Spring Session: Wednesdays, Mar. 17-May 19 (no class April 21), 9:30-11:30 a.m. or 1-3 p.m.

The Montshire Preschool program is designed to foster the natural curiosity and learning of your child. Look forward to hands-on experiments and fun projects as we explore the physical and natural sciences. For children ages 4 through Kindergarten. Members $245, non-members $270. Preschool programs are made possible in part with support from the Byrne Foundation. Register online. [Morning session is full]

Thursdays, March 18-May 13 (no class April 22), 3:30-5:00 p.m.

Explore motion in all its wonder and whimsy. Children in grades 2-5. Members $205, non-members $225. [This program is full]

Become a Montshire Explainer and share your love of science with Museum visitors. Greet groups, demonstrate exhibits, lead informal science activities, answer questions, and more. Call 802-649-2200 for details

Come and explore properties of matter during this day filled with activities that will introduce your child to the power and wonder of chemistry. Free with museum admission. 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m.

Learn about the basic building blocks of life with Montshire and Dartmouth faculty. Learn staining techniques, use advanced microscopy equipment at Dartmouth, and focus on the main ideas of VT GEs and NH GLEs for science. 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m., for grade 5-8 teachers. Register online

Watch it Grow! This program combines children's books and science activities to provide science learning and exploration for preschoolers. For children ages 3-5 and their parents and caregivers. Preschool programs are made possible with support from the Byrne Foundation. Free with Museum admission. 10:15 a.m. or 11:30 a.m.

This Magic Carpet program features a travelogue by Paul Klee and Lee Larson, followed by a regionally inspired meal. 11:00 a.m.

Members $12, non-members $15. Register online. For more information about the Magic Carpet program visit www.montshire.org/magic-carpet.

Gardening sensitively with native plants that suit the local landscape has many benefits, both environmental and ecological. Join landscape designer Liz Krieg to explore gardens that utilize indigenous and non-invasive perennials and grasses. These beautiful gardens function as low maintenance, water conserving, and erosion controlling communities.

Members $15, non-members $18. To register contact NEWFS at 508-877-7630, or visit www.newfs.org

Explore puzzles, problem solving and geometry in three hands-on workshops during April vacation! We'll work with tangrams, pentominos, geoboards, and snap cubes to solve geometric puzzles and investigate fun properties of shapes. Each day we'll introduce a cool new way of looking at and playing with math, and make fun math toys to bring home. Register for one session or all three! 10 a.m.-noon for children in grades 2 and 3; 1-3 p.m. for children in grades 4-6.

Tuesday April 20: Puzzles and Problem Solving with Tangrams and Pentominos
Wednesday April 21: Polygonzo! Make polygons and more with geoboards
Thursday April 22: Investigating Size and Volume—explore rectangular prisms and draw in '3-D'

Members $35/session, non-members $40/session. Sign up for all 3 sessions and save $15 (members only). Call 802-649-2200 for registration information or register online.

Your mission—should you accept it—is to design a container that will protect a raw egg from a harrowing 18-foot plunge. Build your egg container at home, or at the Museum from noon to 2 p.m. (There is a $2 material fee which includes an egg.) All entries will be on display until 2 p.m., then it's "eggs away" as we launch your design at the official drop site. Visit www.montshire.org/eggdrop for building guidelines. 2 p.m. Free with Museum admission.

Mondays, April 26, May 3 and 10, 10:30 a.m.-noon for ages 6-8, 1-2:30 p.m. for ages 9-12

In this three-part series we'll explore different aquatic creatures and their environments. Topics include aquatic invertebrates, frogs and salamanders, fish, habitats, and outdoor explorations.

Members $54, non-members $60. Call 802-649-2200 for registration information.

As the days lengthen, the first stirrings of spring birds awaken something deep inside of you. Understanding birds—their courtship, nesting, songs and calls, habitats, and ecology—only intensifies this feeling.

