River Bend Nature Center

Trash to Art
2023-11-18 10:30 - 13:30 (America/Chicago) | River Bend Nature Center, 1000 Rustad Rd., Faribault, MN, 55021
Trash to Art – Turn trash into art! Use materials that would otherwise be disposed of (cleaned) to create beautiful works of art.

Saturday, November 18, 10:30 am – 1:30 pm
Cost: FREE!, All Ages

Little Sprouts
2023-11-27 09:30 - 11:00, 2023-12-04 09:30 - 11:00, 2023-12-18 09:30 - 11:00
Little Sprouts, an adult/child class for ages birth-5. There are planned educational exploration activities with a different theme each week. Dress for the weather, as most of the course will be outside.
Beginning in the fall, classes will be held on Mondays from 9:30-11:00 am with pop-up Saturdays.
Monday, Oct 30: Colorful Leaves – As summer ends and fall arrives, leaves begin to change to brilliant shades of yellow, red and orange. Come and learn about colorful leaves and see if you’ll find more!
Monday, Nov 13: Rocks Rock! – Rocks rock because they come in so many different types of colors, textures and can be dull or crystals! Come and explore how fascinating rocks can be!
Monday, Nov 27: Clouds and Weather – With winter arriving, clouds gather and the temperature begins to drop. Rain soon begins to fall as snow. Come learn about clouds and weather at different times of the year.
Monday, Dec 4: Animals of Minnesota – Winter is a great time to see wildlife as you can easily track who has been where in the snow. Let’s discover what animals call Minnesota home.
Monday, Dec 18: Snow Fun – Playing in the snow is so much fun and you can do so many things with it, from sledding to snow angels, snowman or snowballs, the fun is endless! And just like you and me, no two snowflakes are alike. Join us and have some snow fun!

Bagels & Birds
2023-12-02 10:00 - 11:00, 2024-01-06 10:00 - 11:00, 2024-02-03 10:00 - 11:00, 2024-03-02 10:00 - 11:00
Bagels & Birds
10:00 am – 11:00 am
All Ages
Cost: Free!
Join us for bagels from The Inn at Shattuck on the first Saturday each month Fall through Spring.

Storytime with a Naturalist
2023-12-02 11:00 - 12:00
Storytime with a Naturalist – Join us for nature story time and free play!

Saturday, December 2 , 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Cost: FREE!, All Ages

Homeschool Classes
2023-12-11 13:00 - 15:00
Homeschool Classes: River Bend Nature Center invites all learners, grades K-5th, the opportunity to experience all of the seasons at River Bend! Classes are held on the second Monday of the month from 1pm-3pm.
Monday, September 11: Prairie Pollinators – From beetles to butterflies and bees, many animals visit prairie plants. Come learn about what pollination is and why it’s important!
Monday, October 9: Birds, Beak to Tail Feathers – Come learn all about how to identify birds, the adaptations different birds have, and how/why some birds migrate for the winter.
Monday, November 13: Orienteering – Looking to do more exploring in the wilderness? Come learn the art of the compass, and use it to navigate off trail.
Monday, December 11: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – With increasing populations and some limited resources, we must learn to use our resources wisely. Come learn about ways to reduce, reuse or recycle items you purchase on a regular basis.

Storytime with a Naturalist: The Mitten by Jan Brett
2023-12-16 10:00 - 11:00, 2023-12-16 12:30 - 13:30
Storytime with a Naturalist: The Mitten by Jan Brett – Join a River Bend Naturalist as they read “The Mitten” by Jan Brett, then make your own “mitten” with animals to stuff inside!

Saturday, December 16 , 10:00 – 11:00 am & 12:30-1:30 pm
Cost: FREE!, All Ages

"Hoppy New Year!" Storytime with Harry Hopper
2024-01-06 11:00 - 12:00
“Hoppy New Year!” Storytime with Harry Hopper
Celebrate the new year with animal ambassador, Harry Hopper. Learn what makes the Grey Tree Frog a cool animal!
Free for all ages . Saturday, January 6 . 11:00-12:00 pm

Homeschool: Kitchen Science
2024-01-08 13:00 - 15:00
Homeschool: Kitchen Science
Kitchen science will be filled full of fun experiments using safe ingredients found in your kitchen. Prepare to get a little messy and have lots of fun!
Monday, January 8, 2024
1pm-3pm, K-5th Grade
Cost: $10/person, $5/member

Turtley Awesome Storytime with Orwin!
2024-01-20 11:00 - 12:00
Turtley Awesome Storytime with Orwin!
Have a turtley awesome day with animal ambassador, Orwin. Learn what makes the Painted Turtle a cool animal!
Free for all ages . Saturday, January 20 . 11:00-12:00 pm

Drop-In Papermaking
2024-02-03 11:30 - 13:30
Drop-In Papermaking
Saturday, February 3, 11:30 am – 1:30 pm
Cost: FREE!, All Ages

Create upcycled greeting cards as you learn how to make homemade paper from a River Bend Naturalist.

