Whether it’s an animal we can find in our own backyards or an animal that lives on a different continent. Everyday brings a new opportunity to learn about different animals and habitats during our classes! As we approach year-end, allow us to reflect on the journey we have taken and what lies ahead. Thanks to your support, our students now benefit from a dedicated Preschool Director, an Animal Care Director, and several new teachers. We have rebuilt our backyard pergola and installed new habitats for our reptiles and our owls (no, they are not cohabitating). We have built a new garden and acquired state-of-the-art educational equipment and supplies for our indoor and outdoor classrooms. This Giving Tuesday consider donating to our 2024 Annual Appeal or becoming a sponsor for one of our amazing animals that consider the Nature Center home. Head to the link in bio or IG stories to donate today! We are incredibly grateful for your continued support. 💚 #darienct #dariennaturecenter #annualappeal #natureschool #natureeducation #givingtuesday

In the season of being thankful, we have a lot to be thankful for here at the Nature Center. But one of the things we are most thankful for is our phenomenal teachers who spend everyday rain or shine outside teaching children all the ways to to love and respect nature.🌲🌾🌳 #darienct #dariennaturecenter #outdoorschool #teachersrock

Last week we hosted a movie night here at the Nature Center. We screened “Legend Has It” , a film by Teton Gravity Research, its 28th annual snow, skiing, snowboarding film featuring top snowboarders and skiers. ❄A special thank you to the @dariensportshop, @barrettbookstore_, and @mohawkmtn for providing us with incredible raffle items. Thank you to everyone who brought items to donate to @blackboardersct, an amazing non-profit that gives black and brown youth access to the slopes, promoting diversity and inclusion in winter sports, snowboarding in particular!❄ And a thank you to our board members Brain Murphy and Bart deBie for making this wonderful event happen with the help of AV company Big Wave Events. 🏂⛷#darienct #dariennaturecenter #darienevents #blackboarders #dariencommunity

Recently the @communityfunddarien volunteers came to the Nature Center to help us clear our trails, clear the stream, move wood chips, and add stumps into our classrooms. We are so grateful that this group of teenagers chose to spend part of their weekend helping us make our outside classrooms and trails even better! They also got to spend some time with our wonderful animals! #darienct #dariennaturecenter #communityfundofdarien #volunteerwork #naturevolunteers

Yesterday our staff took part in a professional development day! For the first part of our day we spent time with @teachingbeyondthesquare, learning about using loose parts and found materials to help children engage in play without a specific set of instructions (a special thank you to Jen Carvajel for making the trip to us!) Seymour even got to join in the fun! 🐇 After lunch, the Nature Center staff ended the day with a trip to the Great Island here in Darien. Overall, a 10/10 day of staff enrichment and bonding in nature! #darienct #dariennaturecenter #teachingbeyondthesquare #foundmaterials #nature #naturehike

The past couple of weeks our nature’s playroom, critters, and our living planet classes have invited their caregivers on nature walks around Cherry Lawn Park. This started in the spring as a way for our classes to show their parents and caregivers what they have learned while out on the trails! Our students have the best time showing their caregivers around the park! 🌲🍂

🌲Upcoming Events at the Nature Center!🌲 We have lots of exciting events happening throughout the month of November. For more information regarding the events follow the links in stories! More events to be announced, stay tuned! 11/14 Movie Night at the Nature Center “ Legend Has It” Doors open at 6pm, movie starts at 7pm. (Children under 18 must be accompanied). Ticket link in Bio. 11/16 Preschool Open House 10:30-11:30am. Link in Bio. 11/20 Family Hike & S’mores 3:30-4:30pm. Link in Bio. 11/22 Animal Meet and Greet 2:30-3:00pm. Link in Bio. 11/23 Holiday Market 9:00-3:00pm

Our after school classes are in full swing here at the Nature Center! Animal Encounters and Caregivers have been keeping our animals happy and healthy. Nature Art (a newer after school program) has been working on building fairy houses out of materials found around Cherry Lawn Park. Outdoor Explorers have been learning about the joy of birdwatching! #darienct #dariennaturecenter #natureschool #fallinct🍂🍁

