Frogs will be the focus of this month’s Kids’ Nature Play in the Garden session at Michigan City’s Barker Mansion. Curious children ages 10 and under are invited to the new series, which will be held on Thursday, July 9 at 9 am. The hour-long program will encourage youth to explore the garden just as Catherine Barker may have done as a young girl.
Activities will take place in the outdoor garden and include a story, snack time, and an art project themed around the amphibians.
The interactive session will be led by Indiana Master Naturalist Cookie Ferguson. A $2 fee per child applies; each accompanying adult is free. Registration is not necessary. The program will be moved indoors if raining. Another Kids’ Nature Play in the Garden session is scheduled for August 6; this session will take a different theme.
The Barker Mansion is located at 631 Washington Street in Michigan City, IN. The 38-room mansion was built by freight car industrialist and philanthropist John H. Barker in 1905. Aside from the Kids’ Nature Play in the Garden sessions, guided tours of the mansion are offered Monday through Friday at 10 am, 11:30 am, and 1 pm. Additionally, tours are offered on Saturdays and Sundays at 12 pm and 2 pm. Cost for a tour is $5 per adult and $2 per child. Reservations are not necessary for regular tours.