Drumming event slated at Take Your Child to the Library Day in Ansonia

 The Ansonia Library is at 53. S. Cliff St., Ansonia.

Children's Room at Ansonia Library, TAD-G's Fitness to host Poundfit fun for kids

 

Take a fall foliage hike, learn about bears, more at Ansonia Nature Center

ANSONIA - The Ansonia Nature and Recreation Center will offer a variety of fun programs in November.


NATURE EXPLORERS – Oct. 24, 31, and Nov. 7, 14; 10–11:30 a.m.
Join us for a four-week preschool/toddler program for children ages 2-5 and their adult explorer. 
Participants will have fun exploring nature every week in these outdoor classes. The classes are loosely structured and influenced by the seasons and the interests of the children. We will go outside for a short hike and to explore nature every class so please dress for the weather. 

Classes will end with a light snack (provided or bring your own) and conversation. Tuition: $40 for all four weeks, space permitting (cash or check payable to Ansonia Nature Center), due at first class. 
Class is limited to 10 children. Call to register.

SUNDAY GUIDED HIKE: Fall Foliage – Nov. 4, 1 p.m.
Join the Nature Center naturalist for a stroll through our woodlands, old fields, and wetlands. Enjoy the beauty and the crisp fall air while learning about New England’s flora and fauna. Wear appropriate shoes for this moderate hike. Free. Please call to register.

NATURE PHOTO WALKABOUT WITH PHOTOGRAPHER SOPHIE ZYLA – Nov. 10, 10 a.m.–1 p.m.
Bring your camera; we’ll meet in the Nature Center and then wander the grounds taking photographs of all that captures our attention, from insects to landscapes! 
Please take some time to study your camera instruction book as Sophie has used only Canon and may not know about options on other brands. She will have some Canon accessories to give you an idea of options and possibilities. No camera is too small; cell phones welcome! The photographer, not the equipment, makes the image. Bring water and a bag lunch if you like; we can find a picnic spot to chat about photography. 
Please register for this free program for adults and youth 14 and up.

BEARS IN CONNECTICUT – Nov. 11, 2:30 p.m.
Join Master Wildlife Conservationist Paul Benjunas from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection for an educational talk, highlighting Connecticut’s only native bear species and the statistics on its growing population. 
Free; call to register.

MAKE YOUR OWN CIDER – Nov. 17, 1:30 p.m.
Using an old-fashioned wood cider press, we will prepare apples (possibly other fruit as well) and press our own cider just like the colonial settlers did! Take your cider home in a mason jar to drink and share. Ages 10 and up; children must be accompanied by an adult. Fee: $12 per person. Please call to register.

NATIVE DRUM WORKSHOP – Nov. 18, 2:30 p.m.
Ojibway artist and musician Allan Madahbee will demonstrate and discuss the significance of his instruments as well as explain the importance of the drums throughout history, and especially in Native American history. We will learn how to make the drums and play them. Supplies will be provided. 
Materials fee: TBA. Call to register.
For information on any program call 203-736-1053.
The nature center is at 10 Deerfield Road.

***ONGOING PROGRAMS***

Creature Features – Saturdays, noon
Come to meet our furry, scaly, and feathery animal ambassadors. You’ll have the chance to touch and hold them in this free family program for all ages.

Sunday Guided Hikes – Sundays, 1 p.m.
Join a Nature Center guide on Sunday afternoons for fun, exercise, and learning about our trails! See the above listings for hikes with a specific theme.

Fiber Arts Group – Tuesdays, 6 p.m.
Get together with others to work on your fiber arts projects! Bring any kind of fiber work—knitting, felting, crocheting, etc. 


This is a press release from the Ansonia Nature and Recreation Center.

Drumming program on tap at Derby Neck Library

Mark CT Trails Day, learn outdoor skills, drumming at Ansonia Nature Center

ANSONIA - The Ansonia Nature and Recreation Center, 10 Deerfield Road, has scheduled a variety of activities in June.

NATURE’S CHILD: Creatures of Redwing Pond – June 3, 10 a.m.

Join the Nature Center staff for a fun morning catching frogs and other creatures of Redwing Pond. We’ll start with a small talk on the animals that inhabit the pond. Then we will use our collection equipment to catch, observe, and release these critters. TUITION:  $7 per child ($5.00 for family-level FANCI members and Ansonia residents).  Please pre-register for this class for preschoolers and their adults.

CT TRAILS DAY – June 4, 9 a.m.