🎃Happy Halloween!!!!🎃 From pumpkin rolling, to pumpkin decorating, to creating beautiful pumpkin creations, we have explored many different ways to use a pumpkin this October! #darienct #dariennaturecenter #pumpkins #natureschool #october

Here at the DNC sustainability is a word we're hearing more and more these days! So what does sustainability actually mean? When the quality of life is improved for all - economically, socially and environmentally - now and for future generations. For children, it's often a hard concept to grasp and to most, it feels overwhelming. Sustainability is introduced to our students through a variety of small acts; visiting our gardens to see how we can grow our own food, using our Enviroscape to demonstrate how pollution and everyday activities affect our water systems, using reusable water balloons, learning about local wildlife, and having our students make an environmental pledge! That's why we follow 'The Big Ideas of Sustainability' - so we can help children understand sustainability in smaller, bite-sized pieces! 🌎 #darienct #dariennaturecenter #sustainability #localwildlife #ctnature #natureschool

This week we hosted a trio of early dismissal programs! From hiking, to meeting our animals, and hearing an amazing talk from Ginny Apple on the Fearsome Four of Connecticut (Coyote, skunk, Raccoon, and Opossum), there were so many adventures to be had! #darienct #dariennaturecenter #natureschool #fearsomefour #hikingadventures

🔥Fireside 2024 was a roaring success!🔥 We are so thankful to our sponsors, community partners, board members, and our Nature Center Staff. We were lucky enough to have two fantastic musical performers this year, @henryjoneslive and @mrjustinjohnston . We hope you all had a great time and we hope to see you at the Nature Center soon! #darienct #dariennaturecenter #fall #fireside2024 #fundraiser

🍁This week at the Nature Center!🍁 We have so many programs this week and coming up, for more information on these programs visit the links in stories! 🌲10/22 Early Dismissal After School Program: Hike and Campfire 2:00-3:30pm Grades K-5🌲 🦝10/24 Early Dismissal After School Program: Family Program with Animals, S’mores, & Wildlife Presentation by Ginny Apple. Ages 3+🦝 🎃10/26 Pumpkin Decorating 10:00am-11:00am🎃 🎃10/28 & 10/29 Pumpkin Decorating 3:30pm-4:40pm🎃 #darienct #dariennaturecenter #naturecenter #darienctevents #pumpkins #natureexploration

🔥Fireside is only three days away!!!!!🔥 To preview our silent auction click the link in bio and scroll all the way down to the bottom to view! #darienct #naturecenter #dariennaturecenter #darienctevents

The Nature Center recently renovated the front walkway into the building, appropriately named the David Sinclair Memorial Walkway. David Sinclair was a Darien resident who served on the Nature Center Board for many years and was one of the most enthusiastic champions for the Nature Center and the environment. His legacy can be found in everything the Nature Center is today. The walkway not only increased visitor safety and rejuvenated the entrance to our amazing building, but is surrounded on both sides by native plants. Groundskeeper Victoria and Nature Educator Lindsey both worked to ensure that the walkway will look beautiful at all times of the year. Here you can find native plants such as coneflowers, Inkberry Holly, Creeping Phlox, and Dwarf Fountain Grass. 🌼A special thank you to @thegardenerscenter and @reynoldsfarms for providing us with our beautiful native plants!🌼 #darienct #dariennaturecenter #naturecenter #nativeplants #gardens

🍁Leave the Leaves!🍁 🍂Victoria is here to tell you why you want to leave some of your leaves on the ground this fall!🍂 Not only do leaves provide a form of entertainment to children (and adults!) but fallen leaves benefit wildlife and the environment! So what are the benefits to keeping your fallen leaves? Leaves can be used as a natural mulch and fertilizer for your gardens, it provides natural habitats for local wildlife, food for mammals and invertebrates, as well as a place for moth and butterfly caterpillars to wait out the harsh winters. 🍁🍂🍁 #leavetheleaves #darienct #dariennaturecenter #naturecenter #leaves🍁 #leafpiles

