Asbury Woods taking science, nature programs into city of Erie neighborhood parks

Asbury Woods serves more than 13,000 schoolchildren in a typical year through visits to its Nature Center or programs that take its education staff to Erie County schools. Now, the nonprofit is also going to take its science and nature programming to children in Erie neighborhoods.

The free Nature in Your Neighborhood initiative will launch June 16 and run on Thursdays through Aug. 18. Hands-on activities will be held from 2 to 3 p.m. and rotate among Perry Square, Wayne Park, Gridley Park, Bayview Park and John E. Horan Garden Apartments. Although the programs are geared for ages 5 to 12, organizers said anyone is welcome, even if they live outside the neighborhood, although it is preferred that children be accompanied by a caretaker.

"A core tenet of our vision is to educate people of all ages about northwest Pennsylvania's unique and diverse habitats and native wildlife," said Carissa Snarski, Asbury Woods development and marketing director. "Research shows that environmental education helps build creative thinking and relationship skills, fosters leadership qualities, and makes school subjects rich and relevant. Nature in Your Neighborhood will take science concepts and real-life environmental examples to help influence the way youth think about the world and their connection to it."

Nature in Your Neighborhood participants will learn about seeds, animal pelts and skulls, birds and butterflies. Families and individuals will be able to take part in a nature scavenger hunt. The programs will be led by Asbury Woods interpretive naturalists, Snarski said. She said locations were chosen in various parts of the city.

“Fostering diversity of our visitors and program participants is a goal of our strategic plan and taking our show on the road is one way to achieve that," said Jennifer Farrar, Asbury Woods executive director, in a news release. "We look forward to welcoming families in each neighborhood to stop in for these hands-on, minds-on, staff-facilitated educational activities. Each week offers a unique experience to discover and encourages family participation.”

Green goal:ReLeaf aims to plant 275,000 trees in Erie County

The program’s goal is to ignite a curiosity about nature through engaging themes and to provide unique learning experiences in an open and accessible format, according to the news release.

Watching change:Oldest trees bear witness to centuries of life, growth, death in Erie County

A sponsorship from the Erie Community Foundation is allowing Asbury Woods to pilot the program to connect with kids close to their homes, the release stated.

The program also has the backing of Erie officials.

“We support the Nature in Your Neighborhood program because it aligns with the goals of the City of Erie to create welcoming and vibrant neighborhoods that provide excellent amenities for all residents, high quality of life and community pride," said Chuck Zysk, director of the city's Department of Public Works. "This family-friendly, free programming will offer residents educational opportunities in local public spaces within their neighborhoods during summer months."

If you go ...

Nature in Your Neighborhood events are free and take place on Thursdays from 2 to 3 p.m. at the following locations:

June 16: Wayne Park, East Sixth Street and East Avenue, "Movement in Nature: The story of seeds"

June 23: Perry Square, State Street and North Park Row, "Insides and Outsides: Explore animal pelts and skulls"

June 30: Gridley Park, Park Avenue and Liberty Street, "Movement in Nature: The story of seeds"

July 7: Bayview Park, West Second and Cherry streets, "Insides and Outsides: Explore animal pelts and skulls"

July 14: John E. Horan Garden Apartments, 730 Tacoma Road, "Movement in Nature: The story of seeds"

July 21: Wayne Park, "Taking Flight: The wonderful world of birds"

July 28: Perry Square, "I Spy: Nature scavenger hunt"

Aug. 4: Gridley Park, "Taking Flight: The wonderful world of birds"

Aug. 11: Bayview Park, "I Spy: Nature scavenger hunt"

Aug. 18: John E. Horan Apartments, "Monarch Madness: Butterfly life cycles"

For more information, call 814-835-5356 or visit www.asburywoods.org/events/nature-in-your-neighborhood.

Enjoy activities for families? Download the GoErie app to get all the latest updates

Contact Dana Massing at dmassing@timesnews.com. Follow her on Twitter @ETNmassing.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Asbury Woods taking nature programs to Erie neighborhood parks