Children ages 9 to 14 years are invited to join children’s author Carolyn Lesser for an exciting week of exploration and discovery.

 Carolyn Lesser has offered presentations for state, national, and international venues, speaking at teacher in-service, young author conferences, university classes, libraries, writer’s organizations and conferences. Her numerous books reflect her passion for and love of nature.    

Discount is taken at time of registration off the total due per appropriate child. Register one child for any child’s class at full fee. Register 2^nd child at a 10% discount. Register 3^rd or 4^th child at a 15% discount. Registrations must all be made at the same time to qualify for the discount, which is taken on an equal or lesser fee.

SINGLE DAY WITHIN A MULTI DAY CLASS: You may register for a single day on multiple day classes within one week of class date ONLY – space permitting.

KEY TO LOCATIONS: GB=Green Briar, GF=Game Farm, H=Hemispheres at Town Neck

Curious George: Let that little scamp, Curious George, take you on a wild science expedition. Each day explores different science topics from the hit PBS show.

Dino Days: Explore fossils, "dig for bones," sing "dino" songs and have fun learning about these fantastic prehistoric creatures.

Fairy Houses: Bits of bark, pine cones and sturdy sticks become a special home for tiny woodland creatures.

Fantastic Fliers: Have fun searching for things that fly – beautiful butterflies, dazzling dragonflies or mighty beetles. Last day meets at the Game Farm.

Frogs and Toads: Search for frogs along the pond edge and vernal pools. Look for toads in woods and meadows. Last day meets at the Game Farm.

Furry and Feathery: Meet Peter and the other mammals of Green Briar. Use "birdnoculars" to find some feathered folks. Take a close-up look at fur and feathers.

Going Buggy: What make an insect an insect? Learn about insect bodies. Seek out butterflies, grasshoppers and other bugs. Last day meets at the Game Farm.

Nature’s Detectives: Snoop around for signs of amazing animals. Discover some of nature’s best kept secrets. Last day meets at the Game Farm.

Scooper Dooper: Nets ready, set and go for some exciting adventure along the edges of the Smiling Pool. Find fantastic dragonfly babies or amazing worms or beetles right in the water.

Smiling Pool Fun: This is just for the older 5 year olds. Come along on the canoe-catamaran for a wild explore out on the Smiling Pool to catch painted turtles or frogs.

Smooth and Scaly: Learn to tell the difference between a male and female bullfrog. Examine the secrets hidden in a turtle’s shell. Meet a snake.

Tidal Pool Romp: Explore the tidal pools in search of sea stars, hermit crabs and other awesome sea creatures. Wear old sneakers or footwear that completely cover your feet and can get wet. Meet at Town Neck Beach by Hemisphere’s Restaurant.

Water Wonders: Search for animals in wet places. Experiment with water and soap bubbles. Make some fun watery crafts.

LUNCH BUNCH OPTION: Parents of children in grades one and up have the option of sending their child for the whole day. Children bring lunch, are supervised at Green Briar during lunch and are transported, if needed, by Education Staff from the am class to the pm class. Permission to transport must be on file with the office.

KEY TO LOCATIONS: GB=Green Briar, GF=Game Farm, H=Hemispheres at Town Neck, R=Ryder, SP=Shawme Pond, TN= Town Neck Beach Side Parking Lot, T=Talbot’s Point

Beach-Combing Scavenger Hunt: Look what the tide washed in. Search for the most unusual find. Create a scavenger trophy to take home. Day 1 at Hemispheres; Day 2 at Sandwich Beach parking lot at marsh.

Bird Detectives I: The hunt is on for spotting as many different kinds of birds as possible in woods and marsh edge. We’ll have "bird-noculars" for you to borrow. Everyone receives a list of birds sighted to take home and a special sticker.

Bird Detectives II: Listen for birds and learn what they may be saying to you and to other birds. Learn some great bird calls and maybe fool a bird with your own call.

Cape Cod Traveling Safari: Explore the fresh and salty places for unusual critters. On Day 1, explore out on the Smiling Pool in our canoe-catamaran. We’ll try to beat the record of 100 different kinds of animals spotted during last year’s class.

Crabby Adventure: You can pretend you are at Bikini Bottom with the Yellow Fellow himself as you explore tide pools for sponges, sea stars and crabs.

