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Nature’s Guide to Nurture Kids | Highlands Biological Station
Written By: Paige Engelbrektsso | Issue: Winter 2022
Unlike our slumbering Black Bears, the Highlands Biological Foundation is staying busy throughout the winter.
While the Highlands Nature Center may be closed in these quiet months of winter, the Highlands Biological Foundation’s educational work never stops.
Much like the informal Postal Service motto, neither snow nor rain can stop us from bringing place-based programming to our community – and, as a matter of fact, we’re very likely to go out and play in the snow as part of it!
In addition to the events the foundation holds throughout the off-season, we work extensively with local youth organizations in Highlands and Cashiers.
In a given week, we may be making snowflakes with Gordon Center preschool students, sharpening our observation skills with the Boys & Girls Club of the Plateau, or looking for tracks in the Highlands Botanical Garden with children in the Highlands United Methodist Church Afterschool Program. These place-based experiences emphasize the children’s immediate surroundings and build on their natural history knowledge, setting the stage for critical thinking and a deeper connection to nature.
The foundation is proud to support these organizations in their work educating our community. We are able to provide all of this free of charge through the generosity of our grantors and donors.
Their support, and yours, help us continue inspiring children across the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau to preserve and protect this beautiful place. As the new year begins, we will continue to guide and nurture this next generation of naturalists.
The Highlands Nature Center and Botanical Garden are part of the Highlands Biological Station, a multi-campus center of Western Carolina University. To learn more about our programs and outreach, and to donate, go to highlandsbiological.org.
