Grab & Go Kids Planner: Mother Nature Obviously Didn't Get the Memo

So it's that icky, muddy transition between spring and winter. But if you are looking to enjoy outdoorsy events, here's your hook up.

As I write this, nature is demonstrating that just because a calendar shows it is spring, that doesn’t mean it has to feel like spring. Yet the abundant rain we’re getting is penetrating deep into the thawing ground and is a necessary part of the beautiful show of spring flowers sure to be seen in a few weeks. So like it or not, this is a Wisconsin spring, and there is plenty to enjoy for the family.  Here’s a list of organized events.

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The Wild Patch

Grab & Go Kids Planner: Nightwalks and Pancakes Offered This Weekend

Check out all the outdoor activities this weekend.

With the promise of warm weather this week, nature will be putting on a show with the newly arriving birds and awakening amphibians. Pack up your family and head out to one of the organized events in the area to help welcome spring. Here’s a list of some of the many events going on.

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Grab & Go Kids Planner: Salamanders and Raccoons, Oh My!

As winter yields to spring, the critters start to emerge.

The Robins, Red-winged Blackbirds, Sandhill Cranes and Canada Geese are back in force. Little green shoots are coming up in my garden and I’ll soon be getting the first blooms from my dwarf iris. The Wild Turkeys can be seen strutting their stuff in open fields in the area. The Root River is swollen and the trout fishing will be picking up as the river level drops a bit. It’s just a great time to be out and about in the outdoors! Here’s a selection of organized events to help in your planning. Every Sunday in March from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., don’t forget about the great Sugarin’ Off Pancake Sundays at River Bend Nature Center in Racine where not only do you get a great all-you-can-eat breakfast but you can head out into the “sugar bush” …

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Grab & Go Kids Planner: The Outdoors Never Tasted so Sweet

Spring is peeking around the corner, here's where to find it.

Ingrained in my thinking is that March 1 is the beginning of spring.  Year after year that is the date, give or take a few days, when I begin to see a number of those first spring migrants.  Still, some years I would see the deep snow and cold temperatures and think to myself, “not this year.” So I have to admit, I was a bit surprised when I walked out the door this morning and heard the first flock of Red-winged Blackbirds calling boldly from the cottonwoods in my front yard. With warmer days at the threshold, there are increasing opportunities to get out and enjoy them, all starting with a great event at our own River Bend Nature Center.

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Great Escape: BONK!

The poetry and performance series makes a great evening out

BONK! began over coffee as the word three friends adopted when their poetry missed the mark. “When something wasn’t subtle enough, I came up with the term ‘bonk,’ like they were hitting you over the head with it,” said Nick Demske, a Racine Public Library employee, poet and co-founder of the BONK! performance series. More than two years and two-dozen performances later, the Racine-based series has become a meeting place for poets, musicians and other performers from around the world. This weekend, BONK! will feature the homegrown talents of Shani Tikia, a performance poet; Dan Nielsen, who will share “weird, funky joke poems” as Margot Nielsen accompanies him on the concertina; and Springtide, a “stadium-worthy” band Demske said Wisconsin …

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The Grab and Go Planner: Trek Your Winter Blues Away

Five great places to go to sweat out that cabin fever.

It’s been said in just about every part of the country, “If you don’t like the weather, give it a minute.” That could easily apply to what we’ve experienced recently in southeast Wisconsin. One week we’re shoveling out from a major blizzard and the next week it feels like spring. As varied as the weather can be, so too are the multitude of opportunities we have during this “in-between” period of time. You can take a walk at one of our beautiful parks and enjoy the spring music of the birds, or still find plenty of snow for some skiing or sledding. Here’s a list of organized outdoor events we found to enjoy with your family.

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Grab & Go Kids Planner: Love the Outdoors, Love Your Sweetie

Fish, hike, laugh, and love this weekend.

With the recent onslaught of winter, it’s a perfect time to enjoy the outdoors and the beautiful snow because before you know it, it will be gone. Here’s a selection of some organized outdoor related activities for the upcoming week, including some events to help celebrate Valentine’s Day with your special someone.  With the forecast being for temps in the 30s this weekend, it sounds like a great time to get out.  And don’t forget to fill your bird feeders as their natural food supply is under a couple feet of snow.

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Grab & Go Kids Planner

OK, so Mother Nature planned the mother of all snow storms, but this weekend you can still venture out with the family to area events.

With the longer days getting hard to ignore, I’m starting to feel like getting outside and enjoying them, not to mention the fact that I need some fresh air.  There are few things more enjoyable or packed with more long-term benefits, than families spending time together exploring the wonders of nature.  Below is a list of some great nature/outdoor events scheduled over the next week.  I hope you can find one suited for your family and schedule.  Enjoy!

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Family Best Bets of the Week: Family Fun Night, Snowshoeing and Free Books

Four fun family outings this weekend.

Family Night at the Caledonia Community Center, snowshoeing, a book giveaway and a tour of The Prairie School - pick-and-choose your weekend events, and share your own ideas in the comments.  • FAMILY FUN NIGHT AT THE COMMUNITY CENTER Where/When: Caledonia Community Center, 6156 Douglas Ave., Friday, 6-8 p.m. Why Go: Family Fun Nights, an evening of snacks, games, arts and crafts, will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. every fourth Friday of the month.  Pricing: $10 per family • MILWAUKEE FISHING AND BOATING EXPO Where/When: 8200 W Greenfield Ave, Milwaukee, Friday to Sunday Why Go: Have a young one interested in fishing? Take them to the fishing and boat expo this weekend in Milwaukee. Pricing: $9 per adult, children under 12 free with a paid …

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