Blue Heron 2012 Classes
 our new classrooms 
Pre-registration is required for all offerings. Please mail your check with your Registration Form (click to open .PDF file) to:
Blue Heron Nature Preserve
4055 Roswell Rd.
Atlanta, GA 30342
Blue Heron reserves the right to cancel any program that does not meet minimum enrollment (refunds will be made).
HOW DOES YOUR "ORGANIC" GARDEN GROW?
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Saturday, Feb. 25, 1-3 pm
Come get an early start to your spring and join us for a fun and informative class as we learn about organic vegetable gardening - what is it, what are the benefits and how best to follow it's principles. Then we take all that we learned, get our hands dirty and get a jump start on the growing season by sowing some of our favorite vegetables in pots to take home and propagate.
All materials will be provided including seeds, but bring your own if you have some favorites you'd like to grow.
Ages: Adults and Teens.
Class size: Maximum 10, Minimum 5.
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BEGINNING BIRDING FOR KIDS
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Saturday, March 10, 9:30-11:30 AM
Introduce your children and friends to the world of birding! With other peers, children will explore the Blue Heron Nature Preserve with an AAS naturalist. Students will learn about common birds in our environment and how to identify them. They will also learn how to use binoculars and different ways of keeping track of their observations. Light hiking involved, rain or shine! Fee includes a nature journal, pencil, field guide, and handouts.
Note: This is a drop-off program for children ages 5-8 (grades K-2).
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BEGINNINGS: Paintings and Drawings Inspired by Nature
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Thursdays for 8 weeks, starting March 1st, 3:30-4:30pm
An introduction to drawing techniques with nature as our still life, using materials gathered from the Preserve for our arrangements. Learn how to capture line, shape and form through the use of pencils, pens, charcoal, color pencils, oil pastels, watercolors and paint.
Ages: 9-11
Maximum 8, minimum, 4
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ART IN NATURE
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Wednesdays for 8 weeks, starting March 7th, 3-4pm
This class will seek to encourage the love and understanding of the beauty of nature through all the senses. We will explore the Preserve, and a multitude of painting and drawing techniques, using various materials such as: colored pencils, paint, and oil pastels to create our own work.
Ages: 3-6
Class Size: Maximum 8, minimum 4
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FEATHERY FRIENDS: EARLY CHILDHOOD CLASSES
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Join Atlanta Audubon naturalist, Nikki Belmonte, to explore birds and nature through hands-on activities, outdoor exploration, song and movement, crafts, and stories. Ages 3-5 with parent/guardian participation required. Classes held rain or shine.
"Spring Journeys"
Tuesday, March 27, 10:00-11:00 AM
Spring is an exciting time for birds. Children will learn about the springtime journeys that many birds take and how to help them along.
“A Rainbow of Birds”
Tuesday, April 24, 10:00-11:00 AM
Explore the array of feather colors that birds have. Children will learn about one local bird for every color of the rainbow… and more!
“Bird Songs”
Tuesday, May 22, 10:00-11:00 AM
What are birds saying to each other? Children will listen to common backyard birds and learn the meaning behind songs and call. By the end of class, they will be able to identify a couple of species by ear on their own! |
NESTING WITH NATURE
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Wednesday March 20, 10-11:30am.
Tour Sharon Beals Bird Nest Exhibit at the Blue Heron Gallery and create your own nest with natural materials gathered from the Preserve.
All Ages (children under 7 need an adult).
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STORYLINES: Narrative Writing
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March 10th, 17th, 24th, and 31st
Saturdays from 2-4 pm
Learn the skills to take journal entries, memories, family stories, or anything else and turn it into a well-written story that can be kept, passed around to family members, friends, or even sent off for publication. We will look at some work by famous writers and take some of the traditional narrative techniques used and show how anyone can use these ideas to create good, readable stories. Our goal will be for each participant to have two finished stories by the end of the class.
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AVIAN ARCHITECTURE
 (image courtesy Julie Zickefoose) |
Build and paint a Bluebird nest box (ages 6- 12)
Saturday March 24th, 10:00- 11:30am
Bluebirds are a beautiful and common member of Georgia's bird community. Attracting these birds to your backyard can be tricky. Giving them a safe and attractive place to nest is a great start.
Kids are invited to build and finish a bluebird nest box, based on a popular design. Each participant will be provided with a nearly completed nest box that they will finish assembling (with help, if necessary). The remaining time will be spent painting their masterpiece. They will be sent home with advice on placement and instructions for mounting their nest box. Parental help is encouraged, but not required.
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PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS
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Spring: Sat., April 14th, 9:30 am -12:30 pm
Summer: Sat., June 16th, 9:30 am -12:30 pm
In this three hour workshop you will become familiar with Photoshop Elements 8 for Mac & PC users which is a powerful image editing program for amateur photographers.
From the beginning you will learn how to edit your photographs with techniques such as color correction, contrast, cropping and sharpening. From there you will be ready to take your photograph to a personal printer.
Class topics will include Navigating your way around Elements; A digital workflow; Learning to make adjustments to contrast, neutralizing color, cropping; Learning what layers are & how to utilize them.
Ages: Teenagers - Adults.
Class size: Maximum 10, Minimum 5.
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INTRODUCTION TO WILD MUSHROOMING
 (Phlebia incarnata & Stereum ostrea,
© William H. Light, 2010. Used with permission, all rights reserved.) |
Saturday, April 21 from 10am-noon
Mary Woehrel teaches how to go about identifying mushrooms and provides a surprising answer to the question: "Why should you never eat ANY mushroom raw?".
The day will start with a morning mushroom walk on the trails at Blue Heron to collect fresh specimens. Then a mushroom orientation presentation called "Introduction to Wild Mushrooming" will give you a good overview of why mushrooms are vital for the environment as well as being valuable medicinally and nutritionally. It includes vivid photographs of some bizarre and beautiful species.
Both the presentation and the workshop afterward will teach how to identify wild mushrooms using spore prints, tricks, tools, reagents, books, websites, etc. Mary will also touch on cultivating your own edible mushrooms.
Aprox 2 hrs.
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PLANTING IN COLOR!!! A Garden that lasts!
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Saturday, April 28th, 10am - 12pm
Ages: Young Teens - Adults
A hands on class where participants will take pride in creating and planting a highly visible garden for the Blue Heron Preserve on Roswell Road. We will be learning to make choices on a highly sustainable garden with great color and interest and learn more about plants that can make an impact on the environment. Come get advice from a professional and learn about plants for your own garden at home. Be ready to learn and have fun!
Bring a trowel, gloves, water, small spade (if you have one).
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MOTHER'S DAY CRAFTING FUN
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Thursday, May 10th, 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm
Ages 7-10
Get ready for Mother’s Day with this fun event for children ages 7 to 10 years old. We’ll take a walk on the trails of the Blue Heron Nature Preserve (weather permitting) and come back inside to make a unique project just for Mom on her special day. We’ll be making a super-cute bird card and special mini-bird feeder, then finish the day with a snack. Don’t miss this fun afternoon event!
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Fees: $8 for Blue Heron members, $12 for non-members
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Class size: Min. 8, Max. 15
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