Environmental Nature Center

2011-08-09T10:01:00.000-07:00

More photos from session 3!

2011-08-04T12:45:00.000-07:00

Photos from Camp!

2011-08-02T12:15:00.000-07:00

La Habra Children's Museum!

2011-07-06T10:15:00.000-07:00

Session 1- Summer Nature Camp 2011!

2011-06-29T10:12:00.000-07:00

Session 1- Summer Nature Camp 2011!

2011-06-29T10:00:00.000-07:00

Session 1- Summer Nature Camp 2011!

2011-06-29T09:51:00.000-07:00

Mad Science Teacher Workshop

2011-05-24T10:25:00.000-07:00

ENC Lead Naturalist Meghan Lockwood likes science a lot. The only thing that she likes more than science experiments? Showing OTHER PEOPLE how to do science experiments!

The ever popular Soda/Mentos Geyser.

Naturalist Alex Lane plays with inertia.

Everyone prepares their experiment.

It's not magic, it's SCIENCE!

ENC Traveling Naturalist Sama Wareh plays with fire and free radicals. Don't try this at home, we are professionals.

Alex Lane is a professional, too.

Summer Camp Teacher Dave Rector makes cornstarch goo.

ENC Naturalist Jeanine Fletcher's appreciates the subtle joys of slime.

SCIENCE!

Butterflly House Opening and Eco Faire 2011

2011-05-13T11:19:00.000-07:00

crafts

Exploring the Butterfly house
The view from the fire pit
Examining pelts
The gift shop
Recycle-o-Rama (and do-si-doing)
Grillin!
Henna art
Henna
Nature's Gifts
Nature's Gifts
Food booth
Crafts
Crafts
Native plant sales
Exploring the butterfly house
Grill Queens
Face painting
Crafts
Crafts
Crafts
Crafts
Crafts
Exploring the butterfly house
Henna
Examining the pelts
Recycle-o-Rama
Henna
The food booth
The food booth
Story time
Face painting
Pop tab bracelets

Spring Break Camp

2011-04-15T16:12:00.001-07:00

Green Tie Event

2011-03-21T12:58:00.001-07:00

ENC Board Members Jennifer Ensminger and Fran Bennett set up the raffle

Music by the All Star Trio

Creative Cuisine's beautiful table setup

Cocktails and music

The most festively dressed gentleman ever.

ENC Staff

Director Bo Glover and his dance partner, daughter Gabby

Guest Speaker A.G. Kawamura's table

A.G. Kawamura, local farmer and Secretary of Agriculture under Governor Schwarzenegger, discusses the importance of nature experiences in childhood.

President's Week Camp

2011-03-01T11:44:00.000-08:00

Tying knots with Josh

Making slime with Meghan

Weaving baskets with Leslie

Making "snow" with Meghan

Making ice cream in a bag with Meghan

Making shelters with Josh

Making "tie dye" with Meghan

Making talking sticks with Leslie

Finding our way with Josh

Winter Camp Week 2

2011-02-08T10:37:00.000-08:00

Once it stopped raining, we were visited by many animals.

Bees!

Hello, ladies.

Bobcat!

The campers were impressed. The bobcat was decidedly unimpressed.

Winter Camp Week 1

2011-02-08T10:11:00.001-08:00

It rained all week!

Playing in the rain

Woodworking with Mark

Winter Crafts with Leslie

Learning about the National Parks with Josh

Wilderness Survival with Mark Maeseele

2011-02-08T10:01:00.001-08:00

ENC Naturalist Mark Maeseele demonstrates fire by hand drill.

Creating our fireboards

Practicing

Success!

Dia De Los Muertos

2011-02-08T09:50:00.000-08:00

Our Ofrenda

Happy Calacas!

Pan de Muerto (yes, it's homemade!)

We painted small plaster sugar skulls- all the fun, minus the ants!

Henna Workshop with Sama Wareh

2010-09-24T13:16:00.000-07:00

Workbooks helped us to develop our designs before we actually painted each other.

Practicing our designs on paper.

Sama showing us how it's done.

Practicing on each other!

Population Connection Teacher Workshop

2010-09-24T12:40:00.000-07:00

ENC staff and local homeschool moms brainstormed on what the future would be like with more people.

Helen cuts an apple to demonstrate the amount of topsoil available on the planet to grow crops.

Checking out the "J Curve" - the exponential growth of human population on the planet - where resources are NOT unlimited!