Raffle tickets can only be purchased in person at the Nature Center! Stop by and enter the next time you visit our animals or drop your child off! 🔥Fireside is only 10 days away! We can't wait to see you there! To purchase tickets or become a sponsor visit the link in bio!🔥 #darienct #dariennaturecenter #naturecenter #firesidednc #darien

We’ve been taking the time to stop and smell the flowers, learn about pollinators and their important jobs, and watering our brand new sensory garden! 🌸🐝 #darienct #pollinatorpathway #pollination #dariennaturecenter #naturecenter

🔥Have you bought your tickets to Fireside 2024 yet?🔥 Fireside will feature; an incredible silent auction, local musician Henry Jones for the first hour, DJ and former Broadway actor Justin Johnston to keep us dancing the whole night, food from the Cripsy Melty food truck, roaring fires to keep us nice and toasty, gorgeous grazing tables, and of course delicious drinks! Join us by clicking the link in bio to buy tickets or become a sponsor! #darienct #darienevents #dariennaturecenter #naturecenter #newengland #fireside2024

We’re starting off October with an animal spotlight. Meet Pixie, our one year old African pygmy hedgehog! 🦔 Pixie is one of our nocturnal animals here at the Nature Center and it’s not often that many visitors see her outside of her little house. Pixie loves to eat worms, take really long naps, and run on her wheel at night! 🦔🌲🌱 #darienct #dariennaturecenter #naturecenters #hedgehogs #animalambassador

Let’s do the Time Warp (Fireside’s Version). Taking a look back on Fireside's of years past! Get your tickets via the link in bio and join us at Fireside 2024 with musical guests @henryjoneslive & @mrjustinjohnston 🔥🔥🔥

This past Friday we held our members' s'mores event and we are so thankful for everyone who joined us! Membership is a great way to help support the Darien Nature Center and join a community of people who love the outdoors and the animals who live in it! 🍂🔥🍄 #darienct #natureschool #dariennaturecenter #welcomingfall

Fall is in full swing here at the Nature Center! Our students have been busy learning about soil & rocks, seeds, birds, fruit & vegetables, and trees. How lucky are we to explore such a beautiful park?! 🐛🐿️🦉🐢 #darienct #dariennaturecenter #naturecenter #natureeducation

Our grounds keeper and plant enthusiast Victoria is here to tell you why fall is a great time to put your plants in the ground. Through the first week of October, the Nature Center is collaborating with @myhomepark selling native plant kits for your garden! By purchasing one of these kits, 20% of the proceeds will be donated to the Nature Center. Native plants are not only a beautiful addition to your garden, but they also support our local pollinators! 🐝🦋🌱#dariennaturecenter #localpollinators #pollinatorgarden #nativeplants #darienct

What an incredible week we’ve had back at the Nature Center! Thank you to all our families, new & old, for giving your children the experience to learn about nature and all of its beautiful wonders. And to our amazing staff for creating such wonderful and welcoming environments as we start the new school year! 🌲Here’s to an adventure filled Fall Semester!🌲 🐢🍂🍄🐍 #dariennaturecenter #darienct #backtoschool #naturecenter #outdoorschool

What exactly is Fireside? Fireside is not only a night filled with dancing, bonfires, and delicious food, but the Nature Center’s main fundraiser for the year. By attending Fireside, you are directly supporting the Nature Center’s mission in inspiring passion and respect for nature. Fireside provides funds for underserved community programming, free community programs such as our Saturday programs, feeding our 23 species of animals, visits to the vet, building maintenance, and more. As always a special thank you to our Fireside 2024 sponsors! Get your tickets or become a sponsor today via the link in bio! #dariennaturecenter #darienct #darien #darienfundraisers #nonprofit

