Out and About for Preschoolers: A Look at Where We’ve Been: Saturday, February 9, 11 AM to noon. Explore the placement of eyes on various animals and insects, and then take a walk backwards! Create a painting of this new way of viewing the natural world. Member child and caregivers free, nonmembers $5. Advance registration requested. Made possible by grants from the Lincoln Financial Foundation and the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation’s Wellborn Ecology Fund. The Fells Historic Estate and Gardens on Lake Sunapee, 456 Route 103A, Newbury. For more information call 763-4789 x 3 or visit TheFells.org.

Family Snowshoeing and the Art of Tracking: Saturday, February 16, 1 to 2:30 PM. Imprints in the snow record the movements of even the smallest creatures. On this walk we’ll read tracks and signs that tell stories about the movements and activities of those who passed unseen, but left a fascinating winter tale. Fells Members free, nonmembers $5 per family. The Fells Historic Estate and Gardens on Lake Sunapee, 456 Route 103A, Newbury. For more information call 763-4789 x 3 or visit TheFells.org.

Bird Song, Sap and Stars: Tales of the Vernal Season: Saturday, March 2, 11 AM to noon. Come celebrate the onset of maple sugaring and other early signs of spring with indigenous stories and songs as retold by Fells Education Director, storyteller, and author Michael Caduto. How did maple sugaring come to be? (Chippewa) Who gave songs to the birds? (Mohawk) Why does Turtle spend the winter at the bottom of the pond? (Dakota) Traditional tales, participatory songs, Native instruments, and a circle dance celebrate the circle of the seasons. Members free, nonmember $5 per family. Register by February 22. The Fells Historic Estate and Gardens on Lake Sunapee, 456 Route 103A, Newbury. For more information call 763-4789 x 3 or visit TheFells.org.

Out and About for Preschoolers: Nature’s Shapes, Sizes, Colors and Me: Saturday, March 9, 11 AM to noon. Use a collection of pictures of human body parts and match them to objects in nature. Compare how you and the shapes we find in nature are the same or different. Create a body-tracing and imagine a world in which you are a tree! Member child, and caregivers free, nonmembers $5. Advance registration requested. Made possible by grants from the Lincoln Financial Foundation and the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation’s Wellborn Ecology Fund. The Fells Historic Estate and Gardens on Lake Sunapee, 456 Route 103A, Newbury. For more information call 763-4789 x 3 or visit TheFells.org.

Saturday, March 16, 10 to 11 AM: Beyond Perennials The 2013 Master Gardening Series will kick off with a presentation by gardener extraordinaire Henry Homeyer—renowned horticultural expert, newspaper columnist, author, Vermont Public Radio commentator, and UNH Master Gardener. Homeyer will talk about ways to enhance the beauty of your property using hardscape, whimsy, and woody plants. This exciting series of programs is presented by the Sullivan County Master Gardeners in conjunction with the UNH Extension Service and is open to all. Attend one, all six, or something in between. Pick and choose your favorite topics. $10 donation per session or $50 for the series to benefit The Fells Historic Estate and Gardens. Meets at Lake Sunapee Protective Association’s Knowlton House, 63 Main Street, Sunapee. Advance registration required by March 8. Call 763-4789 x 3 or visit TheFells.org.

Saturday, April 6, 10 AM to noon: Common Garden Pests and Friends: Identification & Control Session 2 of Master Gardener Series. Former Fells Landscape Assistant, Tressa Gaffney, leads this workshop on how to distinguish between frequently encountered garden pests, such as moles and Japanese beetles, and the beneficial denizens of the garden like mud wasps and ladybugs (ladybird beetles). She will also discuss low-impact ways to keep the numbers of garden pests under control. This exciting series of programs is presented by the Sullivan County Master Gardeners in conjunction with the UNH Extension Service and is open to all. (Attendance at prior sessions not required.). $10 donation benefits The Fells. Advance registration required by March 29. Meets at The Fells Historic Estate and Gardens Gatehouse classroom. 456 Route 103A, Newbury. For more information call 763-4789 x 3 or visit TheFells.org.

Family Earth Day Excursion: The Mystery and Magic of Vernal Pools: Sunday, April 21, 1 to 2:30 PM. Celebrate Earth Day by visiting a spring-time or “vernal” pool—one of our most fleeting aquatic environments. We’ll explore a place where frogs that have been literally frozen in a deep winter sleep have come to lay eggs and continue the circle of life. Aquatic insects swim sluggishly by wood frog egg masses, serenaded by a cacophony of spring peepers. Includes investigations, stories, and games. LSPA Education Director Kathleen Stowell co-leads this adventure with Fells Education Director Michael Caduto. Fells and LSAP members free, nonmembers pay site admission. Meets at The Fells Historic Estate and Gardens on Lake Sunapee, 456 Route 103A, Newbury. For more information call 763-4789 x 3 or visit TheFells.org.

Out and About for Preschoolers: Waking up to Spring, Bird Songs & Nests: Saturday, April 27, 11 AM to noon. Nothing says springtime like listening to birds sing and watching them build their nests. Celebrate the season of renewal by taking a walk to learn some familiar bird songs and search for bird nests. Then create your own song and nest! Member child and caregivers free, nonmembers $5. Advance registration requested. Meets at The Fells Gatehouse. Made possible by grants from the Lincoln Financial Foundation and the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation’s Wellborn Ecology Fund. The Fells Historic Estate and Gardens on Lake Sunapee, 456 Route 103A, Newbury. For more information call 763-4789 x 3 or visit TheFells.org.

New England Wild Flower Society’s Northern Gardening Symposium: Saturday, April 13, 9 AM to 2 PM. Three dynamic speakers explore natural gardening practices, landscaping with native plants, and the use of wild plants to promote healthy living for generations to come. Mark Richardson explores natural gardening practices using Garden in the Woods as an example. Justin Nichols, horticulturist at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, will focus on effective, ecologically sound garden design and maintenance. Arthur Haines explores interesting examples of wild food and medicine that grow here in New England. The symposium will be held at Vermont Technical College in Randolph Center, Vermont. Members of co-sponsoring organizations pay $47, nonmembers $53 — includes lunch, symposium packet, and parking. Register early to guarantee a seat — no refunds for cancellations after April 6. Co-sponsored with Friends of the Hort Farm, Hardy Plant Club, The Fells Historic Estate and Garden and Master Gardeners. For more information call 763-4789 x 3 or visit TheFells.org.