Hidden Oaks Nature Center: Public Programs

Public Programs

Nurture your child's sense of wonder and spark your own interest in the natural world with classes, programs or a visit to the Hidden Oaks Nature Center.

Nature Classes
Register through Parktakes Online for these exciting,
fun-filled classes.
[<a href="/offsite/?pg=http://parktakes.fairfaxcounty.gov/rev1_quickresult.asp?category2=9999&subject=&facility2=M308&day=9999&Submit2=Search" target="_blank">View Classes</a>]

Active Ways to Explore the Outdoors with Your Family

Your Art in the Park-Create a Wall Tile
(All ages) Immortalize your nature artwork on Hidden Oaks' Wall of Nature Art being constructed to honor the center's 40th birthday. Create your own nature design on paper and we'll transfer it to a permanent, four-inch square tile for our foyer display. Sponsored by Friends of Hidden Oaks. $20

Nature Playce
(Families) dawn-dusk. Take time to get outdoors and play in our 1/3-acre unstructured play area in the woods. Make mud pies, dig into woodchip piles, make stick “forts” or just rest on a bench and watch the clouds float by.

Come to the nature center during regular hours (see above) and ask for a naturalist to give your family a brief orientation resulting in the bestowing of the title, “Official Nature Snooper” along with a free gift from the Friends of Hidden Oaks. Get unplugged and prepare to discover the wonders of nature. FREE

Discovery Bag
(Families with young children) Borrow a “Discovery Bag” from the front desk to enhance your enjoyment of the 1/3-mile Old Oak Trail which loops behind the nature center. Each bag contains activities and learning enhancements ideal for young child and parent adventures along the woodchip path. $1

Winter Scavenger Hunt
(All ages) Enjoy outdoor self-guided scavenger hunts. Challenge yourself along the 1/3-mile Old Oak Trail which loops behind the nature. $1

Mondays
Monday Bird Walk
(All ages), 7-9 am, Eakin Community Park. Call 703-941-1065 for information. Discover the resident birds of the Accotink Stream Valley. Bring binoculars. Meet at Prosperity Ave. parking lot. Walk canceled if rain or severe weather. No registration required. FREE

Forest Fledglings
(3-5 yrs.), 9:45-10:30am or 11-11:45am. Classes for parent and child (quiet siblings welcome). Enjoy a new topic each week with stories, crafts and nature activities leading to outdoor exploration. Dress for the weather. Reservations and advanced payment required. $5/child

Fridays
Little Acorns
(2-3 yrs.), 9:45-10:30am or 11-11:45am. Alternate Fridays, call for schedule. Preschoolers and their adults share the wonders of nature. Through finger plays, stories, activities, and, weather permitting, an outside exploration, the naturalist stimulates each child’s curiosity. Reservations and advanced payment required. $5/child

November

15 Sunday or 28 Saturday
Calling All Flying Squirrels...
(Families with children 4 yrs. and up), 6-7pm. Flying squirrels rival gray squirrels in number, but since they are nocturnal, we rarely see them. Enjoy a presentation about these amazing gliders of the night and join a naturalist as we look for flying squirrels at roosting boxes near the nature center. Learn how you can encourage flying squirrels to visit your yard. Reservations and advanced payment required. $6/person

22 Saturday
Native American Storytelling, Games and Hunting Skills
(4 yrs. and up with adult), 2-3:30pm. Explore the culture of eastern woodland Indians during the period of first European contact with an afternoon of stories and games. Play traditional games and take a woodland walk with an eye to how native peoples used plants for food and medicine. Make a craft. Reservations and advanced payment required. $6/person

28 Saturday
Creature Feature
(All ages), 1-2pm. How will the black rat snake prepare for the coming winter? Find out where wild snakes and turtles spend the winter and meet a black rat snake and eastern box turtle who will stay warm and awake at Hidden Oaks. Reservations required. $4/person

29 Sunday
Snake and Turtle Feeding
(All ages), 1-2 pm. Enjoy a brief presentation and demonstration by our animal caretaker volunteers or naturalist staff. At least one snake and two turtles will be fed during the demonstration. Reservations required. Limit 20. $2/person