Taste of Twilight, 2010

2010-09-23T08:45:00.000-07:00

Members and volunteers enjoyed dinner provided by the Stonefire Grill at this year's Taste of Twilight - the ENC's annual member and volunteer appreciation event.

New Naturalist Josh and his new wife relax under one of the ENC's electric heat lamps - which make outdoor events in the Fall & Spring oh so cozy!

Lead Naturalist Meghan leads a short Green Building Tour.

Leslie, Mike & Mark enjoy dinner at the front desk.

Executive Director Bo Glover serves ice cream to guests.

The Rotary Club accepts the ENC's Appreciation Award for their help with our Butterfly House.

The ENC staff played "Stump the Naturalist" with the guests.

Museum Docent Roy Gauthier accepted the Volunteer of the Year Award. Learn how YOU can volunteer at the Center!

Ocean Adventure Camp at the Environmental Nature Center

2010-08-19T14:42:00.000-07:00

Making penguins using outlines of our feet!

Naturama!!!

Discussing the "10 essentials"

Making edible wetlands

What a photogenic kid!

Making ocean collages.

Making coffee filter jellyfish.

Playing water games on a hot day.

Blue & Green made coral today out of recycled straws!

Spying on a rabbit.

Making camouflage rays at the Marsh.

Making string for our fossil shark teeth necklaces!

Valerie reads a story to Blue & Green.

Helen shows campers how a ray swims.

Red/purple campers made experimental ducks to see which design floated the best. Turns out simple is better!

Valerie & Fran and the blue/green group discuss what they've learned.

Yellow & orange work on their journals.

Learning about the 5 senses!

Showing off the sock whale we made in camp!

Isn't this just the CUTEST lunch container? Perfect for hummus and pita bread.

After Camp Art Campers learning origami with Kira & Sachi, two Girl Scouts earning their Silver Award.

Our Field Trip to the Aquarium of the Pacific!

Touching sharks and rays.

LOVE that they have very young volunteers at the Aquarium!

2010-08-08T11:19:00.000-07:00

Mineral Transfer: The Movie. By Red and Purple Groups, Session III, 2010 ENC Nature Camp.

Time Travelers Camp at the Environmental Nature Center!

2010-08-03T12:29:00.000-07:00

Naturama! Campers - led by their Junior Naturalists - visited each team of Camp Teachers to participate in a fun activity and make a craft.

Meghan and Nick told the campers the ORIGINAL story of Cinderella (which came from Egypt), then everyone made an Egyptian "cartouche".

David & Leslie discussed the history, physics and engineering of catapults, then the campers made their own projectiles (out of wine corks) to launch!

Campers learned the ways of the indigenous people of Orange County as they practiced with our pump drills.

Turgundy learned about Vikings and played a Viking game!

Black & White created a fabulous mural.

Field trip to Clark Park in Buena Park where we visited their Interpretive Center for the "Fun with Fossils" program and explored a hillside where we found REAL fossils!

Paleontologist Lisa showed us all kinds of cool stuff.

Then we went into the field and hunted for real fossils!

Red & Purple playing a version of "Oh Deer!"

Turgundy learning about the hunting methods of the indigenous people.

Yellow and Orange played authentic Native American games.

Snack time!

Sama and the Gray group relaxing on the field.

Showing off the fossils we made!

CRAZY HAT DAY!

And the winner is...

Meghan reads "I'm Bad" by Kate Mcmullan to the Yellow Group.

David dressed some kids from Turgundy up as Vulcanologist s.

Mark & Sama and the Grey Group examine some geology equipment.

The Yellow Group making Fossils.

Nick teaching the Orange Group about the Tongva people.

Leslie taught Turgundy how to draw dinosaurs.

The Yellow Group excavating fossils from chocolate chip cookies.

Ladie's Night: Italian Style - Raw Food Class at the ENC!

2010-07-30T09:01:00.001-07:00

Alysha prepares the "cheese."

Pizza sauce & toppings!

Decorating our pizzas...

Visit www.encenter.org for info on upcoming classes!

Science Safari Camp at the ENC

2010-07-23T15:43:00.001-07:00

Art Campers demonstrating how to draw an octopus.

Showing off our work at the Art Show.

Red & Purple created sun prints!

Making Sand Art during Naturama!

Playing Native American games during Naturama!

Making string during Naturama!

Grinding acorns during Naturama!

Pulling "hot" rocks out of the fire to boil water to make acorn mush during Naturama!

Showing off his dream catcher.