Something very exciting is happening in our animal room!! This wouldn’t have been possible without the generosity of the @thedarienfoundation. We are grateful for their support and their continued interest in our mission. Join us on September 16th at 1:30pm for the ribbon cutting ceremony in our animal room 🦉 #darienct #thedarienfoundation #dariennaturecenter #naturecenter #owls

Schools back in session here at the Nature Center! Parent Orientation was a big hit as we heard all about the updates in and around our building, upcoming events like Fireside and Chalk the Walk, and heard all about our preschool’s nature based curriculums! A special thank you to our parent liaisons for welcoming our families new and old! And of course to our amazing teaching staff! 🐢🌲#darienct #dariennaturecenter #natureschool #backtoschool #darien #naturecenter

We've missed you! To celebrate all the new changes around the Nature Center join us on Saturday September 7th for Chalk the Walk! We hope to see you there! #darienct #communityevents #dariennaturecenter #naturecenter #chalkthewalk

Wishing we could hold onto these final moments of summer a little bit longer! With perfect weather and adventures learning about the different habitats of Cherry Lawn Park, Chipmunks camp was a hit! A special thank you to @spooncircus for taking the time to visit the Nature Center. Spoon Circus is a nonprofit traveling circus whose goal is to spark joy and empowerment to communities all over the world. Our kids had an incredible time engaging in the magic of the circus arts! #darien #dariennaturecenter #socialcircus #darienct #endofsummer

Fireside is the Nature Center's primary fundraising event of the year. By attending Fireside you are directly supporting the Darien Nature Center and its mission of inspiring passion and respect for nature. 🌲 Fireside contributes to numerous programs that help inspire all ages to engage in nature education, environmental action, and environmental stewardship. If you would like to buy tickets to Fireside 2024 follow the link in bio! 🌿A special thank you to our current Fireside 2024 sponsors; Moffly Media, Vermont Good Wood, the Van de Graff family, the Polselli family, and the Katz family. If you would like to be a sponsor of Fireside 2024 follow the link in bio. 🌿 #darienct #dariennaturecenter #natureeducation #connecticutnature #dariencommunityevents

🌲A message from our Preschool Director Ursula🌲 As we near the start of the school year, there are a few reminders about upcoming back to school events. Tuesday September 3rd at 6:00pm is Parent Orientation. Wednesday September 4th is the first day of Preschool! We are so excited to welcome our families back to school. As always feel free to reach out with questions, big or small! #darienct #dariennaturecenter #naturecenter #backtoschool #darien #natureeducation

We’re going back in time this Monday to 2002! Last year our grounds manager Victoria was given a grant to fund the construction of a Sensory Garden. Since receiving that grant, Victoria has begun to establish new sustainable efforts around the Nature Center including brand new rain barrels! Back in 2002 when the Nature Center moved across Cherry Lawn park, rain barrels were installed to help collect water to help water our gardens and indoor plants. These new rain barrels will serve as a water source for our new sensory garden! Looking back on our organization's history reminds us of how important our mission is to the town of Darien. #darienct #naturecenter #rainbarrels #sustainability #sensorygarden #dariennaturecenter

🌲 “At the end of the day, your feet should be dirty, your hair should be messy, and your eyes sparkling.” - Shanti 🌲 We still have availability in our preschool programs! We’ve expanded our programming into the afternoons. Our unique outdoor preschool classrooms, nature-based curriculum, and fascinating animal ambassadors are designed to bring a sense of wonder and joy to our preschoolers. Our mission is to ignite a life-long love of the natural world and the desire to protect our magnificent planet. Availability: Two Day Nature Time for Two’s Now offering Wednesday afternoon Nature Time for Two’s Afternoon Natures Playroom (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday). #naturebasedlearning #darienct #dariennaturecenter #naturecenter #getoutdoors

