Order Your ~Build a Bat House- Stem Kit~ from BugsRUs

Fall is here and that means OCTOBER and that means HALLOWEEN and that means BATS!


Bats are victims of BAD public relations, specifically because of that FICTIONAL guy, DRACULA!

Bats have been on Earth for more than 50 million years. With over 1,400 species, they are the second largest order of mammals, and those species cover six continents. Globally, bats provide vital ecosystem services in the form of eating insect pests, plant pollination, and seed dispersal, making them essential to the health of our planet.


Making a bat-friendly place in your backyard supports the essential role bats have in the environment. All 15 different species of bats in Oregon eat insects…..mosquitoes, gnats, night flying beetles and moths.


Here’s a few BAT facts:
1.  One Little Brown Bat can eat over 1000 bugs PER HOUR!
2.  The world’s smallest bat is the Bumblebee Bat measuring 1.5 –3 inches in length and weighing  2 grams as a full-grown adult.
3.  The world’s largest bat is the Giant Golden-crowned Flying Fox with a wingspan up to 6 feet!
4.  The oldest known bat was a male Brant’s myotis who lived 41 years.
5.  Of the 1,400+ species of bats in the world, only three are vampire bats that drink blood. They ONLY live in Central America NOT TRANSYLVANIA!

It’s time to help our BUG EATING friends….THE BATS!


Here’s your chance – Build your OWN BAT-HOUSE – STEM kit.
You get it ALL…..pre-cut ALL weather re-purposed plywood, screws and nails along with FULL detailed instructions to build your own BAT-HOUSE. Measures 16 in. tall, 8 in. wide and 2 ½ in. deep when finished. All you need is a hammer and screwdriver.
Features galvanized mesh for inside the house…..gives ‘em traction to climb up inside. Will hold about 35-50 little brown bats. They will use it as a roost as well as a NURSERY!
This package also includes a BAT coloring page and detailed 3 page educational fact sheet about all 15 Oregon bats and why bats are SO important.

If you are interested, please send an email to [email protected] with quantity and your address.
This is a PERFECT activity for scouts, homeschoolers or ANYONE who wants to invite these AMAZING mammals to your property.

htttp://www.bugsrus.org

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Snow Tubing at Diamond Lake

Our trip to go snow tubing at Diamond Lake was a BLAST!                                We had been planning it for weeks and the kids were ecstatic. Truth be told, Brooke and I were just as giddy to go! Between the two of us we have 6 kids total, including two sets of boy/girl twins, and each a singleton girl!

We decided ahead of time we were going to make it a day trip and pack lunches for a little snow pic-nic together. There is lodging options as well and it would be fun to stay a day or two next time! The drive was nice, only about 2 hours from Grants Pass. There is also a little store with food and snow gear just in case you forgot something like I always do! There is also a few dining options located by the store, hotel and cabins.

At the tubing hill they also have a few snacks available and snow gear if needed. One fun thing we didn’t expect was the music playing outside and families eating what they brought in and bbq’n in the parking lot!

The entire atmosphere was family friendly. When we got to the hill, we selected our tubes. They have single or doubles to choose from. While riding the conveyor belt to the top we all realized how fast everyone was going, we were terrified and excited all at the same time! The ride down is about 25 seconds but feels like 5! Little did we know that about 1 hour before closing it’s less, maybe 20 seconds to the bottom and you start to go further and further past the finish line!

That last hour was probably my favorite. Most the crowd had left or went to the parking lot to bbq so the line was shorter. We had gotten over the initial anxiety of going down and we’re having a blast by then! The kids were going down backwards and on their stomachs and my friend Brooke was able to record her and I going down together, best video ever!
Both of our families are from California and have lived in Oregon 10-12 years and this was by far one of the funnest things I have done in Oregon! There were no electronics involved besides a fun video with lots of laughs and amazing family memories made! I highly recommend going to Diamond lake for your next family trip!
The season usually starts in December to March, but depending on the weather conditions may extend to April.
For dates, hours of operation, costs and more details you can visit:
https://www.diamondlake.net/winter-recreation
or call   541-793-3333
(MAP)
By Jennifer Whitney
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Rogue Winterfest 2019

A wonderful time for  the Holiday Season. Bring the family for the weekend events to see Santa and Mrs. Claus, play games, see the beautiful decorations, local art and more.

Activities include Fishing at the North Pole, Coloring and Letters to Santa, holiday building project with The Home Depot, face painting by Leslie Heidner Body Art, and taking that perfect photo in the spectacular Southern Oregon Adventure setting.

