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September 2018

Blue Jay 
Pointer

WOW!  Summer has absolutely flown by and it's school 
field trip reservation time!  
A couple of months are full, but we still have availability in many months.  Check out our group program offerings here!

We also have some prime weekday Lodge nights still available for this school year.  Read more about the Lodge here!



Go Ape
is proclaiming 

Sunday Funday

10% off every Sunday in September!
 
Use Promo code: SEPTGRX

Book Here


Volunteer
Item Donation Opportunity

We are looking for lonely, underutilized CONSTRUCTION TOYS  for use at a "Build It" Nature Play Days.  The next "Build It" NPD is this month! 


Items may be dropped off in the Education Center office or left outside the staff door on the left side of the front porch.

Thanks!

Volunteer
Opportunities

Saturday  
October 6, 2018
9 a.m. - Noon

Join ranks to help clean up the Falls Lake shoreline around Blue Jay Point. Bring work gloves and a water bottle. Sunscreen, a hat, and your favorite brand of insect repellent is recommended. Closed-toe shoes like old sneakers are required. This is an excellent opportunity for individuals, families, and youth groups to provide a great community service. (ages 8 and up please). Volunteers under age 16 must be with a guardian or an adult group sponsor.

To register a group, please contact the Blue Jay Center for Environmental Education at 
919-870-4330 or email us. 

Registration Link: Families/Young Teen
Clean-up Crew

Adult  Clean-up Crew

If sessions are full, join the wait list!

 Important Note: ALL Big Sweep volunteers must sign a Volunteer Service Agreement and Release Form. Forms will be available on site, but all unaccompanied minors must bring one signed by a parent or guardian.

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Teen Craft Prep Day
Saturday  
October 6, 2018
1 p.m. - 3 p.m.
 


Help prepare crafts and materials for for out upcoming family festivals and educational programs. For ages 13 and up. Pre-registration is required. Some outside work may be available--bring a jacket!  All volunteers must bring a completed and signed Volunteer Service Agreement and Release Form in addition to your school community service credit documentation form.




Are you wondering 
where you can enjoy a 
particular activity within a park, or even where the nearest park is to your current location? Well, be curious no more! The new Park Locator app will solve these problems and many more ... check it out  here.


Stay Connected!
 
   
 

 

September Happenings!
(all programs require pre-registration) 

Nature Peekers:
I Love Spiders
Tuesday, September 18   10:30 - 11 a.m.
(for kids ages 18 mos. to 3 years and their grown-up)


The subject of nursery rhymes and tales, spiders are cool!  Join staff to read I Love Spiders by John Parker, sing a spider song and pretend to BE a spider before taking a short walk to mist spider webs and to see 
who's home.
Fee: $2
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Nature Stories:
Crowing for Joy
Wednesday, September 12   1 - 2 p.m.
(for kids ages 3-5 and their grown-up)

American Crow  
How can you tell the difference between an American Crow and a Fish Crow?  Lots of Blue Jay kids can tell you that, but did you know that Crows are among the smartest birds? Join us for an hour of amazing crow facts, stories and activities that will help you 
appreciate this large bird.
Fee:  $4 per child
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Family Wildlife Series:
Going to Seed
Monday, September 3    2 - 3 p.m.
(all ages are welcome, but content and activities are 
most appropriate for ages 5 and up)

Ever wonder how that plant got there?  A seed of course!  Come learn about seeds and the many ways they get from place to place.  Harvest seeds from the Blue Jay Butterfly Garden and create seed packets to take them home for your yard!
Fee:  $1/person 

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Family Wildlife Series
Hopper Herding
Tuesday, September 25   2 - 3 p.m.
(all ages are welcome, but content and activities are 
most appropriate for ages 5 and up)

Don't know a grasshopper from a katydid or a cicada from a cricket?  Then this is the class for you!  We'll be sweep netting our meadow in search of these and other incredible insects that make up approximately 80% of the world's species of animals. This family program is FREE in honor of "Take a Child Outside Week", but 
pre-registration is required.  
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and Don't Forget--

Nature Play Day:  Build It!
September 25 from 10 a.m. - Noon
 


Parents or grandparents with young children are 
invited to come to Blue Jay for a Nature Play Day.  
The focus will be on free play, which means having 
self-guided activities with no start and end time and that flow from kids' creativity.  Education staff will be on hand to answer questions and provide guidance.  
Activities are planned for 3-7 year-olds, but younger children are welcome to attend.  Meet in the Natural Play Area--follow signs from the playground or t-ball parking lots.  All children must be accompanied by an adult.  
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NO registration is required for this FREE activity.

If weather seems uncertain, be sure to check Facebook or call (919) 870-4330 before coming to make sure the Nature Play Day is still happening!

September Opportunities
for Adult s  

Serious Skills for Adults
Spiders 101
Saturday, September 15
 9:30 - 11 a.m.

Spiders are marvels of nature, spinning silk that rivals the strength of steel. Learn to identify these eight-legged wonders by habit, habitat, color and shape. We will use various collecting tools and ID resources as we explore the world of spiders.
Fee:  $6

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Project WILD
Wednesday, September 12
9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
 
Facilitated by NC Wildlife Resources educator Casey Williams, this 6-hour Project WILD workshop is for adults interested in teaching young people about wildlife. Participants receive the Project WILD K-12 educator guide along with materials specifically about North Carolina wildlife. The educator guide contains more than 150 hands-on activities that focus on wildlife and natural resources. Project WILD workshops are open to all interested educators, including classroom teachers, environmental educators, resource agency staff, park personnel, college students and faculty, and youth leaders.  Bring a bag lunch. This FREE workshop counts for Criteria I credit in the NC EE Certification Program.

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And coming up in October:

Serious Skills for Adults
Pond Explorations
Saturday, October 20
 10 a.m. - Noon
 
Come investigate Blue Jay's always popular man-made mini-pond through a hands-on adults-only pond exploration! Learn more about our local aquatic ecosystems and the native animals and plants that exist in it. Maybe even get inspired with a few simple ideas about how to create a wildlife friendly aquatic habitat in your own space. Come dressed to get a bit wet and mucky. This workshop can count towards Criteria II or III credit for participants in the NC EE Certification program. Scout leaders take note--take this workshop and you could be "da bomb" with your troop!
Fee: $8


Contact us: 
 
Blue Jay Point County Park
3200 Pleasant Union Church Road
Raleigh, NC  27614
(919) 870-4330
 
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