Schmeeckle Reserve offers new preschool programs

For the Metro WIre

Children ages 3-6, along with a parent or guardian, will enjoy hands-on nature experiences as well as games, crafts. and snacks as part of new series of programs at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point’s Schmeeckle Reserve.

Preschool Discovery programs will be offered select Friday mornings from 10:30-11:30 a.m., taught by UW-Stevens Point students. All begin at the reserve’s Visitor Center, 2419 North Point Dr., Stevens Point, and will include outdoor activities, weather permitting.

Registration is not required but children must attend with a parent or guardian and dress for the weather. The programs are open to the public free of charge.

The programs will include:

· March 8, Our Deer Friends! – Learn about deer through songs and games and create a pair of antlers.

· March 15, Spring Senses of Schmeeckle – Use senses on a hike around the half-mile Trail of Reflections and learn how nature wakes up from its winter slumber.

· April 5, Trees for Tots – Discover the magic of trees and how they are used every day, then make music, craft a tree and play a game to see who lives in trees.

· April 19, Hoppy Toddlers – Enjoy lots of “toad-ly” awesome activities, crafts, songs and games about frogs and toads.

· May 10, Bugs in our Backyard – Learn about all the bugs in backyards, including some that glow in the dark, glide and buzz around flowers.

· May 17, Rambunctious Reptiles – Sing, craft and play the reptile way while learning about turtles, snakes and other reptiles at the reserve.

Located on the north end of the UW-Stevens Point campus, Schmeeckle Reserve is a 280-acre conservancy area with five miles of trails and boardwalks, a 24-acre lake and a Visitors Center with hands-on exhibits, Browse Shop and the Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame.

For more information, call 715-346-4992 or go to www.uwsp.edu/cnr/schmeeckle.