Bob reading Andrew Henry's Meadow.

Eating acorn mush and berry tea.

Making string during Naturama!

Learning about the flags of the world!

Turgundy studied Australia and practiced Aboriginal art!

Blue & Green made Masai jewelry when they studied Kenya.

Blue & Green made God's Eyes when they studied Mexico.

Black and White studied Australia and made bark rubbings.

Black & White studied Japan and practiced writing Japanese characters on "wood cookie" necklaces.

Red & Purple working on their passports.

The Black & White groups studied volcanoes!

Bob tells the Red & Purple group about the hole in the ozone layer, and how it is getting smaller because people are making positive changes!

Turgundy learned to sing in German.

Black & White made corn dollies when they learned about Mexico!

Blue & Green also learned about Mexico - and enjoyed Mexican Hot Chocolate on a cool Summer day!

ENC Campers enjoyed their field trip to Bolsa Chica! Here are some of the critters we found...

This caterpillar found US!

Valerie teachers her campers the Food Chain Game.

The "osprey" eats a "fish".

"Worms" eating "plankton"!

Birdwatching.

Beach evening primrose, Camissonia cheiranthifolia

Turgundy waves from afar!

Red & purple learn about Bolsa Chica's history.

Sea Hare, Aplysia californica

Snowy Egret, Egretta thula

Learning about the Tongva and practicing our basket weaving skills.

Turgundy explored South America and tried pineapple, cocoa and quinoa.

Learning about Africa and painting our faces.

Llama tassels!

Blue & Green studies India and learned some yoga poses from the ENC's very own Yogi, Jeanine!

Black & White learned about Canada and practiced counting in French with the help of Junior Naturalist Conner.

Junior Naturalist Hannah holds up the flag of India for Blue & Green to draw.

Red & Purple practiced hunting with rabbit sticks!

Davena showed us some things she brought back from Africa while studying the medicinal uses of plants (based on their use by chimpanzees)!

African children's books.

A thumb piano.

Max is REALLY into the rattles!

Batik.

African toy cars!

African basketry.

Teeny baskets.

Kira Woods and Sachi Uyemura earned their Girl Scout Silver Award, in part by teaching the After Camp Art Campers. They read and discussed a story, showed a presentation on the Garbage Patch and made a recycled craft.

Kristine earned her Girl Scout Gold Award in part by teaching the campers about the sustainable features of our building, as well as leading them in a food chain game.

Leslie giving her famous bat show!

Dave. Enough said.

ENC Nature Camp: Habitat Helpers

2010-07-05T11:55:00.001-07:00

Katie & Nick at Naturama.

Re-used insect!

David distributing popcorn.

Leslie showing campers how to make furoshiki during Naturama.

Tie die!

making paper beads out of recycled magazines.

Show & tell in the Green & Blue group.

Meghan brought chocolate from Belgium for the pot luck!

Campers from every group worked together to make this neat recycled art project! Thank you to those of you who brought in your "trash"!

The Peace Sign artist, Julie from My Recycled Art helps the campers place their objects. Mini versions of Julie's projects are available in our gift shop!

Alanna earned her Gold Award from Girl Scouts by developing and presenting "Green on a Shoestring" to all of our campers this session. Campers learned inexpensive ways to be more friendly to the Earth.

Alanna encouraging everyone to use re-usable shopping bags.

Sama tells a story, incorporating music.

Tie dye hands!

Turgundy tie died old clothes - a good example of "re-use"!

Alanna encouraging everyone to use re-usable water bottles.

Alanna encouraging everyone to use re-usable lunch boxes.

Looks like a game of Cougarland is about to begin!

Turgundy are SO photogenic!

Yellow & Orange learn how seeds travel.

Toad races!

Learning about toads.

Learning about snakes.

Meghan shows campers our California King Snake.

Sama shows campers one of our gopher snakes.

Turgundy cleans up an oil spill!

Practicing with our sense of smell.

Learning butterfly anatomy.

Meghan helps a camper design a bag to collect the things he makes throughout the session.

Sama helps a camper design a pot to grow a native plant.

Don't startle the creatures!

Nick reads to the Yellow & Orange group.

Leslie and David with the Turgundy Group.

Hmmm...

Going for a hike with the Yellow/Orange Group.

Camp Teacher Training!

2010-05-08T16:06:00.000-07:00

The Blended Life at the ENC!