Every 45 minutes, the entertainment on the big stage will change, ranging from bands to choirs to individual singers to classical performers during this live musical mash-up.

Santa will be available for pictures, so bring your camera.

Evergreen Federal Bank will feature its spectacularly unique Southern Oregon Adventure displays. We are honored to hold our Festival at this one-of-a-kind venue. Thank you, Evergreen Federal Bank!

Santa’s Visit

Santa’s schedule will be from 10:00 to 11:30 am, 12:00 to 1:30 pm, and 2:00 to 4:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday. When you go fishing at the North Pole, you’ll catch a bookmark that you can use to pick out a children’s book from Santa’s library. Bring your book to Santa, and he will sign it for you!

Tickets

Tickets for Saturday or Sunday during the Weekend Holiday Event are only sold at the door. Admission prices are as follows:

Adult (18–54): $5
Children (5–17) / Senior (55+): $3
Children 4 & under: Free
Family Pass (up to 6 family members): $20

http://www.roguewinterfest.org 

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U Pick Peaches at Sugar Plumb Acres

I recently found Sugar Plumb Acres on Facebook and was super excited to go out and check out the farm located at 1850 Pioneer Rd. in Talent, Oregon.

We have a family recipe for a peach cake that my children love so it was easy to talk them into coming. When we pulled up to the farm the first thing that caught my eye was all the beautiful flowers!

They have a u-pick area that you can find reasonable priced flowers to make your own bouquet. Our next trip out we will be taking advantage of this for sure. We were directed to area to pick the peaches, you need to bring your own containers to transport them, we brought reusable fruit bags.

There are plenty of low hanging fruit so that even your toddlers are able to participate. Once you’ve gathered all your peaches you just have to pull up to the exit and you’re able to weight and pay right there, the farm does only take cash or checks.

For more information visit http://www.sugarplumacres.info

Photos by: rhardestyphotography.com
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Storytelling Guild’s Children’s Festival in Jacksonville

The Storytelling Guild presents Annual Children’s Festival every July  at the beautiful Britt Gardens in Jacksonville, Oregon. For many years, the festival has provided fun-filled summer days of affordable entertainment for the entire family!

The first Children’s Festival was in 1967 and began as a small storytelling program, billed as: “A Child’s Fun ‘N Fantasy Afternoon” and was held under the trees at Britt Gardens in Jacksonville. The turnout for this one-day event was so tremendous, 200 children, that it was repeated the next day for another 300 children!

It was apparent that this was an important program and plans were readied for a true Festival in 1968. The Storytelling Guild and the Jackson County Library began planning by recruiting volunteers from the mothers who attended the first Festival. Sixteen volunteers and the local chapter of the American Association of University Women planned for that second year.

The second festival drew 2,000 children. The third, 4000 and by 1981, the Children’s Festival was attracting 15,000 visitors!

At the festival, children and adults will enjoy a variety of booths with hands-on arts, crafts,  science projects and feeding of the litter eating dragons. All activities are included with the price of admission! Older children will enjoy activities such as: candle making, pottery and wood working, while younger children will have a chance to make their own puppet, sand and easel art, and have their faces painted. In addition to fun hands-on projects, you can sit back and enjoy storytelling, child focused entertainment and stage performances.

Admission is $3 per person per day (adults and children). Food is available for purchase inside the festival at the yummy Dragon Deli. The goal has always been to offer an amazing day of entertainment and education for a reasonable cost.

 

The mission of The Story Telling Guild and Children’s Festival is to expose children of all ages to the magic of imagination and to instill a love of books and the joy of reading.

 

For more information visit:

 www.storytellingguild.org/childrens-festival.html

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U-Pick Strawberry Picking at The Oregon Bee Store

The Oregon Bee Store in Eagle Point has the cutest little store with the cutest stuff inside and pure local honey. But the main reason we stopped was for the U Pick strawberries!

 

My 3 1/2 year old daughter had a blast picking her own strawberries . It is a great way to get outside and teach children where strawberries come from,  how they are grown, when they are just right  and taste a freshly picked one.

The Oregon Bee Store offer buckets to pick the strawberries but don’t forget to bring something to take them home in.

They are on Facebook and update it there with all the info for the U pick.                                                          https://www.facebook.com/OregonBeeStore/
The Oregon Bee Store is located at 14356 Highway 62 in Eagle Point, Oregon. You  can give them a call at (541) 826-7621 or stop in to visit the shop and pick some fresh strawberries.
By Caiti
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THE KIDS DASH

The 8th annual Kids Dash is June 8th, 2019 at the Grants Pass High School track. Gate opens st 8AM. Entry fee is $10/child.

