Join us for some fun activities in person and online during the month of October to celebrate all things spooky while overcoming your fears!
StoryWalk®: I (Don't) Like Snakes, written by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Luciano Lozano
Oct. 1–29 | Regular park hours
Harris Lake County Park
This self-guided StoryWalk® can be found along the paved trails in our Day Use area, beginning at the traditional playground.
Kids Discover Nature: Pumpkin Circle
Oct. 5 | 11 a.m.–noon
Harris Lake County Park
"We can be sure of this: It's a circle without end. It's pumpkin seeds to pumpkins and to pumpkin seeds again!" Get ready for fall by learning about the life cycle of a pumpkin through George Levenson's Pumpkin Circle: The Story of a Garden, then plant a pumpkin seed to take home and watch it grow. For ages 2 to 5 with an accompanying adult. Meet at the Cypress Shelter.
Super Spiders
Oct. 9 | 6–7 p.m.
Harris Lake County Park
Spiders are not so scary when you get to know them! They have important jobs in nature. We will read a super spider story, observe some spiders up close, and look for spiders around the park. For all ages. Meet at the Cypress Shelter.
Spooky Soiree Mini Event
Oct. 14 | 10 a.m.–1 p.m.
Harris Lake County Park
"Don't Feed Your Fears" and join us for a Spooky Soiree mini event! Meet some not-so-spooky creeping crawly critters up close, create fun, seasonal crafts, try your hand at some ghastly games, and follow the clues along the scavenger hunt route to find all of the spooky objects "hidden" along the trail to win a prize! Costumes are encouraged!
**Please note that due to the weather forecast, the scavenger hunt will now be on foot located near the shelter instead of on the wagon.**
Pumpkin Carving Wagon Ride
Oct. 22 | 1:30–3 p.m.
Harris Lake County Park
*This program is full. Please join the wait list.
Celebrate the season with a wagon ride along the back roads of our park to search for a hidden pumpkin, then return to the Loblolly Shelter to carve a Halloween masterpiece with your family. Each family will be limited to one pumpkin. You may bring additional pumpkins of your own to carve. For all ages. Meet at the wagon at the playground.
Virtual Wild Wednesday: Going Batty
Oct. 25 | 4–4:45 p.m.
Harris Lake County Park
We’ll dispel some common bat myths that give bats a bad rap and tell you how great they are to have around us as we discuss bat facts, virtually explore bat habitats, and examine some specimens from our nature collection. A Zoom program link will be sent to registered participants in advance of the program.
Family Fun for Everyone: Enjoy activities you can do solo or together all month long!
Fun Books to Read in October:
- Where’s My Mummy? by Carolyn Crimi
- The Spooky Smells of Halloween by Mary Man-Kong
Find the Spooky Words
Spook-tacular Word Search
The Handshake Poem by Leslie Leibhardt Goodman
On my way to school, I stopped
To say hello to Nate.
I didn’t think a little chat
Would make me very late.
But shaking hands with Nate takes time.
The reason’s pretty great!
‘Cause my friend Nate’s a spider, so
I have to shake all eight!
Halloween Night by Barbara L. Scanian
One rolling pumpkin.
Two prancing cats.
Three shaking scarecrows.
Four flying bats.
Five marching monsters
Parading down the street.
All the kids are cheering.
“Time for tricks and treats!”
Puzzles:
Make sure to reset the puzzle after you are done for the next person. Follow instructions below:
Restart Puzzle: A puzzle already in progress can be restarted from the beginning by clicking the program menu button (leftmost button on the toolbar) and selecting "Modify this puzzle" from the menu. Then select the desired number of puzzle pieces to restart the puzzle.
Practice Writing Sheet: Download and Trace
Spooky Words Practice Writing Sheet
More information will be added regularly, so check back soon!