Life with Dylan

Category: ENC

  • Exploring the Environmental Nature Center

    Sometimes adventure can be in your own backyard, or in this case your neighborhood, and you didn’t even know it. Getting outside is easier than you think – you just need to know where to look.

    One of the things on our summer to-do list was visiting the Environmental Nature Center (ENC). We are lucky enough to live about 10 minutes from the ENC and always have fun exploring the grounds.

    The ENC covers a little over five acres and has a combination of 15 native California plant communities, wildlife habitats, and walking trails. You can easily spend 2-3 hours exploring the trails. From the desert to the redwoods to the marsh, you never know what you will find.

    As beautiful as everything is, don’t get so lost in the trees that you forget to take a closer look. We found this little guy soaking up the sunshine near the meadow. Yes, the ENC even has a meadow!

    In my opinion, the ENC is like a sanctuary – it is the perfect escape from the daily grind when you need a good dose of nature.

    Dylan and I spent most of the afternoon walking the trails and exploring. Since he has attended nature camp here for several years, he knows the area well. He enjoys being the guide and letting me know where the spiders nest, where the wasps are, and of course where the poison oak is along the path. Armed with sunscreen, walking shoes and my camera, I was more than happy to follow Dylan’s lead.

    The ENC is more than just walking trails – It is a world filled with the simple beauty of flora.

    Oh, and while your walking, don’t forget to look up. 
    The ENC is home to lots of little critters too!

    For more information on the ENC, visit www.encenter.org and to see more of our adventures, you can view our Exploring the ENC album on Flickr.

  • Tranquility and the butterfly house

    Sometimes I like to escape from the busy world around me and find some peace. Even if only for a short time, the sound of silence is soothing to my soul.  Lucky for me I work down the street from the Environmental Nature Center and can escape to the Butterfly House.

    Tiny California Dogface butterflies and beautiful Monarch butterflies fill the air.

    Just stepping through the doors of the butterfly house puts my mind at ease.
    I could sit in here all day.

    Have you visited the ENC Butterfly House?

  • Summertime means Nature Camp at the ENC

    For the past three summers, Dylan has been attending Nature Camp at the Environmental Nature Center in Newport Beach and this summer will be no different. This is not your typical summer camp.

    The ENC offers a hands-on experience with nature that takes place in a traditional camp setting – without having to drive into the mountains. For anyone who has been to the ENC, you know that once you enter the main gate you are instantly transported from the busy city streets to the great outdoors.

    Campers will walk the trails, learn about the ENC grounds and how to respect the plants and animals who live there, make crafts at good old-fashioned picnic tables, and learn all about science and nature.

    During the ENC Spring Faire, Dylan had the chance to meet some of the special guests who will be joining the campers this summer.

    Each week is a different theme and includes a special guest or local field trip. There are eight sessions to choose from and surely one that your child will love!

    Session 1: July 2 – 5   Do It Yourself Camp
    Campers learn about everyday things and how to make many of them. Special guest – a real beekeeper!

    Session 2: July 9 – 12   Planet Protectors
    Campers learn how the benefits of recycling, reusing, reducing and more. Beach clean-up and visit to a landfill for older campers.

    Session 3: July 16 – 19   Wilderness Survival
    Campers learn how to prepare for the unexpected. Special guest – Coast Live Oak School, ancestral survival skills.

    Session 4: July 23 – 26   Under the Sea
    Campers learn about marine mammals, sharks, fish, and everything living under the sea. Field Trip to Crystal Cove State park tide pools.

    Session 5: July 30 – Aug 2   Outdoor Adventure
    Campers learn about a variety of habitats and the plants and animals that live in them. Special guest – Live birds of prey!

    Session 6: Aug 6 – 9   Incredible Inventions
    Campers learn about famous inventors and make inventions of their own. Field trip to Tessman Planetarium.

    Session 7: Aug 13 – 16   Outdoor Creativity
    Campers explore creativity in nature with drawing, painting, dance, sculpting and more. Special guest – Southland Opera Company performance of “Adventures in Song and Story”

    Session 8: Aug 20 – 23   Mad Science
    Campers enjoy safe, age-appropriate, hands-on experiments. Field trip to Discovery Science Center.

    Summer Nature Camp at ENC



    Who: Elementary students entering Kindergarten through 6th grade. The campers are split into small groups based on age.

    When: Nature Camp is Monday – Thursday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. with an after camp option that runs from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

    Where: Environmental Nature Center, 1601 16th Street, Newport Beach, CA 92663

    How much: Nature Camp is $175 per session ($157.50 for members) and After Camp is $80 per session ($72 for members)

    For more information about ENC Summer Nature Camp or to register your camper visit the ENC website.

