FREE Family Summer Programs

 run through Aug. 14 at the Refuge.  Click here for more info.‘Ding’ Darling brings back summer family programs

Program calendar

School’s almost out, but the learning goes on all summer long, June 4 through Aug. 14, 2012, at J. N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island. Free, fun programs designed especially for families mean kids absorb educational enrichment without even realizing they are learning.

With support from the “Ding” Darling Wildlife Society-Friends of the Refuge (DDWS), the refuge is offering five free education programs this year. No pre-registration is necessary.

· Reading at the Refuge, every Monday and Friday at 11 a.m. in the Education Lab: Attendees of each 45-minute reading-and-crafts session will receive a free Nature Journal (one to each child) in which to record their impressions of their refuge visit and future nature encounters.
· Indigo Trail Hike, every Tuesday at 10 a.m.: Join refuge naturalists as they lead a one-hour tour identifying and discussing the ecosystem’s plants, animals, birds, and reptiles - fun for adults and children alike. Bring water and bug spray. Meet at the flagpole in front of the Education Center.
· Refuge Caravan Tour, every Wednesday and Saturday at 9:30 a.m.: Ride along on a car caravan tour of the refuge’s Wildlife Drive. This 90-minute tour highlights the natural wonders of the unique mangrove ecosystem and the wildlife that call it home. Meet at the flagpole in front of the Education Center.
· NEW!! Natural Wonders, every Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday at 1 p.m.: What makes a bird a bird? Why is a manatee called a sea cow? Is it a crocodile or alligator? Find the answers to these questions and more as you join a naturalist in exploring the refuge’s unique ecosystem. Geared for adults and children, this 30-minute program meets in the Education Center Lab.

· Family Beach Walk, every Thursday at 9 a.m.: Back by popular demand and in partnership with the Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum, the program convenes at Gulfside Park for a one-hour exploration of the refuge’s gulf-front Perry Tract. (City parking fees apply.)

For more information on the refuge summer programs, call 239-472-1100 ext 236 or contact by email.