Creeks, Cracks and Crevices: Explore the best squishy and mucky places to find awesome critters like secret crabs and jumping scuds. Old shoes with laces a must.

DIG IT! Archeology: Be an archeologist as you excavate small "digs" looking for evidence of human activity. Work with your team to hunt for coins and bones and reconstruct materials back at the lab.

DIG IT! Paleontology: Explore the world of dinosaurs through excavating bones and reconstructing skeleton models. Work with your team to learn about these creatures of long ago. Everyone receives a special "dino artifact" to take home.

Discoverers Night Out: The Briar Patch comes alive as the day ends. Search out flittering bats and silent owls as the sun sets over the purple hills. Roast marshmallows over an open fire.

Eat Like a Bird: Discover how a bird’s beak fits the bill when it comes to different food sources. Imitate these beaks and try to collect food. Create a bird feeder too take home.

Enchanted Gardens: Create lovely little fairy garden homes and live plants and moss in take home planter containers. All plants and building materials are provided. Add $8 to class fee for materials.

Fetch Science: Explore science with Ruff Ruffman as you complete awesome experiments from the hit PBS television show.

Forest Scavenger Hunt: Look in the hidden places amongst tree trunks and stumps for signs of chipmunk and snake, salamander and ant.

Habitat Hopping: A class of wild exploration under, over, around and through some awesome habitats. Come along in our canoe-catamaran as we explore the hidden corners of Shawme Pond in Sandwich Village.

Native American Days: Create a bear claw necklace and decorate a leather headband and a special drum. Practice tracking skills through hikes and games. Explore out on the Smiling Pool in our canoe-catamaran.

Nature Journals: Do you love to draw and explore? Create a special booklet to record your nature observations. Explore the hidden corners of the Smiling Pool by canoe-catamaran in search of inspiration.

Pioneer Day: Have some old time fun playing games and completing crafts from long ago times. Work with natural dyes, make drip candles and create with splatter paints.

Pirates, Treasures and Maps: Ahoy ye lubbers! Practice skills with map and compass to look for hidden booty. Walk the plank for some wet and muddy fun.

Puppets and Fun: Create a variety of puppets from fast and simple to fantastic and fabulous. On Day 2, show off your creations during a special presentation for parents.

Recycled Crafts: Treasures can be made with throw away items. Imagine and create with a variety of discarded materials.

Smiling Pool Surprises: Search for Grandfather Frog, Jerry Muskrat, Mrs. Redwing and their babies. Look for tiny dragonfly babies in the water. Explore the hidden corners of the Smiling Pool by canoe-catamaran.

Squiggly and Squirmy: Caterpillars, worms and slugs, snakes and millipedes, and awesome bugs make up a wild class of awesome creatures.

Tricky Trackers: Footprints, chewed nuts and leaf nests are clues for a squirrel. Learn to recognize ways we can discover when animals have passed by.

Wacky Science: Slime, oobleck and exploding soda pop are just a few of the science wonders that await you in this class.

What’s Bugging You? Explore the world of bugs from the fantastic to the far out and camouflaged. Make a bug house to bring home.

WILD Safari: There are wild and wonderful critters to explore in some wild and wonderful places in Sandwich. Look for owl pellets in Talbot’s Point and salamanders in Ryder Conservation Land.

ZOOM into Science: Create structures, try some awesome challenges, have some great snacks – all from the hit PBS television show.

LUNCH BUNCH OPTION: Parents of children in grades one and up have the option of sending their child for the whole day. Children bring lunch, are supervised at Green Briar during lunch and are transported, if needed, by Education Staff from the am class to the pm class. Permission to transport must be on file with the office.

KEY TO LOCATIONS: BWB=Boardwalk Bridge, GB=Green Briar, GF=Game Farm, H=Hemispheres at Town Neck, M=Mashpee Town Landing, MS=Maple Swamp, SC=Scorton Creek, SP=Shawme Pond, TN= Town Neck Beach Side Parking Lot, T=Talbot’s Point, W=Wakeby Pond

Canoeing Basics: Brush up or learn how to paddle and steer on the Smiling Pool behind Green Briar. All canoeing equipment is provided.

Canoeing Scorton Creek: Explore the wilds along this scenic creek while paddling over to Talbot’s Point for a woodlands hike and snack.