2010-04-08T08:37:00.000-07:00

Orange County-based Raw Food Chef Alysha Maiorelli taught another inspiring raw foods class at the ENC last night!

Alysha taught participants the art of blending organic fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds to create delicious and simple soups and smoothies!

Alysha prepared a Cookies N' Cream Smoothie, Strawberry Milkshake, Green Smoothie Magic, Chocolate Almond Fudge D-Lish Milkshake, Cucumber Dill-licious Soup, Heirloom Tomato Basil Soup w/ Garlic Aioli, Creamy Corn Chowder w/ Fixins' and Luscious Avocado Herb Soup.

Participants tasted samples of all soups and smoothies prepared during the class.

Participants sampled a variety of Coconut Bliss Ice Cream (organic, diary-free, soy-free, gluten-free, and refined sugar-free). By the end of the class we were all very full!

Spring Break Camp at the ENC!

2010-04-05T10:00:00.001-07:00

Painting the habitats for our imaginary creatures.

Catching (and releasing) crayfish!

Playing indoor games in our library.

Puzzle time!

Students used armatures to create the "head" of their choice.

Even the lizards came out to check out the action!

More fun with crayfish.

The Nature Games kids take a break from running about the Center! There are fewer pictures of them simply because they never stayed still!

Day one of Camp found our Nature Games Campers sitting out the rain over a game of chess. They are very good!

Spring Wildflowers at the ENC!

2010-03-23T10:35:00.001-07:00

Brittlebush

Fuchsia flowering gooseberry

Hummingbird sage

Blackberry

Redbud

Bitter Cherry

Blue eyed grass

Island morning glory

Fairy duster

Seaside daisy

Beavertail

Wonders of the Sea Book Signing with Marc Shargel

2010-03-17T11:36:00.001-07:00

Marc Shargel's beautiful photography books are still for sale at the ENC - at prices WAY below anywhere else!

Marc signing a book for a guest - some of the books we have for sale are signed by Marc, the author/photographer!

Guests enjoyed a fabulous photographic journey along California's coast. We were reminded that everything is connected, and that we need to work to protect the ocean's biodiversity before it is too late.

N.S.I. - Nature Scene Investigators at the ENC!

2010-03-11T14:26:00.001-08:00

Meghan is READY with her lab coat, clip board & loud speaker!

Leslie informs the students of the crime and describes the steps they must take to solve it.

Students take water samples to see if the water is safe for tree frogs (the victim).

Interviewing Bo, our Executive Director.

Interviewing Mike our Grounds Coordinator.

Examining particulates to establish the content of our pond water. Is there algae for the tadpoles to eat?

Students presented their case in front of the District Attorney and the Courtroom.

Early Season Wildflowers at the ENC!

2010-03-08T15:33:00.001-08:00

Wildflower season has started here at the ENC. While we do not have a large display of annual wildflowers, our shrubs and trees are putting on quite a show - especially the Ceanothus!

Island snapdragon glows in the late afternoon sunset and columbine flowers nod in the cool late Winter breeze.

Manzanita flowers reward those patient enough to seek them out, and the western redbud blooms entice fuzzy native bees with their sweet scent and tasty nectar - in exchange for a little pollination action, of course!

Join us for a Wildflower Walk on 4-10 at 1PM. RSVP to 949-645-8489 or lori(at)encenter.org

Population Connection Workshop at the ENC!

2010-03-08T11:37:00.001-08:00

Helen delaMaza represented Population Connection in February and provided training to ENC staff and visiting teachers. Population Education’s lesson plans are all about people–how the human race has grown and shaped the world around us. World population has quadrupled in the past century, changing the way we use natural resources and function as societies. Population education is the ultimate multidisciplinary field; it is ecology, human geography, anthropology, economics, biology, public health, sociology, environmental studies, history and civics all rolled into one.

ENC Naturalists Mark & Leslie help pollute the "Potamic."

All of Population Connection curriculum materials are classroom-tested, rigorously evaluated and frequently updated to be leaders in their content and approach. All lessons are interdisciplinary and well suited for a cooperative learning environment. Population Connection has correlated their lessons with California’s standards which can be found on their website at www.populationeducation.org under “Content Standards by State”.

Population Connection’s Education Program is the only national, population education program with a strong emphasis on teacher training for educators of grades pre-K through 12. Since 1975, the program has developed age-appropriate curricula to complement students’ instruction about human population trends and their impacts on natural resources, environmental quality and human well-being.

