In A Nutshell: Celebrating Earth
Nature events April-May 2025, plus website updates and book giveaway
Happy (Belated…and Continual) Earth Day!
This email was supposed to hit your inbox yesterday, but I got hit with a stomach bug instead. Although it was helpful to rest on the couch most of the day and get some fresh air and sunshine, hear the birds, and see our magnolias bloom in our backyard with Z in the afternoon, I will not be attending this afternoon’s nature program.
Our friends at the Lussier Family Heritage Center will still be hosting the Lil’ Explorers Pop-Up Play Cafe event, and drop-ins are welcome if you haven’t registered in advance ($10/child ages 6 months-5 years). They are looking forward to welcoming you between 3-5 p.m. Wednesday, April 23rd for the Earth Day-themed program and providing snacks. Here’s a video of what Lil’ Explorers like Z have been enjoying during the Saturday class series. Looks like rain is in the forecast, so bring your coat and boots just in case, and know that there’s plenty of fun to be had inside the nature center, too!
Plus, save the dates for more spring collaborative events with Playful Acorns and friends: April 30th, May 10th, May 14th, June 1st, June 6th, and June 9th.
And, if you haven’t had a chance to fill out the Co-Working/Child Watch Survey, please do so (and indicate if your availability/# of kids needing care shifts during the summer or school year). My friends Anna and Hayley and our kiddos have been looking forward to our weekly meetups that we hope to expand to more families so that we can build relationships, get our own work done, and let our kids do what they do best: play! More information coming soon!
Website and Resource Updates
Over the last few months, I’ve been migrating my three websites (professional writing and photography portfolio, children’s picture book info, and Playful Acorns events and resources) into one website. Why? #1: it’s expensive and time-consuming to host three separate sites. #2: my freelance marketing work, children’s book, and nature and play advocacy overlap in so many ways. #3: change is the only constant.
So…I have redirected playfulacorns.com to a page on my main website, samanthacora.com, but you’ll still be able to type in either domain name to access what you’re looking for. Here’s what the homepage will look like (for now). ;)
You can click on the top dropdown menu for “Playful Acorns” or the “Let’s Explore” button to access this streamlined content from our previous site:
About Playful Acorns: An overview of our offerings with helpful links, my inspiration for creating the organization, our vision and values, testimonials, and a growing list of partners and programs that we’ve collaborated with since our inception in 2023 (we’re at 39 and counting—go check them out!).
Resources and Events: Links to our seasonal guides, Family Activity Map, other resources and a list of awesome nature orgs and their programs, plus a NEW event calendar! Listings include my picture book events and nature/play events that Playful Acorns is involved with, as well as some related events geared toward adults for arts & craft fairs (May 3rd), fundraising (June 11th with Madison Reading Project) and educational opportunities (June 18th with ECO Madison and REAP Food Group). I may post events to that calendar before they appear in one of these newsletters, so feel free to look ahead for some exciting summer programs in the works.
I have also been updating our Spring Activity Guide, Spring and Summer Nature Camp Guide, and Spring Storytime Guide. Be sure to bookmark those pages on your computer/phone and check the date each page has last been updated in one of the corners. I hope using them has saved you time and introduced you to new-to-you activities, organizations, and other local families. They are a labor of love!
With the change of my websites, I decided to still keep my author and Playful Acorns social media as is (@author.samanthacora and @playfulacorns), but I’ve updated the landing page photo for Substack slightly to integrate the look of the website and blog.
Here’s the origin story of this monthly In A Nutshell e-leaflet, which highlights local events for families with young kids in the Madison, WI area, plus other community resources and my own musings as a toddler mom. Recently, I’ve added a second newsletter a month called On The Bookshelf, which is all about my children’s picture book journey and recommendations. Soon, I’ll be adding a third newsletter Through the Viewfinder (though probably not monthly) that will feature my digital nature photos, some of which will be turned into greeting cards available for purchase with a portion of proceeds donated to local environmental nonprofits. So, if you support nature, books, kids, and community, this Under the Drumlin Sun publication is probably the place for you! If at any time you want to change your subscription settings, you can learn how to do so here. Thanks for stopping by!
