What does it take to care for a raptor? Come and learn how our Naturalist Staff care for our amazing birds of prey! Discover what raptors eat for lunch, what raptors do for fun, and how trainers build relationships with these incredible animals.

Happy “Noon” Year’s Eve! Does your bedtime arrive before midnight, but you still want to celebrate the New Year? Then join us as we engage in fun-filled activities leading up to mid-day. Bring your favorite juice drink to toast to the New Year and we will provide the activities and a small snack. Please register all child participants; adult chaperones are free. Only participants that are pre-registered will be allowed to participate. Wait listers cannot be accommodated. This program will be held at Meadowside Nature Center.

Grown-ups need to play too! Join us for a relaxing and fun evening crafting hiking sticks at Meadowside Nature Center. We’ll provide locally foraged sticks and all the materials needed to make your hiking stick shine on the trails. Decorate one for yourself or give as a gift this season! This event takes place at Meadowside Nature Center.   

Winter is an important breeding time for Maryland’s owls. Join us as we celebrate these adorable owl babies with a morning of crafts, games and a gentle walk through the woods. This event takes place at Meadowside Nature Center.  

Make your own gourmet hot cocoa and take a sip as you listen to a Naturalist led raptor talk. 
This event takes place at Meadowside Nature Center.

Make your own pieces of functional nature-themed art and enjoy your next drink in style! During this hands-on program you will be provided with the instructions, materials, and stencils needed to create your own personalized pint glass using the process of chemical glass etching. Be sure to join us for a craft beer and to learn about Maryland’s fascinating beer brewing history!
Please note that this program uses the process of chemical glass etching. All necessary safety equipment will be provided.

Bring a little bit of nature inside your home to last you all winter long! Create a magical living landscape inside a mason jar using live plants, stones, and more. Each participant will take home a mason jar terrarium containing a live plant.

Come see some of Meadowside Nature Center’s raptor ambassadors. Learn which of Maryland’s raptors would be on the move and how you can help migrating birds.

A blank page is freedom to create a world. Imagine what you could do with eight of them? Join Meadowside for a workshop on creating a zine. This is a self-published booklet of art that can be a stand-alone piece or reproduced on a copy machine. Zines can be simple or complex, contain collages, doodles, scribbles, poetry, quotes, reflections, anything the creator wants to create. All art and zine-making abilities are welcome. Meadowside Nature Center staff will walk you through the basics, offer a few guiding prompts exploring nature themes, and then open the space to create. At the end, we will have an optional share out and a few opportunities for our budding zinesters to display their work in the coming months.

All the cool kids are doing it...birding, that is! Want to catch up with the trend? Watching birds during the winter months is a great place to start. Join us to learn how to identify local species and begin building “ID” skills to flex as a birder. 
This is a series of 45-minute online lessons taught by naturalists at Meadowside Nature Center. Each lesson will involve a profile of three to six birds with optional at-home exercises to practice.

Bundle up explore the night sky with Montgomery College at Meadowside. A NASA Solar System Ambassador will help orient you to the stories of the sky as you locate constellations and planets that can be seen this time of the year. You'll leave with a star chart and the ability to find celestial objects on your own. This event will be held at Meadowside Nature Center. 

Join hundreds who step out into the new year with a first day hike of 2025. We will walk about 2-3 miles the early afternoon on natural surface trails. Pending trail conditions, hiking locations will either be to hike around Lake Frank or a local trail near Meadowside and an email will be set with details to all registered participants. This program will be held at Meadowside Nature Center.

Join us for a naturalist-led workshop and hike to explore the different types of clues that animals leave behind. Participants will learn how to read the forest to detect signs of animal activity and put these skills to work on the trail.   This workshop is designed to empower beginners in learning practical and fun outdoor skills. Each participant will take home a pocket guide for identifying local animal tracks and signs. Please register in advance and dress for the weather, as we will be outside for a portion of the program. This event takes place at Meadowside Nature Center.

Sip on some wine and make your own pieces of functional nature-themed art for this holiday season! During this hands-on program you will be provided with the instructions and materials needed to create your own personalized holiday ornament. This event takes place at Meadowside Nature Center.

Learn how to upcycle your wrapping game at our holiday gift-wrapping workshop! Do you have some last-minute wrapping that needs done? Are you looking for creative, eco-friendly ways to make your gift stand out? This is the place to hang out and get some holiday wrapping done with people in your community, as well as learn a few tips and tricks to presenting the perfect gift.  
This event takes place at Meadowside Nature Center.

Create your own miniature winter wonderland and learn why cold winter weather is so important! 
This event takes place at Meadowside Nature Center.

Meet one of Meadowside Nature Center’s animal ambassadors and sit down with them to listen to a story!
This event takes place at Meadowside Nature Center.