The Montshire Museum, Vermont Center for Ecostudies (VCE), and Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology are teaming up this spring to offer a world-class program on birding and bird behavior. The course includes five weekly lectures taught by respected field ornithologists from VCE and four field trips to some of the hottest birding spots in New England. This unique program is based on the successful Cornell Lab of Ornithology 's Spring Field Ornithology course. Whether you are a seasoned birder with a life list in the hundreds, or a curious beginner eager to learn the basics, this course will provide you with a transformative learning experience and deepen your passion for birds.

Lectures:
Thursday, April 29, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Thursday, May 6, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Thursday, May 13, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Thursday, May 20, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Thursday, May 27, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Field Trips:
Saturday, May 8, 6 a.m.-4 p.m. Plum Island, Newburyport, MA
Saturday, May 15, 7 a.m.-11 a.m. Montshire Banding Station and birding hotspots along the Connecticut River, VT & NH.
Saturday, May 22, 6 a.m.-2 p.m. Dead Creek, Champlain Valley, and the Lake Champlain lowlands.
Saturday, June 5, 6 a.m.-2 p.m. Mt. Mansfield, VT

$380 Montshire members and VCE donors, $405 non-members.

(Course fee includes travel to Plum Island, Mt. Mansfield, and Champlain Valley field trips.)

View details and register online.

Come celebrate the wonders of spring! The rarely seen spring peeper and the mysterious spotted salamander are just two of the many "visiting celebrities" expected during the day. Come see amphibian and aquatic creatures from local marshes and ponds, participate in special indoor and outdoor activities and hands-on explorations throughout the day. Free with Museum admission. 11 a.m.-4p.m.

Many animal life cycles can be observed in the classroom with a little know-how and patience. And the effort is rewarded 100-fold with the opportunities for observation, data recording, and sheer joy that you'll experience along with your students as they learn about the ecology of animals. In the morning, we'll look at amphibians as an example of a vertebrate life cycle that incorporates both aquatic and terrestrial habitats, and in the afternoon we'll examine the amazing metamorphosis of insects. Grade K-6 teachers. $125. [register online]

This Magic Carpet program features a travelogue by Bob Christie, followed by a regionally inspired meal. 11:00 a.m.

Members $12, non-members $15. Register online. For more information about the Magic Carpet program visit www.montshire.org/magic-carpet.

Wednesday, May 12, 6-9 p.m., Montshire Museum, Norwich VT
Saturday, May 15, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Plainfield Sanctuary, Plainfield, NH
Sunday, May 23, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., White Mountain National Forest, Easton, NH

This course focuses on learning to identify wild plants and provides field experience across the spectrum of New England flora. Students will become familiar with the family characteristics, growth patterns, habitats, and pollination mechanisms of many of our native wild flowers. We will also practice plant identification and study plant habitats in the field. Bring a hand lens to each class. Required text: Newcomb's Wildflower Guide.

Instructor: Chris Mattrick, Forest Botanist, White Mt. National Forest

Members $130, non-members $150. To register contact NEWFS at 508-877-7630, or visit www.newfs.org.

Forget the petunias and potato vines; create container plantings using native perennials. Container plantings add accents to your outdoor spaces whether large or small. Landscape designer, Liz Krieg, will teach you which natives are ideal for containers and how to combine them effectively. First, we explore design elements, container and plant selection, lighting requirements, temperature, growing media, irrigation, fertilization, over-wintering, and long-term maintenance. Then you will assemble and plant your own container under the instructor's guidance. Bring your own 12" container. The class fee includes potting mix, fertilizer and mulch, and plants for your container. 10 a.m.-noon

Members $50, non-members $55. To register contact NEWFS at 508-877-7630, or visit www.newfs.org

Join us this summer for some science that really sizzles. Super Science Days are chock full of an appealing array of activities that focus on the topic. (Visit www.montshire.org for the day's schedule).

Join us this summer for some science that really sizzles. Super Science Days are chock full of an appealing array of activities that focus on the topic. (Visit www.montshire.org for the day's schedule).

Join us this summer for some science that really sizzles. Super Science Days are chock full of an appealing array of activities that focus on the topic. (Visit www.montshire.org for the day's schedule).

Join us this summer for some science that really sizzles. Super Science Days are chock full of an appealing array of activities that focus on the topic. (Visit www.montshire.org for the day's schedule).