December

6 Sunday
Calling All Flying Squirrels…
(Families with children ages 4 and above), 6-7pm. Flying squirrels rival the population of gray squirrels; but since they are nocturnal, we rarely see them. View a presentation about these amazing gliders of the night and join a naturalist as we look for flying squirrels at roosting boxes near the nature center. Learn how you can encourage flying squirrels to visit your yard. Reservations and advanced payment required. $6 /person

12 Saturday
Princesses and Their Nature Pals Tea Party
(Families), 2-3:15pm. Celebrate happily-ever-after with the princesses and animals of your favorite fairytales. Young dancers in traditional costumes from the India International School perform dances reminiscent of the Aladdin stories. Discover how local woodland creatures – frogs, deer, owls and even toads – make the world a better place for everyone – peasant or royalty! Come dressed as your favorite princess to enjoy tea and cookies. Reservations and advanced payment required. $15/person

Star Lite, Star Brite
(All ages), 6:30-7:30pm. Take a guided tour of December's night sky in preparation for the Geminid meteor shower on Sunday, December 13, and Monday, December 14. Learn to identify constellations and how best to watch for the meteor shower. Reservations and advanced payment required. $5/person

13 Sunday
Natural Holiday Cards and Wrapping Paper
(Ages 4-9 yrs.), 1:30-3pm. Create personalized cards and more with natural materials and with nature themes. Make a holiday treat for yourself or a friend. Great scout activity. Reservations and advanced payment required. $6/child

19 Saturday
Geology Rocks
(Families with children ages 6 yr. and above), 1:30-3pm or 3:15-4:45pm. Can you tell an igneous from a metamorphic rock? How does carbon become a diamond? From brushing your teeth to virtually all your daily activities, a rock or mineral plays a key role. Learn about rocks, fossils and more through indoor presentations, hands-on activities and a stream walk. Fulfills Junior Girl Scout and Webelos Cub Scout badge requirements. Reservations and advanced payment required. $6/child

20 Sunday
Winter Solstice Celebration
(Families), 1:30-2:30pm. Discover the facts and fantasy of the shortest day of the year, Monday, December 21. Learn how shorter days affect animals and people alike. Make a luminary of a constellation from a can to take home and use as a light for the dark days of winter. Reservations and advanced payment required. $5/child

26 Saturday
Natural Holiday Thank You Notes and More
(Ages 4-9 yrs.), 1:30-3pm. Create personalized cards and more with natural materials and with nature themes. Make a holiday treat for yourself or a friend. Reservations and advanced payment required. $5/child

Creature Feature
(All ages), 4-4:45pm. Discover the variety of turtles found in Fairfax County. Meet a snapping turtle and a painted turtle. Learn their similarities, differences and how they are spending this holiday season. Reservations and advanced payment required. $4/person

27 Sunday
Holiday Treats for Wildlife
(Families), 1-4:30pm. Come with your family and friends to make delectable goodies for birds and squirrels. View a variety of homemade bird feeders and get recipes for making treats in your kitchen at home. This is a peanut-free zone! Great for scouts. Reservations and advanced payment required. $5/child

30 Wednesday
Dinosaur Wild Things Puppet Shows
(3-8 yrs.), 1-1:45 pm. Dinosaurs once roamed all the Earth, places far and near. How do we know that they were here? Enjoy a puppet show along with fun fossil facts. Reservations and advanced payment required. $5/child

January

2 Saturday
S’More Bird Watching Please!
(Families), 1:30-3pm. Discover one of America’s most popular pastimes with your family! Learn techniques to continue the fun at home, binocular basics and how to attract birds to your backyard. After a bird hike, return to the nature center for s’mores and cocoa. Bring binoculars. Reservations and advanced payment required. $4/child, $2/adult

3 Sunday
Wild Things Puppet Show
(3-8 yrs.), 1:30-2:15pm. Traditional fairy tales get a natural twist in a collection of stranger than fiction puppet shows. Enjoy Little Blue Riding Hood and more. Reservations and advanced payment required. $5/child

9 Saturday
Dinosaur Film Festival
(4-8 yrs.), 1:30-3pm. Explore fossils, footprints and films as you learn the latest on these fascinating creatures. Enjoy interactive stations and make a fossil craft to take home. Parent and child program. Reservations and advanced payment required. $5/child

10 Sunday
Story of the Snowman and His Flakey Friends
(4-8 yrs.), 1:30-2:30pm. Snuggle up with snowman soup (hot cocoa) as you listen to tales of woodland creatures who meet an unexpected visitor to their forest. Make a craft. Reservations and advanced payment required. $5/child

