spot in each class by April 12.
Spring Wildflowers — Saturday, April 15 at 3 p.m. at Sears Woods. Early spring brings with it an explosive growth within our woodlands. Spring blooming wildflowers must complete their life cycle before the trees leaf out and cut off the light necessary for photosynthesis. Meet Warren Uxley at the Sears Woods parking lot.
Life Is Sweet! — Monday, April 17 at 6 p.m. at Lowe-Volk Park. Many plant flowers produce nectar that is a sweet treat for various animals. Humming birds, butterflies, and bees are more than happy to sip some sugary nectar. Join Joy Etter-Link for a nature experience full of learning, fun and, if you are lucky, a sip of a sweet treat! For kids up to grade 5.
Wild Wednesday — April 19 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at Lowe-Volk Park. Come to the Nature Center and enjoy an hour of nature exploration. Program topics will vary and may include a story, short hike, craft, or a visit from an animal. For pre-schoolers and their parents. Come dressed for the weather. Morning and afternoon programs will be similar, just choose the time that best fits your schedule.
What’s a Watershed? — Wednesday, April 19 at 5 p.m. at Lowe-Volk Park. What’s a watershed and where do I find one? Come out to the Nature Center and join Lisa as she answers these questions. We’ll also take a look at how we impact the water quality.
Earth Day Fair — Saturday, April 22 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at Lowe-Volk Park. The Crawford Park District is partnering with many local organizations to host our annual Earth Day Fair. The focus of this event is not only to get people thinking about the 3 R’s — Reduce, Reuse, Recycle — but also about sustainability, creating backyard habitat, and much more! There will be many “green” table displays and activities. The following displays and activities planned include: Recycle Trailer and display from Crawford County Solid Waste District, interactive “living stream” display from ODNR Scenic Rivers Program, display from Sandusky River Watershed Coalition, Recycled Projects from Lisa Smith’s 4th Grade class (Colonel Crawford), Composting Demo from the Soil and Water Cons. Dist., Native Plant Sale, Recycled Nature Craft, Natural Pesticides display, “mud play”, and displays from local businesses that demonstrate the focal points of this event. In an effort to help our wild pollinators, we will also be giving away milkweed plants/starts to the first 100 visitors! Come and celebrate Earth Day with us!.
Nosing Around in Nature — Wednesday, April 26 at 5:30 p.m. at Lowe-Volk Park. Get your sniffers ready! If it is outside, we’re gonna sniff it! Join Josh for an olfactory good time in nature. We’ll smell the Earth, water, rocks, plants…anything we come across. Fun for the whole family! If everything tastes like chicken, does it all smell like chicken? Come to Lowe-Volk and find out.
For information on any Crawford Park District program call 419-683-9000. Look for information on other programs offered by the Crawford Park District by visiting their web site at www.crawfordparkdistrict.org or by visiting our Facebook page.