Join Nature Center director Alison Rubelmann and Ranger Dan Bosques for this morning walk.  Discover the flora and fauna of our typical New England woodland. This moderate hike will also visit the settlement of the Paugasucks. Bring water and snacks, and wear sturdy shoes. Suitable for older children and adults. FREE; call to register.

TREE I.D. HIKE – June 5, 1 p.m.

The towering giants that fill our forests have many uses and many names. Learn all about the trees we have here in CT, what they are used for, where they grow, which ones you can use for food, and which ones are best for lighting fires. You’ll learn not only how to I.D. trees by their leaves, but also by their bark! 

FREE. Please register and wear appropriate shoes.

FANCI ANNUAL MEETING – June 8, 5:30 p.m.

Join the Friends of the Ansonia Nature Center, Inc. to see what new and exciting projects they’ve been working on. Bring your own table setting and a casserole, salad, dessert, or other dish to share. Election of FANCI officers will take place at this meeting. Bring ideas for next year’s programs and projects.  Please register in advance.

PRIMITIVE FIRE SKILLS – June 11, 10 a.m.

Join Tom Nedweden, primitive technologist, in the art of fire making. Two hundred and fifty years ago this skill could have meant life or death. This ability, no longer widely known, will be shared with you. Learn where to find the best firewood when you’re stranded in the wilderness, the types of trees and other plants used to make tinder bundle, and how to create our very own coals to ignite the blaze! FEE: $5 per person.  Please register; all children must be accompanied by an adult.

OUTDOOR LIVING SKILLS: Lashing Project III – June 18, 10 a.m.

Join Ranger Dan for the final session of his Lashing Projects. Hike into the forest, find a suitable group of trees, and build a raised platform using what we find in nature! Our goal is to build a tree house using our lashing skills. 

FREE; please register in advance.

SUMMER SOLSTICE DRUMMING WITH CHE CARTAFALSA – June 18, 2 p.m.

Che Cartafalsa is a musician, instrument maker, and educator whose work has ranged from concert halls and orchestras to rock bands and West African street weddings. He has played in the Northeast as a member of Toubabou and the White-Eyed Lizard 

Band, Che passes on to his students what he has learned from African percussion masters, emphasizing instrumental technique, listening skills, and multilayered rhythms in percussion. Authentic instruments will help us learn traditional African rhythms. 
FREE; please register for this family program.

FULL STRAWBERRY MOON HIKE – June 20, 8 p.m.

The Algonquin tribes knew this moon as a time to gather the ripening strawberries. It is also known as the Rose Moon. Join the Nature Center rangers for this nighttime exploration of the park’s trails as we follow the scents of the summer through the forest and fields. This adventure is geared toward adults and children. Wear sturdy shoes. Enjoy the summer fire too! FEE: $1; please register.

SUMMER NATURE DAYS – Open registration; choose one or more of our week-long sessions, each held Monday–Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dates: Aug. 1–5, Aug. 8–12, and Aug. 15–19.

For children 5 to 11 years old who love the outdoors and wildlife, these popular classes will be not only educational but also a chance to explore the 156 acres the park offers. We will visit a variety of habitats in the park such as wetlands, fields, and woodlands. A great choice for a fun late-summer experience! 
TUITION PER WEEK: $150 priority students (Ansonia residents and current family-level FANCI members); $175 all others.


This is a press release from the Ansonia Nature and Recreation Center. 

Griffin Hospital in Derby to host presentation on group drumming

Mark Zarrillo will demonstrate drumming May 3 at Griffin Hospital. /Contributed photo

DERBY - The Community Health Resource Center at Griffin Hospital will host a free presentation on the mind, body, and spiritual benefits of group drumming at noon May 3.

Mark Zarrillo, a local drum circle leader and sound healing practitioner, will host “Community Drumming for Health & Happiness,” an interactive demonstration of group drumming and presentation of its evidence-based health benefits. 

Participants take part in a hands-on drumming exercise that teaches about finding and locking into a rhythmic pulse, creating a dialogue with the instruments, and creating smiles.

This program is part of a series of free, educational forums hosted by the Community Health Resource Center in an effort to help improve the health of the community.

To register or for more information, call Kerry or Deborah at 203-732-7399.

The Community Health Resource Center at Griffin Hospital is a traditional library that provides an array of medical and health information, including a large collection of easy to read health and lifestyle related materials. 
The Center is open to the public to educate themselves on ways to enhance their well-being, prevent illness, and play an active role in decisions about their health.


This is a press release from Griffin Hospital.