🔥It is once again that time of year! Join us for Fireside 2024 on October 19, for bonfires, dancing, and drinks!🔥 Fireside is our yearly fundraising event that helps make an impact not only within the walls of the Nature Center but into the Darien Community. With your support, we can further our outreach and efforts to educate and inspire our local community to protect our environment and Mother Earth! To purchase tickets, head on over to our link in bio! This is certainly an event you do not want to miss! #darienct #communityevent #environmentaleducation #06820 #naturecenter #darienevents #fairfieldcountyct

😢 As all good things must, our 2024 summer camp is coming to an end. 👋 But before we part, our co-directors, teachers, senior and junior counselors and CITs wanted to wish you a farewell. Some of our summer staff were away when we shot this, but please know that they share these sentiments. 🩷 We had THE BEST summer campers this year and will miss them dearly! Thank you to all the families who chose us to be a part of your children’s summer! ☀️ Till we meet again, have a great rest of the summer! ☺️ And remember, we are open year-round, except in August, so please come and visit us! We also have after-school programs throughout the school year for age 5 through 5th grade, so you don’t have to wait until next summer to experience the Darien Nature Center! 🌳See you soon!🌳

🌿 Today is not only the last day for our summer campers, but it’s also the last day for many of our counselors who are returning to their studies in the fall. We had the best group of counselors this summer - they are fun, kind, responsible, hard-working, and… did we already say fun??? 🌿 The Darien Nature Center is so grateful for their dedication to making our summer camp enjoyable and safe for our campers, and we hope they return next year! 🌿 Until then, best wishes, counselors! We will miss you!!! 🥲🥲

Building closure advisory - we need to perform necessary repairs and maintenance to our building, so we will be closed beginning August 3, 2024. We will miss you 😢 Chipmunk friends see you soon!

It’s the last week of summer camp, which means it’s also the last week of our specials. 😢 🪵 During today’s specials session, our campers made campsites using all natural materials. They learned that using materials from nature helps the planet by decomposing into soil, and that materials made by humans, like plastic, last a very long time.   🌎 Our young nature conservationists are eager to make choices that help the planet, and we are here to guide them on this journey! 🌍 How neat are these campsite creations?! 😍

**A Message from Molly Robertson, Program Director** 🌱Why is our preschool program unique and special? 🌱Why is nature-based education so important? 🌱What does preschool at the Darien Nature Center look like? Have a look (and listen) and find out! We have a few spots left in our AM and PM classes! To register, give us a call at 203-655-7459

Our Senior Counselors have been wonderful this summer. Rain or shine, our counselors have played and worked with our campers so very well. Thank you so much! 💕

One of the great things about our summer camp is the large amount of time campers get to enjoy the great outdoors - surrounded by trees 🌳 🌳, birds 🐦‍⬛🐦‍⬛and nature 🐢. Every young nature lover’s dream come true!

Animal sponsorships help us to care for our animals and are a great way to experience a one-on-one encounter with one of our animals. Sign up today!

Starting planning for Fall 2024. Nature’s Playroom afternoon sessions and Lunch Bunch extends the Darien Nature Center fun this Fall.

Camp is all about making friends and having fun 🤩 Here’s a look! 👀

Exciting news! Chipmunk Camp registration opens July 15, 2024! Mark your calendar!🗓️

Eat lots of hotdogs 🌭 Have fun with your family and friends and please note that the Darien Nature Center will be closed on July 4, 2024 🇺🇸

One of the highlights of summer camp at the Darien Nature Center are unique animal encounters! Not only is it exciting to see the animals up close 👀, but they learn a lot about them too! Cool camp vibes 🏕️

Calling STEM enthusiasts and bug lovers of all ages! Join Yale entomologist Raymond Simpson for an interactive presentation exploring moths and other nocturnal insects! - Ray will share his stunning world class collection of preserved moths and insects. - We will also check out the biodiversity of nighttime insects in our own Cherry Lawn Park as we attract these nocturnal critters with a UVB light and moth sheet.

