Keep Learning with Nature this Summer

School is out, and summer adventures are just beginning!

The weather is perfect… and who doesn’t want to go on nature walk anyway?

Nature Centers and Summer Camps are offering exciting family events and programs with fun natural learning for kids.

Find a local Nature Center or Wilderness Camp near you… or find inspiration for learning activities on your own. Look for fun learning activities like butterfly courses, dragonfly and insect discovery, bird banding, fossil digs, aquatic adventures, woodland explorations, energized boot-camps and survival camps where kids can learn cool primitive skills such as building forts, camp fire techniques, and foraging and hunting skills.

Whatever you find to do…get out there and have fun with your little learners this Summer!

Here are a few Local Nature Centers to Minneapolis/Saint Paul to start with…

• Springbrook Nature Center
• Wood Lake Nature Center
• Dodge Nature Center
• Roseville Nature Center

Reminiscing On The Sunny Fish’n 

Wow, and what a Fishing Opener it was! The weather was perfect, sunshine and warm waters. Night time bonfires with the buddies couldn’t get any better than that. It was good to be alive…to breathe that fresh air… to reunite with friends, the Minnesota water, and that old fish’n pole. If you didn’t get your boat out on the lake last weekend, I bet your kicking yourself right about now. It was gorgeous…but don’t hurt yourself. There will be many fishing weekends to come! We thought all you fishing junkies might appreciate this very informative website for future fishing trips and expeditions… 
www.exploreminnesota.com -Check out the latest fishing reports and great detailed information about Minnesota’s great lakes and their fish.

Get outside and love it!

You could say, “It’s a love affair out there.”

Just weeks ago, there were no birds in sight. The grass was brown and matted, the trees bare and still. Now, the crisp spring air is cluttered with chirping. We gotta say, we’re loving this Spring fling; when buds burst, birds sing and sparks fly. Happiness has just exploded in the air. You just have to get outside. A comforting chill still blankets us in the evening…perfect for bonfires with friends and neighbors! Relish woodsy scents of the night’s crisp cool air…what’s left of our exhausting winter, we can surely bear! Time to celebrate, catch up and mingle again. How great this is, this spring fling, when sparks fly!

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We love to get outdoors and enjoy every bit of nature that surrounds us. 

So it seems only fitting that we respect it and do our best to act responsibly while enjoying it. 

Fire is essential, primal and natural to Humankind.  Campfires and Bonfires go hand in hand with our ideas of living it up outdoors.  Simple and earthy enjoyments wouldn’t be the same without campfires to heat our food or bonfires to warm us. 

At Bonfire Central, we’re being mindful of protecting what we love by making smart choices and passing on healthy reminders for limiting environmental impact.  We hope the following information will be helpful with your Green ambitions!  Please pass it on.

There are some important things to think about the next time you light a fire, good ideas and also some common sense:

• Limit gases and toxins in the smoke by burning only clean lawn and yard waste: untreated wood, dry branches and garden brush.
• Use what you can from nature’s waste.  When in the wilderness take only broken branches or dead vegetation from the ground, avoid cutting firewood from living trees and plants.
• Do not burn oils, household garbage, plastics, rubber and aerosol cans or anything containing paint, foam or chemicals.
• Keep fire as far away as possible from wildlife habitats and animal homes.  Keep outside pets a safe distance from fire.
• Make your fire only as big as you need it.
• Follow the rules set by your County, State or National Park or Forest: Get a permit if necessary and be aware of wildfire hazards and safety precautions.
• Enjoy our nature and be mindful of protecting it!