Activities

Lake Sakakawea State Park Interpretive Calendar 2009

June 12-14 It’s In the Stars
Friday, June 12th

• Sky Wonders.  Ever wonder if that was a planet, a meteor, a shooting star, a satellite, or Aurora Borealis you saw in the sky?  Come find out at the amphitheater!

Saturday, June 13

• Dakota Explorers:  Solar Fun.  Head to the amphitheater and hope for sun to help us create cool crafts using the sun’s rays!

• Constellation Education.  Head to the amphitheater to see what’s written in the stars and the history of constellations and then see if we can pick out some of our own!   Get your very own constellation to take home! 

Sunday, June 14

• Dakota Explorers Award Ceremony.  Stop by the amphitheater to say congrats to all of our new and returning Dakota Explorers!  Bring your creativity for crafts!

June 19-21 Outsmart the Outback:  Survival!
Friday, June 19th

• Father’s Day Fun.  Head to the amphitheater to see some of our favorite cartoons fathers enjoy their Father’s Day! 

Saturday, June 20

• Dakota Explorers:  Take Only Pictures, Leave Only Footprints.  At the amphitheater, learn about Leave-No-Trace camping techniques and how you can have a better camp experience using them. 

• Rousing Recovery. What to do if nature gets the best of you.  Meet at the amphitheater.

• Trail Foods.  Delve into the world of trail food at the amphitheater- including some wild edibles, common take-along snacks, and even some great camp food!  Rumor is there may be some tasting involved!

Sunday, June 21 (Father’s Day)

• Doughnuts with Dad.  Bring your dad down to the amphitheater (or the Visitor’s Center if it’s raining!) and celebrate Father’s Day in style!

June 26-27  Great American Campout
Friday, June 26

• Camp Fun.  Head to the amphitheater to play camp games, sing some campfire songs, and learn campfire cooking!

Saturday, June 27

• Dakota Explorers:  Day Hike Backpack.  Hike over to the amphitheater to learn what you need for the trail during a day hike- or even a little longer! 

• Fire Starters.  Head to the amphitheater to make fire starters that will make lighting that quality campfire all the better!

• Dutch Oven Cooking.  Learn the art of Dutch oven cooking, how Lewis and Clark cooked, and taste the product of all that work!

Sunday, June 28

• Guided Hike.  Meet at the amphitheater to take in the gorgeous Shoreline Trail!

July 3-5 Animal Experiences (Skins, skulls, and other animal fun)
Friday, July 3

• Carnivore, Omnivore or Herbivore? How do you tell the difference between these three and what exactly do those words mean?  Head down to the amphitheater and find out!

Saturday, July 4 (Independence Day)

• Fur Functions.  Stop by the amphitheater and take a look at some wild animal furs and find out just why they look (and feel!) the way they do! 

• Animal Jeopardy.  Think you’ve got your animal knowledge down?  Come to the amphitheater and find out!

• King of the Jungle.  Head over to the amphitheater and watch all sorts of different animals interact. 

Sunday, July 5

• Nature Journals and Guided Hike.  Meet at the Visitor’s Center to create your own nature journal and put in your first entries on a guided hike. 

July 10-12 Ecologically Speaking…
Friday, July 10

• Will We Miss Them?  Come on over to the amphitheater to learn about animals that may be in danger right now- and some that are already gone. 

Saturday, July 11

• Dakota Explorers:  Nature Bingo and Recycled Crafts.  Head to the amphitheater to play a game of N.A.T.U.R.E. and learn how to turn trash into treasures!

• Guided Hike:  Ecosystems.  Did you know there are ecosystems that we affect every time we take a step?  They’re everywhere!  Meet at the Visitor’s Center and learn all about them. 

• Drowning in Trash.  Stop by the amphitheater to find out facts about trash- and see first-hand how long it takes common trash items to decompose in landfills.  

Sunday, July 12

• Un-Nature Hike.  Stop by the Visitor’s Center to head out with our interpreter for a 1 hour un-nature hike. 