On Friday, Ms. Molly told us (this anonymous Darien Nature Center content creator 🙋🏻‍♀️) that something really neat was happening out on the soccer field of Cherry Lawn Park! Here is what we observed. Cool, huh? (Much cooler in real life than what the iPhone can capture 😉)

Our “Our Living Planet” summer campers (age 4-6) experienced 30-minute STEM-based programs (“specials”) this Tuesday-Friday. These specials are an interactive way for young minds to learn about science and nature, something that is at the ❤️ of our mission. Tuesday - Learning about 🦉 unique adaptations that make them great hunters with props like a real owl wing and talon, photos of owls camouflaging, and a visit with our own screech owl, Blinken. Our junior scientists dissected owl pellets to discover what was the owl’s last meal.  Wednesday - All about the ☀️ with Ms. Julie, starting with a yoga sun salutation and acting out the animal parts for the Indigenous American story “How Grandmother Spider Stole the Sun”. They made sun prints with special sun-sensitive paper, learned a sun cheer, and visited with our sun-loving chameleon, Karma. Thursday - After reading “How to Catch a Star”, our campers created their own night skies. This process-oriented art project allowed them to explore color mixing and experiment with water and salt! We were all amazed at how beautiful they turned out! 🌟 Friday - Learned about rocket ships. After reading “On The Moon”, they watched with excitement and glee as Ms. Ursula launched a toy 🚀 hundreds of feet into the air! Then the children made and launched their own paper/straw rockets. Ask your little ones about some of these specials and see what they took away from these experiences!

☀️ Did you know that we are open to the public this summer, until August 2nd??? Come visit us! 👋 (🕰️ Swipe all the way to the end to see our summer hours)

💦Water play on a hot summer day at the Darien Nature Center💦 Most of our campers love water play to let loose, form connections with fellow campers, and cooooool down. 😅😅😅 We’ve got sprinklers, a splash pad, and water tables for all to enjoy! 😎HAPPY SUMMER😎

🩷GRATITUDE POST🩷 Have you seen 👀 the amazing changes behind our building?! All of us at the Darien Nature Center L💚VE our new patio and walkway by our classrooms, just in time for summer camp! 😎 We want to give a HUGE, GINORMOUS thank-you to Fox Hill Builders for getting this project done quickly between the end of preschool and the start of summer camp! 😮 They knew how important it was for us, and boy, did they deliver! Thank you!!! We also want to thank Ray Van Tent & Equipment for providing our summer campers shade with this tent! The perfect size for multiple camp groups to get some shade at the same time without feeling cramped and crowded. 🥳 Thank you! Also, a big shout out to the Buildings & Grounds committee on our board for all the work they do behind the scenes! And, as always, thank you to our community for supporting us and making projects like this possible! 🙏🏻🙏🏻

☀️Summer Camp Week 1 Day 2 in the books! ☀️ Our campers had some fun answers for us! 🎤

🌟Happy Friday!🌟 Enjoy this video of a pesky little chipmunk who likes to eat from our bird feeder. 🐿️

☀️ Summer camp starts on Monday, and we are excited! Looking forward to having a fun summer with you! ☀️

Animal enrichment is a high priority for us at the Darien Nature Center, and it’s always exciting when we find a new activity for our animals to do! 🐰 😍 Isn’t Seymour just the cutest?!?!?! 😍 #dariennaturecenter #animalenrichment #trynewthings #naturecenterlife #rabbitenrichment #rabbitsofinstagram #darienct

As all good things must, our 2023-24 school year has come to an end. 😢 🌿We’ve loved seeing your children grow, use their imaginations, explore, ask questions, and learn about the world around them! Thank you for giving us the opportunity to be a part of their early years and show them how precious and vital nature is in our lives. 🌿 👨‍🎓👩‍🎓Congratulations, to our friends moving onto kindergarten! Come visit us or join us for an after-school program! 🍁See you in the fall, to our friends returning next year!

(Pictured: A Bug Hotel 🐜 from Nature Art after-school program) Our first-ever Nature Art after-school program concluded last week, and it was AMAZING! We had the best crew of craft-loving elementary school students participate and share in our love of nature and art. 🌿🎨 It was so much fun that we hope to offer it again in the very near future! *To get the scoop on all our programs and events, subscribe to our newsletter at the bottom of our website*

Enjoying the silvery day at the Darien Nature Center.

