Shipley Nature Center Kicks Off New Children’s Program

Shipley Nature Center:

If you live in or near Huntington Beach, you might be excited to learn about a new children’s program that is being offered by Shipley Nature Center. If you’re not familiar with Shipley, it’s located in Central Park near Goldenwest Street.

One of the first things you’ll see when you walk through the gates at Shipley Nature Center is the interpretive center. The front portion of the center is dedicated to informational items and small gifts, but travel to the back room and you’ll find signboards about the history of the surrounding area and the habitats you’ll find out on the trails. There are also plenty of puppets, puzzles, and other activities for the kids to enjoy before or after a nature walk.

Shipley is one of my favorite places in the area to explore with the kids. The 18-acre center offers trails that take you through a variety of California native habitats including an oak woodlands habitat, meadow habitat, redwood grove habitat, Blackbird pond habitat, coastal sage scrub, riparian woodland habitat, Torrey Pine habitat, and Southern Oak Woodland Habitat. There’s also an area that explains composting, a special area dedicated to providing food and shelter to migrating Monarch butterflies, an observation platform overlooking Blackbird Pond, and a replica of a Native American reed hut.

Time to Explore!

Grab a self-guided trail map at the information center and find the corresponding number posts to learn more about what you see while you’re out exploring.  And for little nature lovers, ask for a Critter Count checklist to keep track of the wildlife you spot. My daughter loved this activity and we actually got to see a few of everything on the list the last time we went, including two bunnies chasing each other and nine lizards sunning themselves on tree stumps alongside the trail.

The new children’s program kicked off on April 2^nd, and will be held every Wednesday morning at 11:00 a.m. The program includes story time, a craft, and of course you’ll have access to a nature walk. At the first event the kids listened to a story about Blackbird Pond and made their own binoculars. How fun! Shipley is asking $3 per parent. That’s right, per parent. So if you have multiple children, it’s still only $3. All fees collected will go to supporting the children’s program and the nature center.

Shipley Nature Center is located at 17851 Goldenwest St, Huntington Beach, CA 92647. Shipley is open from 9:00 to 1:00 Monday through Friday, 10:00 to 2:00 on Saturday, and they are closed on Sunday.