Spring Nature Events for Families
* Indoor **Outdoor */** Indoor/Outdoor
3-5 p.m. Wednesday, April 23: ”Earth Day” Lil’ Explorer Pop Up Play Cafe*/** with Dane County Parks (drop-ins welcome), Lussier Family Heritage Center, Madison ($10/child ages 6 months to 5 years old, free for under 6 months old and adults).
9-11 a.m. Saturday, April 26: Earth Day Park Clean-Up** with Chummy volunteers and New Morning Nursery School families, Tenney Park, Madison (free, rsvp, find other Madison Parks Earth Day Challenge information here).
9-11:30 a.m. Saturday, April 26: Learn to Bird** with BIPOC Birding Club (9-11 a.m.) and Wildflower and Bird Adventure** with Get Kids Outside (10-11:30 a.m.), Aldo Leopold Nature Center, Monona (free, all ages)
11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 26: Bilingual Environmental Conservation Fair**, Elver Park, Madison (free, all ages)
10 a.m. to noon Sunday, April 27: Family Adventure Club** with Hike & Heal Wellness, Location near Verona (emailed when RSVP, free - $10 donation welcome).
12-4 p.m. Sunday, April 27: Bird & Nature Festival*/**, Warner Park Community Recreation Center, Madison (free, all ages)
1-3 p.m. Sunday, April 27: Spring on the Farm**, Schumacher Farm Park, Waunakee (free, all ages).
9:30-10:15 a.m. Tuesday, April 29: Nature Playgroup*/**, Monona Public Library, Monona (free, geared toward ages 2-6).
9-10 a.m. Wednesday, April 30: Birding with Babies** Storytime, Walk, and Baby Carrier Fitting with Playful Acorns, LC Babywearing, Village of Cottage Grove Library Board, and the Friends of the Cottage Grove Library (drop-in, RSVP appreciated), McCarthy Youth & Conservation County Park, Cottage Grove (free, geared toward ages 0-2, signed “Waverly Braves the Breeze” book copies available for purchase).
Noon, Thursday, May 1: Summer registration opens for Wonder Bugs (ages 2-4 with caregiver), and fall registration opens for Nature Explorers (ages 3-4 without caregiver), Aldo Leopold Nature Center, Monona.
3-7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 1: Flicker: Beltane Crafts, Sacred Circle, Wild Wander, and Potluck, Winterfell Acres, Brooklyn (free, bring a dish to pass).
11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday, May 3: Wander and Wonder: Celebrating Books and Birds** with the Friends of Pheasant Branch Conservancy and Madison Reading Project, Orchid Heights Park, Middleton (free, geared toward pre-K through 5th graders).
3-4 p.m. Saturday, May 3: Local Author Tracy Phillippi’s Book Launch*/** “The Wild Island: An Adventure at Isle Royale National Park,” Grace Coffee, Cottage Grove (free book reading and nature exploration, signed copies available for purchase).
1:30-2:30 p.m. Sunday, May 4: Family Nature Walk**, UW Arboretum, Madison (free, all ages).
9:30-10:15 a.m. Tuesday, May 6: Nature Playgroup*/**, Monona Public Library, Monona (free, geared toward ages 2-6).
10-11:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 6: Learning Together: Super Sprouts**, UW Arboretum, Madison ($20/family, geared toward ages 3-5, register in advance).
8 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 10: World Migratory Bird Day: "Shared Spaces: Creating Bird-Friendly Cities and Communities"** with the Monona Public Library and the Friends of San Damiano, featuring authors Samantha Cora, Tracy Phillippi, and Alina Loux plus a nature craft with Sprig Native Plant Nursery, yoga with Aldo Leopold Nature Center, and face painting (drop-in), San Damiano Park, Monona (free, all ages).
