Kids nature programs|Morrison Nature Center at Star K Ranch, 16002 E. Smith Road, Aurora, offers a free program for kids ages 5 and under every Thursday with puppets, stories, activities and outdoor exploration. The same topic is covered at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.; choose which time works best for you. For information, call 303-739-2428.
Kids nature programs|Morrison Nature Center at Star K Ranch, 16002 E. Smith Road, Aurora, offers a free program for kids ages 6-10, “Junior Rangers,” which meets the second Thursday and Sunday of the month at 1:30 p.m. To register, call 303-739-2428.
Science open house|The Morrison Nature Center at Star K Ranch, 16002 E. Smith Road, offers a free open house with hands-on science activities from 1 to 4 p.m. on the third Sunday of the month. Call 303-739-2428.
Map and compass class|The U.S. Geological Survey hosts a free map, compass and orienteering class at 1 p.m. Fridays in the map department at the Denver Flagship REI, 1416 Platte St. For information, call 303-756-3100.
The National Center for Atmospheric Research|NCAR’s Mesa Lab, a working research laboratory at the west end of Table Mesa Drive in Boulder, has a free visitor center that is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekends. The visitor center has a climate exhibit, an eclipse telescope, supercomputers, a gravity well, and hands on demonstrations of lightning, tornados and fluid dynamics. For information, call 303-497-1174or visit ucar.edu.
Renewable energy|The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory Visitors Center, 15013 Denver West Parkway, Golden, is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The Visitors Center features an interactive exhibit hall and DOE public reading room. For information, visit nrel.gov/visitors_center/ or call 303-384-6565.
Nature activities|South Suburban Parks and Recreation naturalists lead many outdoor, nature and environmentally related activities and events at Carson Nature Center, 3000 W. Carson Drive, Littleton. For a list of events, visit sspr.org or call 303-730-1022.
Wildlife refuge programs|The Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, East 56th Avenue at Havana Street, is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. There are exhibits at the visitor center, and free nature programs and refuge tours. Call 303-289-0930 for times and reservations, or visit http://rockymountainarsenal.fws.gov.
Natural history seminars|The Rocky Mountain Nature Association offers a series of outdoor seminars on natural history topics in Rocky Mountain National Park. For information, call 970-586-3262 or visit rmna.org.
Nature programs|The Morrison Nature Center at Star K Ranch, 16002 E. Smith Road, Aurora, offers a variety of nature programs for children and adults. For a list of events, call 303-739-2428 or visit auroragov.org.
Astronomy events|Fiske Planetarium, on the University of Colorado Boulder campus, has a astronomy shows, talks, and family matinees. The evening talks and shows are $6 adults, $5 students with valid I.D., and $3.50 for children and seniors. Saturday family shows are $5 adults, $3.50 children and seniors. Laser shows are $5. For more information, call 303-492-5002 or visit colorado.edu/fiske/.