Sweet Reads Book Club
2024-02-03 14:30 - 15:00
Sweet Reads Book Club
February Topic: Earth Eras
Saturday, February 3, 2024
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Teens and Adults
Cost: Free!
Book 1: Here Be Dragons: How the Study of Animal and Plant Distributions Revolutionized Our Views of Life and Earth
Book 2: The Incredible Unlikeliness of Being: Evolution and the Making of Us
We’ll meet the 1st Saturday of each month to have a one group discussion on a book. Refreshments provided. Please register by filling out this form.

Homeschool: Maple Syruping & Survival Skills
2024-02-12 13:00 - 15:00
Homeschool: Maple Syruping & Survival Skills
Learn about how real maple syrup is made, and how to survive in the wild!
Monday, February 12, 2024
1pm-3pm, K-5th Grade
Cost: $10/person, $5/member

Luminary Hike
2024-02-15 18:00 - 20:00
Luminary Hike
Thursday, February 15 6:00 – 8:00 pm
All ages, 5 & under free
Cost: $10/member, $15/member with snowshoe rental;
$15/non-members, $20/non-members with snowshoe rental
Must pre-register for this event with a specific entry time

With or without snow, come on out to River Bend and enjoy an illuminated evening hike! Hot cocoa will be provided! Participants are welcome to bring their own snowshoes.

Growling Good Storytime with Sammy!
2024-02-17 11:00 - 12:00
Growling Good Storytime with Sammy!
Have a growling good time with animal ambassador, Sammy. Learn what makes the Tiger Salamander a cool animal!
Free for all ages . Saturday, February 17 . 11:00-12:00 pm

Lunch & Learn: In depth look at Woodpeckers
2024-02-21 12:00 - 14:00
Lunch & Learn: In depth look at Woodpeckers
Cost: $10; $5 for River Bend members.

Wednesday, February 21, 2024, 12:00-2:00pm
Topic: In depth look at Woodpeckers with guest speaker Andy Wendt from Nerstrand State Park
Bring your own lunch and join us as we learn about a new topic each month.

Little Sprouts: Rocks Rock!
2024-02-26 09:30 - 11:00
Little Sprouts: Rocks Rock!
Cost: $10/child, $5/member
Monday, February 26, 2024, 9:30am-11am
Rocks rock because they come in so many different types of colors, textures and can be dull or crystals! Come and explore how fascinating rocks can be! Dress for the weather, as most of the course will be outside.

Sweet Reads Book Club
2024-03-02 14:00 - 15:00
Sweet Reads Book Club
March Theme: Climate Change
Saturday, March 2, 2024
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Teens and Adults
Cost: Free!
Book 1: A Guide on Climate Optimism and Environmental Sustainability
Book 2: Memory of Water by Emmi Itäranta
We’ll meet the 1st Saturday of each month to have a one group discussion on a book. Refreshments provided. Please register by filling out this form.

Little Sprouts: Maple Trees & Sap
2024-03-11 09:30 - 11:00
Little Sprouts: Maple Trees and Sap
Cost: $10/child, $5/member
Monday, March 11, 2024, 9:30am-11am
Where do we get tasty Maple Syrup from? Maple trees! In this class, we’ll learn about maple sap and what it’s used for. Dress for the weather, as a portion of the class will be outside.

Homeschool: Geology
2024-03-11 13:00 - 15:00
Homeschool: Geology
ages 5-12. Cost: $10/person, $5/member
Monday, March 11, 2024, 1-3pm
Geology rocks! Learn all about rocks and minerals and how scientists learn about what happened millions of years ago.

Maple Syruping
2024-03-16 10:30 - 11:30, 2024-03-16 12:30 - 13:30, 2024-03-26 10:30 - 11:30, 2024-03-26 12:30 - 13:30
Maple Syruping
All Ages. Cost: (FREE for members) $5/person, $15/family * a family is 2 adults and 4 kids under 18
Saturday, March 16, 2024, 10:30-11:30am & 12:30-1:30pm
Tuesday, March 26, 2024, 10:30-11:30am & 12:30-1:30pm
Thursday, March 28, 2024, 10:30-11:30am & 12:30-1:30pm
Maple syruping is a tradition that dates back to the first nations that lived in this area. Learn about the history of maple syruping, what makes the sap flow, and the process of turning sap into syrup through hands-on syruping experience.

Lunch & Learn: Twin Cities Coyote & Fox Project
2024-03-20 12:00 - 14:00
Lunch & Learn: Twin Cities Coyote & Fox Project
Cost: $10; $5 for River Bend members.

Wednesday, March 20, 2024, 12:00-2:00pm
Topic: Twin Cities Coyote & Fox Project with guest speaker Geoff Miller
Bring your own lunch and join us as we learn about a new topic each month.
