These event are deemed appropriate for younger children

Early inhabitants of the Nature Center used grapevines and other natural materials to weave beautiful and functional baskets. Make your own simple basket out of natural reed for a lovely holiday gift. This activity is suitable for both adults and children.  It is recommended that children have an adult helper.

$10 per basket (with paid admission).

Join us at Oliver Nature Park to make artificial snow and other fun winter chemistry experiments. Pre-registration is required. $7-$9.

Info: Tiffany Gorrell, tiffany.gorrell@mansfieldtexas.gov

Kick your New Year off right and join a nationwide movement to get outdoors! Family-friendly hikes will be led by knowledgeable staff and volunteers, and each will be a little over a mile in length. $1 per person. Registration for the First Day Hikes will close on Dec. 29 at noon. Go to bit.ly/CoLRegistration or call 972-219-3550 to register.

10 a.m. at Central Park

2 p.m. at Lake Park

6 p.m. at LLELA

We will gather around the campfire, sip warm ponche and share our wishes for the New Year. During this kid-friendly event in observance of Mexican traditions around the holiday, we will eat grapes, share lentils and write propósitos. Be sure to bring your suitcase for our mile-long night hike under the full moon along the Cicada trail. Registration is required and closes on December 29 at 11am. The cost is $5 per person. Go to bit.ly/CoLRegistration or call 972-219-3550 to register.

The Christmas Bird Count is the longest-running citizen science survey in the world, contributing invaluable data to scientists studying bird population trends. Our kids’ version of the count gives children ages 5 years and up a taste of the real deal. $5 per person, in addition to the regular gate fee ($5/vehicle, cash or check only). Registration is required by Dec. 29 at noon. Go to bit.ly/CoLRegistration or call 972-219-3550 to register.

Take a trip back to an 1870s Christmas and celebrate the old-fashioned way. Enjoy a tour of the historic Minor-Porter Log Cabin, make a corn husk doll or an ornament to take home to your own Christmas tree, create a hand-dipped candle, enjoy carols, sip hot cider by the campfire, and more. Visitors are welcome to arrive at any time during the open hours and join in at their own pace. Free with admission. $5/vehicle cash or check only.

Visitors will take a guided night hike through the Great Trinity Forest and explore how our senses change with the setting of the sun. We will learn how nocturnal animals have adapted to the night life. Guests will search and call for the owl species that call Dallas home. The night will end roasting s’mores over the fire!

Kayak through our amazing home with the Trinity River Audubon Center! Our guides provide all the equipment and instruction you need to get on the water for a two-hour kayak trip. You'll learn about the history of the river while you meander through the Great Trinity Forest. We transport you upstream to a launch point and guide you as you paddle back down the river. See a side of Dallas very few get to enjoy all while cruising past herons, egrets, beavers, turtles and river otters.

Make a native bee house to attract beneficial pollinators to your garden. Did you know there are hundreds of native bee species in Texas? Most of them do not sting and are solitary. They do not live in a beehive, but build their nests in holes, tubes, and tunnels that nature (or we) provide. We will explore natural and recycled materials to construct a custom built bee house. Discussion and storytime accompany this fun and informative class appropriate for ages 3 to 9. Parents are welcome to participate.

The race takes place on the DORBA Trail at Ray Roberts Lake State Park, Isle du Bois Unit in Pilot Point, Texas just 30 minutes north of Denton. The wooded trail is a mix of fast, flat single track along with challenging rocky sections.

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