NATURE NOVEMBER
Author: Ellen Rosner Feig

NOVEMBER 1, 5-8 PM: If you love birds then drop on by Van Cortlandt Park for their FLYING WILD program. Designed for middle school students, educators from the Council of Environmental Education will teach you all about bird conservation through hands-on activities. Van Corlandt Park, Bronx, NY.

NOVEMBER 3, 2-3 PM: Join other kids in WINTER SLUMBER at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum as you learn all about hibernation, how animals prepare for their winter and maybe catch some zzzs yourself!! Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn ($8. for adults, $4 for seniors/students, kids under 12 free).

NOVEMBER 5 AND 12, 8 AM – 10 PM: Take a nature walk in Inwood Park with Mike Feller, Chief Naturalist for Parks and Recreation and explore the unknown secrets in this spectacular park. Inwood Hill Park Tours meet at bridge near Inwood Hill Nature Center (218th St and Indian Road).

NOVEMBER 5, 11 AM – 5 PM: Gain awareness and knowledge of the world around you at PROJECT LEARNING TREE where students look at the forest as a “window” into the natural world. Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx, NY.

NOVEMBER 5: Watch as runners from all over the world attempt to cross the finish line at the famed New York Marathon. Race starts at 10:10 am in Staten Island and stations for viewing (and giving out water) line until the finish at Central Park.

NOVEMBER 5, ALL DAY: Ever wonder what the animals at the zoo do all day? Take a ferry over to the Staten Island Zoo for ZOOPENDOUS ZOOFARI, a day to meet the animals, enjoy snacks and get a behind the scenes tour of the zoo. Staten Island Zoo, 614 Broadway, Staten Island.

NOVEMBER 5, 2 PM: Ahoy matey!! Build a boat, sail on an imaginary river, navigate waterways on a scavenger hunt and glance at an exhibition of Hudson River School paintings. New York Historical Society, NY.

NOVEMBER 12 – 13, 3 PM – 5 PM: You can follow trails of worms and other insects in the Brooklyn Children’s Museum garden today – gross!!! Ages 5 and up, $4 per person. Brooklyn Children’s Museum, 145 Brooklyn Avenue, Brooklyn.

NOVEMBER 17, 10 AM: It’s time to honor our Veteran’s at the yearly Veteran’s Day Parade down Fifth Avenue – see the bands, the floats and the flags and salute as our heroes pass by. Parade starts at Fifth Avenue between 42nd and 79th streets.

NOVEMBER 19, 11 AM – 2 PM: Come fly away at the Intrepid Air/Space Museum as you learn about types of planes, examines planes in the museum’s collections, experiment with gliders and create your own to take home. Intrepid Air/Space Museum, Pier 86 at W. 46th St and 12th Ave. Members pay $6 for 1 adult/1 child; non members pay $37 for 1 adult/1child (includes admission and program fee) Register at 212-245-0072, x.8313.

NOVEMBER 19, 2:30 PM: Experience the LEAF ARROW Storytellers, members of the Caddo Indian Nation of Oklahoma, as they chant, dance a traditional Indian dance and teach a “round dance.” Brooklyn Children’s Museum, 145 Brooklyn Avenue, Brooklyn; admission $4.

NOVEMBER 20: Go on a DINO ADVENTURE with Scooter as he digs in Dr. Nebula’s laboratory and uncover the mysteries of dinosaurs. Museum of Natural History, Central Park West, $8 children, $10 adults.

NOVEMBER 20, 11 AM – 1 PM: The Central Park Conservancy opens the indoor climbing wall to ages 8-17. All participants receive ID card, equipment and free climbing. Free. North Meadow Recreation Center at 97th Street, Central Park.
NOVEMBER 20, 10 AM – 4 PM: Join the beasts at the Staten Island Zoo for Thanksgiving!! See what the animals enjoy to eat as you watch special holiday feedings and then make a craft to bring home. $5 Adults, $4 Senior, $3 Kids 3-14, Free for kids under 3. Staten Island Zoo, 614 Broadway, Staten Island.

NOVEMBER 24, 10 AM – 6 PM: Ice skating opens for the winter season at Wollman Rink in Prospect Park. Take lessons, spin around the ice and get a nice cup of hot chocolate. $5 admission, $3 children/senior, $5 skate rental. Prospect Park, Brooklyn.

NOVEMBER 25, 12 PM – 5 PM: Learn what winter was like in a 19th century farming village in Flatbush, Queens. Make candles, start a patchwork quilt, and create an old fashioned meal. Lefferts Historic House, Prospect Park, Brooklyn. Admission is Free.

NOVEMBER 26, 10:30 AM – 12 PM: Go on a scavenger hunt at NY’s magnificent Grand Central Station. Kids and adults will work together to find the secrets behind the walls of this historic train station. Call Watson Adventures at 212-726-1529 for further info.

ALL MONTH: Young explorers can experience the wonders of science and nature at the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden where mazes, hands-on activities and larger than life plants await. NY Botanical Garden, Bronx, NY; 10 am – 5 pm, Tuesday through Sunday.

ALL MONTH: Central Park offers activities at its North Meadow Recreation Center including beginner climbing for ages 8 to 17 and a challenge course for ages 12 – 17. Registration and fee required; call 212-348-4867, x. 10 for further information.

ALL MONTH: Explore the world of microbe science this month at the NY Hall of Science where kids 6 and older can learn about microbes and create their own puppets. NY Hall of Science, Queens, NY.