  • Wordless Wednesday – Western Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly

    A beautiful butterfly seen at the Environmental Nature Center Spring Faire and Butterfly House Opening

  • Cub Scouts at the ENC

    Dylan recently had his Cub Scout meeting at the Environmental Nature Center – which is one of our favorite places. Just when I thought I knew everything the ENC offered for children and families, I learn something new. The scouting programs they offer are incredible. 

    Whether your son is a Tiger Cub, Wolf Cub, Bear Cub or Webelo, the ENC has a program designed for you that will satisfy various scouting requirements to get your child one step closer to earning his rank.
    We participated in the Bear Cub program called “Wildlife Wander”, which took our group on a 1 hour hike through the center with various stops along the way to learn about wildlife. While sitting around the fire pit, the boys learned about hummingbirds and how they live. Did you know that a hummingbird uses pieces of spider webs to build their nests? I didn’t. 
    Starting the hike and checking out the native plants
    Stopping by the pond to learn about crawfish

    The boys got to explore the center, play games, and learn about threatened, endangered, and extinct animals. The ENC Naturalist was so good with the boys and was able to explain things at a level that they would understand. Stopping at this picnic table was my favorite part – I totally forgot that we were in Newport Beach because it looks and feels like you are out in the wilderness.

    Learning about conservation was the final part of the program and we stopped at another beautiful location to learn how the boys can do their part by conserving energy and water at home and school.
    The programs are only $5 per scout and for an additional $1 the program can be extended for another 30 minutes to include another elective. Sounds great right? Well, it doesn’t stop here.
    While waiting for the parents to arrive, I picked up a brochure on the scouting programs and learned that the ENC also offers campfire programs, overnight programs, wilderness survival, and Eagle Scout programs – all catered for scouts. 
    Do you have a daughter? No problem – the ENC offers a variety of programs for Girl Scouts too.
    For more information on the ENC visit encenter.org or call 949-645-8489   

  • The Dark Side of Halloween

    This Halloween was one of the best we have had. We started celebrating in early October by decorating the house and getting in the ghostly mood. Then it was time to start making the rounds … visiting the Irvine Railroad Pumpkin Patch, previewing OC Zoo-tacular, attending the ENC Fall Faire, and finally some Brick-or-Treat fun at LEGOLAND California! Whew, I’m exhausted just writing all of the things we did.

    But it didn’t stop there. We still had a pumpkin to carve and some trick-or-treating to do!

    Pumpkin carving has always been something I look forward to doing. It’s another outlet for my creativity – this year, I let Dylan be the creative one. I know, so selfless of me huh?

    He chose a simple design that he thought would be just scary enough for the neighborhood. Evil eyes, no nose, and a monsterish looking mouth filled with sharp teeth.

    The initial cut is always exciting because you never know what you will find inside. Will it be filled with seeds and “guts” that will take major elbow grease to get out, or will it be a hollow pumpkin that only takes a few scrapes to clean out? Dylan’s pumpkin was just about in the middle this year and it didn’t take too long before we started carving away.

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  • Finding the Perfect Pumpkin

    It’s October so that means lots of visits to pumpkin patches. We are on a quest to find the perfect pumpkin.

    Recently Dylan and I went to the ENC Fall Faire and Pumpkin Patch with a friend and her son. Walking through the trails of the ENC with the leaves crunching beneath our feet definitely put us in the mood for Fall. (Even though it was a warm day outside in Southern California)

    First stop was the petting zoo so Dylan could get up close and personal with some furry friends. I think he has a magnet inside of him that draws him to animals no matter where we are.

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  • ENC’s Fall Faire and Pumpkin Patch

    Are you looking for another way to spend some quality time with the family? Why not spend the day at the Environmental Nature Center Fall Faire and Pumpkin Patch?

    Halloween is just the beginning of what I call the best time of the year … the holidays! Everyone seems to be happier and I love the fall weather. Baking, decorating, and finding that perfect pumpkin with my son are what Halloween is all about.  Well, yes … the candy too! but it’s not as fun as it use to be because now when I tell Dylan he doesn’t like a certain kind of candy he responds with YES I  DO!!
    Oh well, it lasted a few years. 🙂

    Read all about the Fall Faire & Pumpkin Patch in the article I wrote over at OCMoms.

    I will be there this Sunday … will you?

  • Good-bye Summer, Until We Meet Again …

    I can’t believe summer is over and my little boy will be starting 3rd grade in just two days. Where did the time go?
    It seems like the older I get, the faster the years go by … and the more I wish I could freeze time. My cuddly little boy is growing up so fast.

    As I look at school pictures from the past 3 years, my mind is flooded with memories and my heart is filled with love. Through pictures like these, I can freeze time … at least in my mind.

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  • More Fun Activities at The ENC

    I recently had the pleasure of spending some time at The Environmental Nature Center (ENC) with Dylan and learned about some of the exciting events coming up this year.

    You can read about some of the upcoming ENC activities in the article I wrote for the OC Moms over at the Orange County Register.