Teachers are introducing important population concepts to their students using these outstanding resources and students are benefiting from them. With an emphasis on hands-on learning and balanced discussion of different viewpoints, this program has earned a reputation for educational excellence.

Chaparral, Fire, and Grizzly Bears: A different way to view Orange County Nature

2010-03-08T11:13:00.000-08:00

Chaparral, Fire, and Grizzly Bears: A different way to view Orange County Nature

A presentation by Richard W. Halsey

Thursday, February 25, 2010

The Laguna Canyon Foundation and the Environmental Nature Center presented writer, naturalist, and director of The California Chaparral Institute for this indoor “trailside chat.” Of all the distinct, natural communities in California, only one is found throughout and only one can be said to represent the state's most characteristic wilderness: the chaparral, an association of remarkable plants and animals shaped by summer drought, winter rain and an extremely fragile relationship with wildfire. Guests explored the chaparral's unique natural history, its importance to Orange County, and why it represents such a vital link to nature for all Californians.

Avanti Cafe donated a platter of their SUPER YUMMY vegetarian and vegan cookies. Visit them and eat their food! 259 E. 17th St., Costa Mesa, CA 92627

Elizabeth Brown of the Laguna Canyon Foundation Introduced Rick.

Daisys Plant OC Native Host & Nectar plants in the ENC's Butterfly House!

2010-02-22T15:31:00.000-08:00

ENC Grounds Coordinator Mike Swingholm shows Daisy Girl Scouts how to plant plants in our Orange County Native Butterfly House!

Art of Nature during Presidents Week, 2010

2010-02-18T15:16:00.000-08:00

Mr. Dan helping to paint a clay reptile.

Jack IS Art in Nature.

Working on our "habitats."

Outdoor Skills Camp during President's Week 2010

2010-02-18T12:15:00.001-08:00

Building a shelter.

Brewing up some tea.

Local High School Seniors Complete their Projects at the ENC!

2010-02-10T16:29:00.001-08:00

Corona del Mar High School seniors Ariana & Kelsey restored habitat at the ENC for their Senior Projects...

Kelsey is monitoring the habitat to see what is there so hopefully after the restoration she will find that the habitat has improved.

Planting riparian species in her project location.

Ariana is doing a line transect - determining what species are already there (both native and non-native).

She visited countless times to weed, weed, weed!

Finally - today she planted the plants that SHE determined though her own research to be appropriate locally native riparian plants.

Mad Science! Home School Students Experiment at the ENC.

2010-01-22T13:43:00.000-08:00

Watch the video of this experiment HERE.

Watch another Mad Science experiment HERE!

Tom Sawyer & Native Skills Winter Camps

2009-12-31T11:22:00.000-08:00

Playing dress up. Using our imaginations.

Mark Hay teaching the Native Skills Campers how to sharpen and harden their arrows.

Fire hardening the arrows.

Sharpening the arrows.

The front page image from the Daily Pilot's article about Tom Sawyer Adventure Camp, on 12-28-09.

"Carving" toys out of clay.

Making and painting a "fence" - just like Tom Sawyer did!

“Like it? Well, I don’t see why I oughtn’t to like it. Does a boy get a chance to whitewash a fence every day?” - Mark Twain.

Mr. Dan reading the Cajun Night Before Christmas by Trosclair with his authentic accent!

Painting and spinning our tops.

Groups shots from Week 1.

Holidays Gone Raw at the ENC!

2009-12-03T16:56:00.001-08:00

Holidays Gone Raw, taught by Raw Food Chef Alysha Maiorelli, focused on making simple and amazingly delicious recipes using vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, and sprouted grains.

Everyone enjoyed the yummy food!

§ Tagliatelle, an Italian pasta, with a light sage and basil "cream" sauce over wilted spinach and topped with marinated mushrooms, "sausage", and pine nut Parmesan.

§ Cinnamon Donut Holes drizzled with caramel sauce - I bet you thought being healthy meant giving up donuts, right? Not with raw foods! These donuts are much better and an excellent dessert that is great to bring to those Christmas parties!

§ Apple Cobbler - inspired by my Grandmother's famous apple pie, this dessert can be whipped up in minutes, but the warming spices speak to the senses and take you back to that old cooked favorite.

§ Not "Egg" Nog - a creamy nut-based rendition of an old favorite.

For more information about Raw Food Chef Alysha Maiorelli visit www.rawfoodnerd.blogspot.com

Gourd Art Class at the ENC!

2009-11-13T08:59:00.001-08:00