GRAFTON, Vt. – The Nature Museum invites everyone to join them for two exciting events on April 8 and April 20. Celebrate Earth Day with a full day of programs, and witness a celestial spectacle with a solar eclipse viewing.
On April 8, from 12-5 p.m., The Nature Museum is hosting a solar eclipse viewing party. Activities include celestial craft-making and safe viewing of the eclipse using provided glasses. Educators will share the science behind solar eclipses, along with historical information and mythological lore. The museum’s indoor exhibits, grounds, and playscape will be open for exploration and play throughout the event. Don’t miss this rare opportunity, as the next significant solar eclipse won’t occur until August 2044. “Here in Grafton, we’re really excited to see a near-total eclipse,” says museum director Nikolas Katrick. “We can’t wait to share the moment with neighbors, visitors, and Grafton Elementary School next door.”
On April 20, from 10-4 p.m., The Nature Museum will host an Earth Day Open House. Explore the diversity of wildlife neighbors in Vermont, from small insects to big mammals. Live native animals will be showcased by the Southern Vermont Natural History Museum, and museum educators will delve into the fascinating worlds of bats, and our native wild cats. Guests can enjoy nature-themed exploration, play, and creativity with activities like bug hotel making, fairy house building, scavenger hunts, and craft-making. The Magic Forest playscape will be open for play, and visitors can also see the ongoing wetland restoration project and explore the awakening pollinator garden. Indoors, interactive exhibits highlight Vermont flora, fauna, and geology.
The Nature Museum meadow, pond, and playscape expansion project continues to progress. Planned improvements include a parent seating area near the playscape, a play campsite, a sand pit, a “bear den,” a wetland boardwalk, and easy-to-navigate trails connecting to the Village Park Trails and Windham Foundation trails. The project also includes a new map of The Nature Museum grounds, and a meadow management plan developed with the Xerces Society to support native species, pollinators, and wildlife for years to come.
April vacation camps are also being offered during the week of April 23-25, for children ages 4-11. For more information about these events and the ongoing expansion projects, visit The Nature Museum’s website at www.nature-museum.org.