Saturday, May 10 (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) and Sunday, May 11 (12-6 p.m.): OASIS Stone Soup: Basket Weaving and Foraging Family Camp**, Hoyt Park, Madison (prices vary, registration closes May 5).
3:30-5 p.m. Wednesday, May 14: Play Group*/** with Playful Acorns, 4-C, and guest speaker from Young Parent Collective (register here in advance, event geared toward high school- and college-aged parents), Badger Rock Neighborhood Center and Playground, Madison (free, ages 0-5).
9:30-11:30 a.m. Friday, May 16: Madison Area Nature Playgroup**, Belleville Community Park, Belleville (free, all ages).
10 a.m. Saturday, May 17: Tyke Hike** with Lodi Valley Chapter of the Ice Age Trail Alliance, Ferry Wayside Trailhead, Lodi (free, all ages).
10:15-11:15 a.m. Saturday, May 17: Little Sprouts: Story & Stroll**, Olbrich Botanical Gardens, Madison ($7-$9/child, register in advance, geared toward ages 2-5).
1:30-3:30 p.m. Sunday, May 18: Family Nature Walk & Program: Terrific Turtles:**, UW Arboretum, Madison (free, all ages).
Saturday, June 1: Nature Everywhere Day** (more details coming soon)
9-11 a.m. Friday, June 6: “National Trails Day” Lil’ Explorer Pop Up Play Cafe*/** with Playful Acorns and Dane County Parks (registration in advance preferred), Lussier Family Heritage Center, Madison ($10/child ages 6 months to 5 years old, free for under 6 months old and adults).
9-10:30 a.m. Monday, June 9: Go, Go, Go Musical Playdate, StoryWalk, and More*/** with The Wonder Studio, Playful Acorns, and Active Youth Wisconsin (register in advance, $23/family), Seven Acre Dairy Company, Paoli (ages 0-5).
Looking for more events? Try these resources:
Book Giveaway: April 23rd-30th
Also, because today, April 23rd, is World Book Day and the first anniversary of my children’s picture book release, I’m offering a giveaway! If we can collectively reach 450 subscribers (we are at 421 right now) by the end of April, anyone who uses their referral link below and gets or or more people to subscribe will be entered to win a personalized and signed copy of “Waverly Braves the Breeze: The Story of a Galapagos Albatross.”
If you’ve already referred a friend, you’ll still be entered to win. You will also still receive the benefits below depending on the number of referrals you get now and into the future. Thanks for supporting my author journey and spreading the word about these newsletters!
1. Share this publication. When you use the referral link below, or the “Share” button on any post, you'll get credit for any new subscribers. Simply send the link in a text, email, or share it on social media with friends.
2. Earn benefits. When more friends use your referral link to subscribe, you’ll receive special benefits.
Get Nature Scavenger Hunt for 1 referrals
Get Witty Wildlife Greeting Card for 5 referrals
Get Signed Copy of Waverly Book for 10 referrals
* Please keep in mind that sharing the direct Canva links for the guides or the Google map link will not count toward these benefits because they can’t be tracked. Please refer the Substack publication so that friends can sign up for emails and stay in the loop. To learn more, check out Substack’s FAQ. Thank you for your help!
As always, thank you for being part of a community who shares this common thread:
At Playful Acorns, we value the following be(leafs):
Nature benefits from diversity, and so does humanity.
Children learn best through play.
Everyone deserves to have fun and be respected.
Life is a journey, and we are always growing.
The world is a better place with you in it.
In gratitude,
- Sam
Are you new to Playful Acorns? Welcome! You can read our story here and most recent posts here.
As a reminder, you’re receiving this email from my new platform on Substack, which you can learn more about here. If you want to change your subscription settings and subscribe or unsubscribe from any of the newsletters, you can learn how to do so here.
