By Lola Olvera, ENC Communications Intern Your child may have walked out of his annual check-up at the doctor’s in fine health but he may be unknowingly suffering from a malady of the metaphorical kind: nature-deficit disorder. According to Richard Louv, the author of “Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder” and the…
Newport Beach Film Festival
The Environmental Nature Center is once again a Community Partner of the Newport Beach Film Festival! We are co-presenting the screening of Environmental Short Documentaries on Saturday, April 22, at 1:15pm at Triangle Cinemas. Tickets available via the Newport Beach Film Festival website www.newportbeachfilmfest.com. Each film is listed separately (all scheduled to begin at April 22 @ 1:15 pm)….
Rainwater Harvesting… Whats the catch?
No one likes leaks. Left unseen, the water can ruin your beloved possessions drip by steady drip. Most people know the quick fix-placing a pot beneath the leak until the rain stops. All good, right? The leak inside our house may be the one we notice, but if you look outside, you’ll realize there’s another…
Spring has Sprung! Spring Faire Countdown has Begun!
By Lola Olvera, ENC Communications Intern Where else could you see a hawk up close while sporting a painted caterpillar on your face but at the ENC’s annual spring faire? For 12 years we’ve taken a sunny May day and packed it full of fun fair activities-this year is no different. Join us on May…
Learning about Light and Water
By Lola Olvera, ENC Communications Intern Learning doesn’t have to be boring. Whether you’re a teacher looking for a way to make the classroom more engaging or a parent wanting to show your children how they can help the environment, this toolkit is for you. The World Forum Foundation is focused on providing quality services,…
Spring Break Has Never Been More Fun!
by Chelsea Moreno, ENC Communications Intern There are overwhelming benefits of outdoor education. According to the National Wildlife Federation, outdoor education and outdoor playtime improves classroom performance and standardized test scores, increases motivation and enthusiasm to learn, helps students concentrate for longer periods of time, and improves classroom behavior. Let the ENC help you reap…
Let the ENC Teach YOU!
by Chelsea Moreno, ENC Communications Intern Are you an elementary school teacher seeking out some great new NGSS activities? Don’t worry! The ENC has you covered with “Teachers Night Out!” Third through sixth grade teachers are invited to enjoy mini-workshops throughout the Nature Center and learn hands-on activities to teach Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) concepts…
Teacher’s Day Out features Project Learning Tree
By Lola Olvera, ENC Communications Intern It’s not only students who learn, but teachers as well. For our Teacher’s Day Out event at the ENC on April 1 from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm, we’re bringing you the wisdom of Project Learning Tree, an organization which provides educational workshops for teachers, parents and students. Its…
How to create a Hummingbird Garden in Orange County
Since hummingbirds have to eat twice their body weight in nectar and insects each day, they’re protective of their good food sources in the garden and will fight aggressively to defend them. Hummingbirds do tend to try the red flowers first but their sugar content is what they really are looking for regardless of color….
The Way Things Were
By Lola Olvera, ENC Communications Intern Before shopping malls and highways, there were the Tongva, a group of indigenous people who resided where we live today. Here at the ENC, we’ve made it one of our priorities to educate the community about the culture that thrived here long ago. For decades we’ve encouraged the community to…
Get Inspired at the ENC this March!
by Chelsea Moreno, ENC Communications Intern This season’s heavy storms were a dream for the drought, but were a nightmare for California’s kelp forests. Kelp populations have sunk to an all-time low in California after a series of severe storms, according to The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). Don’t let this get you…
ENC partners with ReadAloud.org to encourage reading in children
By Lola Olvera, ENC Communications Intern More than half the children in this country – 13 million children – will not hear a bedtime story tonight. This concerning fact comes courtesy of ReadAloud.org, a decade-long, non-profit public awareness movement with a goal to have every child read aloud to by a parent or loved one…