July 17-19  CSI:  Nature
Friday, July 17

• Amazing Animal Facts.  Believe it, or not?  Satisfy your curiosity at the amphitheater. 

Saturday, July 18

• Dakota Explorers: Nature Journals and Hike.  Make your own nature journal and create your first entry so you can track how North Dakota’s environment changes over time. 

• Dakota Explorers:  CSI: Nature.  A who-dun-it of epic proportions- and it happens every day!  Help us solve the mysteries of nature. 

• Weird Creatures.  Check out some adaptations of the earth’s strangest creatures at the amphitheater. 

Sunday, July 19

• Industrious Animals.  See if you can figure out who’s who during this fun game at the amphitheater.

July 24-26 Into the Woods
Friday, July 24

• Interpretainment:  Storytelling.  A night of storytelling around the campfire at the amphitheater by Interpreter Amanda and a special guest!  Then, give it a whirl yourself if you’re feeling brave!

Saturday, July 25

• Dakota Explorers:  Flower Hunt.  Meet at the Visitor’s Center to complete a scavenger hunt of the colorful kind! 

• Really Wild Animals:  Amazing North America.   Come to the amphitheater to check out some really cool North American Critters!

Sunday, July 26

• No Sunday program this weekend. 

July 31-August 2  Bugs Alive!
Friday, July 31

• Buggy Living.  Think you’ve got what it takes to live like an insect?  Find out at the amphitheater!

Saturday, August 1

• Weaving a Web.  Meet at the amphitheater to learn about spiders- and make your very own web!

• Dakota Explorers:  Inspect an Insect.  Come to the amphitheater and get up close and personal with our buggy little friends.

• Flutterby Butterfly.  Butterflies are all over Lake Sakakawea State Park.  Come to the amphitheater to find out more about them- and take a look at our most famous butterfly, the monarch. 

Sunday, August 2 

• Bug Journals and Hike.  Come to the amphitheater to make your very own bug journal and put your first entries on a guided hike. 

August 7-9 Fishing Extravaganza

Friday, August 7

• Casting Contest.  Prizes for furthest cast and most accurate casts!  Contest takes place at the amphitheater.

• What’s On My Line?    Catch some weird creature out fishing today?  Find out what it could be at the amphitheater! 

Saturday, August 8

• KIDS FISHING DAY- Watch park fliers for more information.

Sunday, August 9

• Fish Frames.  Head to the amphitheater to create a frame for the picture of you and the big one that got away!

August 14-16 Feathered Friends

Friday, August 14

• Fly Away Home.  Head to the amphitheater for a tale of a father and his daughter who find abandoned geese and teach them their migration route- and learn just why and how birds migrate!

Saturday, August 15

• Bluebird Houses.  Head to the amphitheater to build and decorate your very own birdhouse to help the Western Bluebird at Lake Sakakawea State Park.

• Hoo gives a Hoot?  Owls have lots of adaptations that make their nocturnal lifestyle a lot easier.  Learn more at the amphitheater.

Sunday, August 16

• Guided Hike: Ducks and Geese.  Come and explore the trails with Interpreter Amanda.  Meet at the amphitheater to head down to the Shoreline Trail. 

August 21-23  Sakakawea Olympics
Friday, August 21

• Opening Ceremonies.  Come to the amphitheater to learn about the origins of the Olympics and sign-up to participate in the 3rd Annual Lake Sakakawea State Park Olympics! This year’s theme is crazy hats!

Saturday, August 22

• LSSP Olympics!  Meet at the amphitheater to compete for prizes!

• Closing Ceremonies and Prizes.  Come to the amphitheater once again and find out the winners of the 3rd Annual Lake Sakakawea State Park Olympics!

Sunday, August 23 

• “Seek the Unique” Guided Hike.  You never know where you’ll end up or what you’ll find when you hike through a natural landscape constantly changing with each new day- come explore the "unmentionables’ of nature."  Hike leaves from the Visitor’s Center.