Cape Cod Canoe Adventure: A full week of exploration awaits you. Start off exploring the wild side of Shawme Pond, then paddle Mill Creek, Scorton Creek, Wakeby Pond over to Lowell Holly Reservation, and end the week paddling the wild and wonderful Mashpee River.

COOL Pools: Take a perfect day with perfect tides to explore way out in search of sun stars and really big hermit crabs. Old shoes that lace are a must to protect feet.

Creeky Canoe: Paddle past fiddler crabs and clinging mussels along twisty tidal creeks. This is a great way to hone your paddling skills.

Lewis and Clarke: Come along on a great adventure of map and compass skill building, outdoor cooking, archaeological dig exploration, Native crafts and paddling Scorton Creek – all patterned after the Journey of Discovery.

Mashpee River Canoe: This canoe trip is for the experienced paddler who enjoys a wild explore through salt and freshwater wetlands. Stop along the river for a short hike and snack.

Native Peoples Overnight with Trip to Plimoth Plantation: Travel by passenger van to the Native Village at Plimoth Plantation. Return to Green Briar for native crafts, cooking and canoeing. Class size is limited to 10.

Fee is $70 members, $80 non-members.

Pond Paddlers: Have fun exploring while canoeing Smiling Pool, Shawme Pond and Wakeby Pond. Meet at the Burgess Museum for Shawme paddle and the state boat ramp off Route 130 in Mashpee for the Wakeby paddle.

Survivor Classes: Our survivor classes are modeled after the hit TV show. Work in tribes to complete age appropriate challenges related to each class theme with rewards and penalties. Challenges accommodate all abilities with some being physical and others mental. All activities stress team building and cooperation. Rewards will include candy and small toys. Penalties will include the optional eating of actual prepared edible insects.

* Survivor Overnight: Paddle challenges, night time challenge games, camp fire and breakfast.
Fee is $45 members, $55 non-members.

* Survivor Muckatania: Muddy and mucky challenges in marsh and pond at the Game Farm

* Survivor Wildwoods: Map and compass challenges, shelter building

Tidal Pools at Night: Many pool critters are nocturnal and come out at night to hunt the pools. Bring a flashlight or headlamp to seek out squid babies, lobsters and awesome fish. Sweatshirt or jacket a must along with shoes that lace to protect feet.

ZOOM Challenges: This fun class based upon the PBS television show includes more involved challenges and experiments for older students.

This official Burgess rite of passage trip for our Junior Naturalists returns with two days of canoeing and exploration to brush up on skills. Wednesday we pack our canoes and head out to our group camping site on Washburn’s Island in Waquoit Bay. All canoe related equipment is provided as well as Wednesday supper and Thursday breakfast and lunch. Personal equipment list will be available at registration. Limited to 10, so register early.

Explore the wilds of the Great Marsh and Sandy Neck by canoe. This trip is for experienced paddlers only. We’ll explore winding creeks and paddle the marsh edge around to the dune zone for a snack and hike.

Your help is needed with the Peter Rabbit’s Friends or Discoverers classes this summer. This is a great opportunity to get to know the parents and education staff. This could lead to future summer employment at the nature center or as a sitter for the children you work with. Volunteers who complete a minimum of 30 hours receive a certificate for a free Jam Workshop or a Society membership. Space is limited. Contact Education Director Mary Beers to set up an interview.

SUMMER WRITING WORKSHOPS FOR ADULTS & CHILDREN

This summer Green Briar is hosting non-fiction writing workshops for adults and children. The instructors are Christie Lowrance and Carolyn Lesser, both successful professional writers and college-level teachers.

Christie will be teaching the adult course titled "The Art and Craft of Writing."

Good writing is never accidental; it comes from using the fundamental writing skills that create well-organized, coherent and meaningful content; technical accuracy; and an engaging, readable style.

Carolyn’s course "Exploring to Write" is open to children ages 9 to 14 years. While making full use of the diverse natural environment at the Green Briar Nature Center, this class will explore writing from "the inside and the outside." Children will have the opportunity to work with a successful children’s author as they discover and examine innate qualities in nature and in themselves as writers.

9:00 am-12:00 pm   Fee: Please call office (508) 888-6870

9:00 am-12:00 pm   Fee: Please call office (508) 888-6870