We have two special events coming up this month, besides our “Birds” session. On Tuesday, September 23^rd, Nature Tots is teeming up with Cotati Creek Critters to present a FREE class about Bees! This class, held from 10-11am, will teach two to five-year olds (with parent attending) about bees and their importance in pollinating our crops and wild plants. Class will include bee stories, songs, and crafts, as well as an easy-going walk along the Laguna de Santa Rosa in Cotati to look for bees and other pollinators. There will be an 8-child maximum in this class, so please register by calling 707-333-1331 or emailing stephanie@naturetots.com to get on the list and get directions on the meeting place. If you’ve been thinking about giving Nature Tots a try, this free class is a great opportunity!

The other event is the Rohnert Park Cotati Mother’s Club-sponsored carnival on September 13^th, from 11am to 3pm at La Plaza Park in Cotati. Nature Tots will have a booth at the carnival featuring some fun nature-related crafts and some cool bug-related freebies!

See you outdoors!

Stephanie Derammelaere

UPCOMING COMMUNITY EVENTS

North Bay Herpetological Society’s Annual Reptile Show

September 27, 2008, 10am – 5pm

Herzog Hall, Petaluma Fairgrounds

Come see a variety of captive bred reptiles, amphibians, and arachnids.

$5, $2 12 & under. www.nbherps.org 

Story Time/Garden Walk               

September 7, 2008, 10:30am –12pm

Library, Golden Gate Park, SF  Listen to a garden-themed story in the library, and then take a docent-led garden walk. 415-661-1316 

Habitat & Home

9/3–1/4/09, noon – 5pm, Wed – Sun

Environmental Discovery Center, Spring Lake Regional Park

Aquarium Feeding Frenzy

September, 13, 2:30pm – 3pm

Bay Model Visitor Center, Sausalito

Help Ranger Bill Cope feed the hungry inhabitants of the fresh and saltwater tanks.  Watch the different feeding styles of perch, crabs, sea stars and steelhead trout.

Help your child make his or her own tree book! Start by picking a tree your child will see on a daily basis, or at least very frequently. Have your child draw the tree, press some of its leaves, make bark rubbings, collect some of its seeds, etc. Paste these onto construction paper that you fasten together with staples. Now, keep an eye on your tree as we start heading into fall and note how it changes. Are the leaves changing color and/or starting to fall off the tree? Is the tree growing fruit? Are pine cones falling off the tree? Is anything changing with the bark? Note every change and either draw a picture, take a picture, or press more leaves and make more bark rubbings to document the changes with your tree. You can do this for the rest of the year as the tree loses all its leaves in the winter, for example, and blossoms again in spring. Not only will this teach your child about the seasonal cycle of trees, but it will also become a wonderful keepsake! 

If your child is old enough to brush their teeth, they are old enough to learn about not wasting water! Teach your children to turn the water off when brushing their teeth. Most children love playing with water and that is a great activity to do with a water table, for example, but many will let the water run in the sink for a very long time during just a short hand washing or teeth brushing. Besides telling them about conserving water, also remember that the best way to teach your children is to be a good example yourself and show them how you turn the water off when brushing your teeth!