End of year fun times at the Darien Nature Center.

🌱 June 5th is 🌍WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY🌍 and we asked some Darien Nature Center staff members to share things they do to positively impact our environment. We encourage you to take some of these actions and make them your own if you feel moved to do so. Every little bit helps! 🌱 We at the Darien Nature Center strive to inspire our community to preserve and protect our world because we can’t do it without YOU! So today, and every day, please join us in the quest to love and cherish our natural world. #worldenvironmentday

Field trip month at the Darien Nature Center is winding down, and boy, did we have a fun time with our Darien Public Schools kindergarteners and 2nd graders! 🥳🥳 While ponding on today’s fieldtrip, one of our kindergarteners got a teeny tiny baby 🐢 in his net! Swipe to see… 1. Ms. Julie helps the baby turtle out of our very-excited student’s net. 2. Ms. Julie holds up for all to see. She holds the baby turtle gently because its shell is still soft and must be handled with care. 3. Every student and parent chaperone gets a chance to touch the turtle’s shell gently. 4. Ms. Julie places the turtle into our bin for students to observe. She will return him to the pond after the field trip. #natureeducation #elementaryschoolfieldtrip #darienpublicschools #darienkids #darienct #pondingfun #dariennaturecenter #learningisfunwithus

Eagle Scout Project - Tables We're delighted to have Eagle Scout built tables in each of our outdoor classrooms. Thank you, Eagle Scouts!

Having a great time ponding at Cherry Lawn park.

Super excited for 2024 Summer Camp at the Darien Nature Center! 🏕️

Fun in the sun at the Darien Nature Center!

Join us in celebrating World Bee Day 🐝. Plant a flower and help a bee pollinate today! Enjoy!

We have just about a month left till summer camp starts! Can you believe it?! 🤩 Our staff of knowledgeable teachers and counselors cannot wait to show you the wonders of our natural world, like identifying various trees and its leaves, and have a ton of FUN🥳 in the ☀️!!! Ms. Victoria, our summer camp director, and the rest of our staff are looking forward to seeing you soon! 👋👋

Sunshiny day in Cherry Lawn park. Kids having a great time learning and exploring nature 🌳

Our Out in the Wild after-school program is a time for kids learn and appreciate nature in a variety of different ways. It’s so fun that they don’t even know that they’re learning so much!

⚡️FLASHBACK FRIDAY⚡️Reminiscing back to Summer Camp 2023… Who’s ready for Summer 2024?!?! 🙌 Didn’t sign up yet?? Join us!! We’ll enjoy fun in the ☀️ and have a wonderful time! 😎 *Link in Bio* for more info and registration.

We’re thrilled to announce the arrival of six new goslings! Geese family is doing very well, but remember that they need their space. Please offer our geese the space they need to properly bond. Thank you!!! 😊

We’re so delighted and appreciative of our new shirts! It’s such an awesome Teacher Appreciation gift from our great parents! 😊

Super excited about camp this summer. So many fun experiences and experiments to be had! Sign up today! 😊

Fun in the sun! Learning about flowers and more 🌺

Join us at the Darien Nature Center to celebrate the art of Britt Bair, Donna Collins, Ronnie Gold, and Lisa Theron. The exciting exhibit will include paintings, prints, and pastels celebrating the beautiful colors of Spring.

Super excited about new Nature Art Class Tuesdays (May 14, 21, 28, June 4) 4 PM - 5 PM, Grade 3-6. Great fun to be had next Tuesday as well as on 3 following Tuesdays!

Explore ways to use less plastic and be more environmentally sustainable. Earth day every day! For more details, see Link in Bio.

Spring Into Nature 2024. A beautiful and fun time was had by all.