The Kids Dash was founded by Dr. Nate Tanner. It has been a KidZone Community Foundation event since 2014.

The Kids Dash includes runs for children ages two through middle school as well as relay races for the whole family, a 1600 meter run for middle school and advanced runners, a foam dart javelin throw, standing long jump, a giant slingshot game and the Hue-man race, our version of events like The Color Run(TM).

 

The Kids Dash will also have a full carnival which is free to all  and is sponsored by Asante Physician Partners.

 

New this year will be an opportunity to participate in games with student-athletes from the University of Oregon presented by the Oregon Athlete Foundation.

The event also feature a Wellness Midway with presentations by many local fitness and health-related organizations.

Please visit www.kidzonefoundation.org/kids-dash/ for more information.

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RANGER -LED SNOWSHOE WALKS AT CRATER LAKE NATIONAL PARK

In an average winter, Crater Lake National Park receives 43 feet of snow! Ranger-led snowshoe hikes are a fun way to explore this winter wonderland while learning how plants, animals, and people survive the harsh conditions.

Every Saturday and Sunday (and some holidays) Crater Lake National Park offers free guided snowshoe walks. Ranger-led snowshoe walks are a fun way to explore this winter wonderland and learn how plants and animals survive the snowy months. Walks are offered to visitors ages 8+ on weekends  December through April, with additional weekday hikes in late December and early January.

The two-hour walks start at 1:00 p.m. and cover one mile of moderately strenuous terrain. Walks are off-trail explorations through the forests and meadows at the rim of Crater Lake. No previous snowshoeing experience is necessary. Snowshoes are provided free of charge, but advance registration is required. Space is limited on walks. For more information and to sign up, call the park’s visitor center at 541-594-3100 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Participants should be at least 8 years old and come prepared with warm clothing and water-resistant footwear.

The weather that gives us spectacular winter recreation also presents people with challenging road conditions. Throughout the fall, winter, and spring, visitors should come prepared for snowy, icy roads, and limited visibility. Before you leave home, ensure that your vehicle is equipped for winter conditions and that you are comfortable driving on snowy roads. Visitors must have traction tires on their vehicles or carry chains, and know how to use them. Drive for the conditions; the posted speed limit is not always a safe speed. Visitors may encounter heavy snow removal equipment on park roads. Please drive slowly and give plows and other heavy equipment plenty of space.

Crater Lake National Park is open 365 days a year. The Steel Visitor Center is open every day except December 25, and food and gifts are available in the Rim Café and Gift Shop year-round except on Thanksgiving Day and December 25. For independent explorations, snowshoes are available for rent at the Rim Café and Gift Shop. Lodging and gasoline are not available in the park from mid-October to late-May.
For more information on winter conditions, services, and programs in Crater Lake National Park, visit our website at www.nps.gov/crla.

 

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Central Point Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting

                                                                                                                                                                                  Come for the community festivities, Parade, tree lighting, warm cocoa & cookies and a visit Santa.

 http://www.centralpointoregon.gov/parksrec/page/community-christmas

 

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BABY RHYME TIME

BABY RHYME TIME is at 11:00am on Thursdays!

Baby Rhyme Time a socialization group for new parents with very young children (newborn up to 24 months). The group meets weekly at the Grants Pass branch of Josephine Community Library.
The one-hour group provides opportunities for new parents and their babies to meet other families and to learn through sharing ideas and play. We start out singing nursery rhymes with the babies and toddlers for about 20 minutes. Singing nursery rhymes and reading to infants and toddlers enhances their early literacy skills and supports the growing bond between parent and child. The remainder of the hour is spent playing and socializing.
Baby Rhyme Time was designed to give new mothers a place to get together on a regular basis for socialization and support. One in four new mothers suffer from depression, anxiety or panic disorders before or after their pregnancy.  Symptoms may include trouble sleeping, crying, irritability or nervousness, changes in appetite, feeling fearful and lack of interest in the baby, family or friends. Many new mothers are socially isolated in the first few months after their baby is born, which can contribute to postpartum symptoms. Getting together with other mothers is a great way to alleviate social isolation. Dads and grandparents are welcome to come too. The group is free and meets every week.
Please NOTE:  Baby Rhyme Time meets prior to the opening of the library to the public. Participants must enter through the back door of the library (on the West side) and follow the signs to the children’s library.
Find us on Facebook at Baby Rhyme Time – Grants Pass.
For more information contact:
Kelly Carter, LPC of SOESD/Early Childhood Services, (541)956-2059 x 4726
Bo Alderton from the Family Support & Connections program, (541) 474-3101 x232.

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