Forest Friends at Blackacre Nature Preserve

10/01/2026

Hello, Forest Friends!💚

Our big Fall Weekend at Blackacre is almost here, and we wanted to invite you to come join the fun!

Bring the family, say hello to the animals, hop on a hayride, and enjoy a beautiful fall weekend at one of your favorite outdoor classrooms.

We’d love to see some familiar Forest Friends faces!🤗

09/26/2026

Fairy potions, apple tasting, and one VERY big oak tree! 🌳🍎🧚

Our Little Sprouts built fairy villages and gardens, mixed up pretend potions, and discovered it takes 3 teachers + 10 kids holding hands to reach around our big oak tree!

Our Little Seedlings taste tested apples, enjoyed homemade applesauce, and explored fast and slow with stories and dot painting.🎨

Such a fun week in Forest Friends. There’s never a dull moment around here! 💚

09/19/2026

The best adventures happen at Forest Friends.🌿💚

Our Little Sprouts put their love of apples to good use this week, tasting them in all sorts of delicious ways! 🍎 Some of our Sprouts also earned their Plant ID, Bravery, and Imagination badges. Way to go!

Little Seedlings headed to the ponds to discover frogs, fish, dragonflies, and all kinds of pond life...with a mid-hike stop at the water spigots to cool off! 💦🐸

And Friday was GOAT DAY! 🐐 Story the Goat made a special visit, while our little herd made their own goats and even learned how to milk one!

Just another week of being little at Blackacre.💚

Forest Friends families reminder: There will be no programming September 28-October 2.

09/11/2026

Oh, the things we learn at Forest Friends!🌿🐾

Little Sprouts searched for s**t (no luck!), worked on their Plant ID and Animal Tracker badges, and left a little snack in the woods to see who visits...stay tuned!

Little Seedlings had some adventures of their own! They splashed in puddles, got a toddler-friendly lesson on s**t with a little help from Mittens the farm cat puppet, and had a Barnyard Bash with our farm animals.🐐🐴🐄

Just another week of being little at Blackacre.💚

09/04/2026

Oh, how we wished we could have been little duckies swimming in a pond this week, but our Forest Friends were extra thankful for shady places to explore and plenty of ways to cool off at Blackacre State Nature Preserve And Historic Homestead .💦🦆

Our Sprouts counted ducks, conquered the hay maze and made duck puppets, while our Seedlings discovered tree nuts, fed the cows, explored Froggy Forest and learned about water and evaporation.

Snakeskins, inchworms, sprinklers and lots of outdoor learning…just another week at Forest Friends. 🌳💚

08/28/2026

It was a BIG first week back in the forest! 🌿💚

Our Forest Friends are officially back, and Little Sprouts and Little Seedlings wasted no time exploring, creating and learning outside.

🌱 Little Sprouts turned sticks into learning tools, practicing writing, addition and building shapes. They also built a bug hotel and painted special sticks to help decorate their classroom.
🌱Little Seedlings learned what makes a forest a forest and how we can observe and respect the nature around us. They gathered treasures from the forest floor to make their own forest crowns, read We Walk Through the Forest and then did just that!

And what did we find along the way?
Spiders, snakeskin, mushrooms and even a fuzzy caterpillar! 🐛🍄🕷️

Not bad for week one.😊 We can’t wait to see what our little Forest Friends discover next!

08/25/2026

GOAT RACES?!🐐💨 Yes, they’re back!
We’re sending off our summer Farm Animal Feeding season with one BIG morning on the preserve this Saturday!

Admission includes:
•Goat Races (yes, really!)
•Farm Animal Feeding
•Hayrides
•Live music by Plum Ridge
•Living history demonstrations

Plus even more family fun: barrel train rides, corn husk doll making, face painting, concessions & more!

Pioneer Day at Blackacre: Farm Animal Feeding Summer Finale
Saturday, August 29 | 9:30 AM–Noon
Gates open at 9:00 AM
$20 per carload

Load up the car and don’t miss the finale! More details at VisitBlackacre.org.💚

08/10/2026

Preserve the Future: Help expand & protect Blackacre for generations to come. Learn More → WHAT'S HAPPENING Upcoming Events View Full Calendar Historic House Tours SUNDAYS, JUNE 7 – AUG 9THURSDAYS, JULY 23 & 30 and AUGUST 61:00 PM-4:00 PM LEARN MORE → Sunset Music Series: V-Groove AUGUST 235:...

06/29/2026

Four weeks. Countless discoveries. Endless fun.💚

Our Little Sprouts Summer Camp has come to an end, and what an incredible adventure it has been!

From woodland adventures and bug encounters to farm fun and splashy water play, our Little Sprouts packed four weeks full of curiosity, laughter, and hands-on nature discovery.

A huge thank you to all of our amazing Little Sprouts and their families for sharing your summer with us. Watching these young explorers grow in confidence, curiosity, and a love for the outdoors has been such a joy.💚

🍂 Want more adventures? Our Little Sprouts program returns this fall!
Registration is open now at VisitBlackacre.org. We can’t wait to welcome a new season of little explorers!

06/03/2026

Fall Forest Friends enrollment is now open! 🍂🌿

Get ready for a season of creek adventures, animal visits, nature discoveries, stories, songs, and plenty of outdoor play at Blackacre!

🌱Little Seedlings (caregiver + child)
🌿Little Sprouts (drop-off program)

Programs begin the week of August 24.

Spaces are limited and tend to fill quickly!
Details and Registration at VisitBlackacre.org

Preserve the Future: Help expand & protect Blackacre for generations to come. Learn More → WHAT'S HAPPENING Upcoming Events View Full Calendar Farm Animal Feeding MAY 169:30 AM – 10:30 AM LEARN MORE → Food Preservation: Water Bath & Pressure Canning MAY 161:00 PM-5:00 PM LEARN MORE → Food P...