16 Saturday
Owl 16mm Film Fest
(All ages), 1:30-2:30pm. Enjoy an old-fashioned 16 mm movie on the big screen along with popcorn and cocoa. Afterwards, learn fun facts about local owls, look at specimens and hear owl calls. Each family gets an owl pellet to dissect. Reservations and advanced payment required. $5/child

17 Sunday
Campfire Songs and Stories
(All ages), 7-8pm. Cozy up to the campfire and join the naturalist in a traditional sing-a-long. Listen to the tales told first by Cherokee tribes of how woodland animals came to be. Toast a marshmallow over the embers. Cancelled in case of inclement weather. Reservations and advanced payment required. $15/family

29 Friday
Naturalist Corner
(3-12 yrs.), 1- 4pm. More than a dozen learning and craft stations await the budding artist and naturalist. Meet live animals, play traditional America Indian games, create nature themed art and learn how to read animal tracks. Make crafts to take home. Teen volunteers are welcome to participate as naturalist assistants with advanced notice. Reservations for groups requested. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Reservations and advanced payment required. $5/child

31 Sunday
Mad Hatter’s Tea Party
(Families with children ages 5 yrs. and above), 1:30-3pm. Parents and children enjoy tea, munch butterfly-shaped sandwiches and join the crazy fun of the Mad Hatter and his friends as we have the strangest of tea parties. Discover fun facts about Lewis Carroll’s story, Alice in Wonderland, make a hat and play games. Meet a live creature from the story. Reservations and advanced payment required. $10/person

February

1 Monday
Celebrate National Serpent Day
(Ages 4-9 yrs.), 1-2pm. Honor the day by learning what snakes live in Fairfax County. Meet three snakes up close and then observe their feeding time. Find out what these commonly misunderstood creatures are doing in the winter and learn to distinguish our area’s only venomous species. Reservations and advanced payment required. $5/child

13 Saturday
Natural Valentines
(4-9 yr.), 1:30-3pm. Create Valentine’s Day cards with natural items and nature themes. Discover how animal sweethearts court; and enjoy making a natural treat to take home. Reservations and advanced payment required. $5/child

14 Sunday
Knock for Woodpeckers
(Families with children ages 3 yrs. and above), 1:30-3pm. Five species of woodpeckers call Hidden Oaks their home. Learn how to distinguish among the species and how to attract them to your backyard with a make-and-take woodpecker treat. At the end, we will enjoy a puppet show. Reservations and advanced payment required. $5/child

15 Monday
Creature Feature
(All ages), 1-1:45pm.. Meet two of the most common snakes seen in Fairfax County, the black rat snake and the northern brown snake. Learn how to distinguish them from the venomous northern copperhead snake. Reservations and advanced payment required. $4/person

20 Saturday
Where are All the Animals?
(3-9 yrs.), 1:30-3pm. Although many animals brave the winter temperatures to stay in Fairfax County, many others have escaped to warmer climes. Find out who migrates, hibernates, or emigrates, and who romps through the snow. Go on a short walk to look for salamanders and other animals that winter in our neighborhood. Make a craft. Reservations and advanced payment required. $5/child

27 Saturday
Campfire Songs and Stories
(All ages), 7-8pm. Cozy up to the campfire and join the naturalist in a traditional sing-a-long. Listen to the tales told first by Cherokee tribes of how woodland animals came to be. Toast a marshmallow over the embers. Cancelled in case of inclement weather. Reservations and advanced payment required. $15/family

28 Sunday
Lessons from the Lorax
(Families with children ages 4 and above), 2:30-3:30pm. Honor Dr. Seuss’ birthday with a fresh look at the Lorax and his story of protecting the truffula trees and native wildlife. Enjoy the classic tale and then meet the Oncler who has new ideas on how families can make a natural difference to wildlife. Make a treat to take home for birds and learn how to make your backyard friendly for wildlife. Reservations and advanced payment required. $5/person

March

6 Saturday
Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss
(Families with children ages 3 and above), 2:30-3:30pm. Naturalists share the tales of Yertle the Turtle and Gertrude McFuzz and show how real woodland creatures share some of the same talents. Make a craft and meet several local turtles. Reservations and advanced payment required. $5/person