Friday - Nature Education for All Our mission states that we want to inspire passion and respect for the natural world through nature-education and hands-on experiences with nature. We envision a community that is connected to nature and inspired to preserve and protect it. This year, the Darien Nature Center was lucky to offer nature-education programs to schools in underserved communities! Our fantastic teachers introduced some of our furry friends and discussed topics like habitats, water and forest ecosystems, and life cycles of animals and plants. We had so much fun and want to continue offering programs like this. Your donation would help us achieve this and our greater mission to inspire passion and respect for the natural world within our larger community.

Thursday- Animal Enrichment Animal enrichment is essential to keeping critters engaged, stimulated, and happy. As animal caretakers, it is our responsibility and privilege to provide them with engaging activities that enrich their daily lives. Toys, puzzle feeders, snuffle pads, and climbing structures are just some of the tools we use, and you can help provide them to our special little animals.

Wednesday - Summer Camp Scholarships This year the Darien Nature Center began its summer camp scholarship initiative with the goal of offering our nature-based summer camp to our wider community. These scholarships offer the opportunity for children to spend a week of their summer here in a fun environment where they can explore the outdoors, make new friends, build confidence, foster curiosity, and discover the wonders of nature!

Tuesday - Cork Recycling Corks can be recycled and reused to make a variety of things from shoes to flooring and other household items. The Darien Nature Center is committed to reusing materials like cork, and lowering waste in our daily lives. However, it is costly to ship corks to cork recycling companies. In the past, cork recyclers would provide pre-paid postage labels, but that unfortunately is no longer the case. As such, we still have a large amount of corks to be recycled from previous donations. Help us reach our goal of $500 to cover postage fees for our supply of corks. You may also donate any corks you have at home until April 27, 2024!

Monday - Animal Care The Darien Nature Center cares for more than 30 resident animals. As different animals require different food, medicine, and supplies, these expenses can be high. You can help us cover the cost of items such as medicine for our ferrets, bedding for our guinea pig and chinchilla, and a variety of food and treats for the animals in our care.

Rainy day fun at Crickets Vacation Camp ⛺️

Crickets vacation camp continues, with lots more fun to be had 🤩

A day of learning, playing and having fun with water💧

A great day at Crickets Vacation Camp today!

As all great things must, Alissa Siegel’s beautiful exhibit at the Darien Nature Center is coming to an end on April 19th. You still have one more week to stop by and see these incredible works of art in-person, so please visit us! If you can envision one of these pieces in your home, please inquire for more details. And remember, 20% of all proceeds benefit the Darien Nature Center.

2024 Summer Camp at the Darien Nature Center. Explore the outdoors, make new friends and discover the wonders of nature. Six one-week sessions. Call 203-655-7459 today!

Call today to sign up for few select spots still available.

Solar eclipse 2024 at the Darien Nature Center. Thanks for joining us!

Join us April 23 for a fun flower-arranging event at the Daren Nature Center.

Call today! Only a few spots left for Animal Caretakers class afternoons at 4 pm. Grades 2-6.

Today, we had a visit from Representative Tracy Marra as we celebrated women run organizations in Darien.

While it doesn’t feel much like summer today, sign up for summer camp now!

Our first set of personalized paver orders are going to the engraver very soon, and we are EXCITED to get this project moving along! 🙌🏻 We cherish every visitor who comes through our doors and want a safe walkway for all. Without any grants or public funding, this walkway is only possible with the support of private donations from our community! No one embodied the spirit of our community more than David Sinclair, a former Darien Nature Center board member and long-time supporter, so when we envisioned this walkway, we couldn’t think of a better person to honor with it. Thank you to all who have purchased pavers so far, and we welcome all who want to be a part of this project! Head over to our link in bio to purchase a personalized paver brick for the David Sinclair Memorial Walkway today! #community #darienct #dariennaturecenter #madepossiblebyyou #thankyouforyoursupport #letsdothis

Only 6 more days until the Darien Nature Center Twilight Hike and S’mores. Space is limited. Head to upcoming events. Link in bio.