Summer Programs Planned At Osborne Homestead Museum & Kellogg Environmental Center

DERBY — The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has released its schedule of summer programs to be offered at Osborne Homestead Museum and Kellogg Environmental Center. Both properties are at 500 Hawthorne Avenue, off Route 34.

For registration or for more information call 734-2513.

Exploring Architecture

“Exploring Architecture” will be offered on Sundays, June 28, July 26, and August 23. In one-hour sessions each beginning at 2 pm, explore the elegant architecture of Osborne Homestead Museum. Originally constructed circa 1850, the home experienced a Colonial Revival transformation in the 1910s.

While learning about the museum’s building features, hear about the architectural career of Waldo Kellogg, who refined the look of the house during the years of his marriage to Frances Osborne Kellogg, from 1919 to 1928.

Admission is free, although donations are accepted. Registration is requested.

Crazy Quilts

Crazy quilts were very popular in the Victorian era. As seen in the examples at Osborne Homestead Museum, crazy quilts were a creative way for women to express themselves, practice their sewing techniques, and recycle scraps of fabric into a useful object.

In a series of three classes, participants will learn how to create their own crazy quilts from start to finish. A variety of sewing techniques will be demonstrated.

Sessions will meet on Saturdays, July 18, August 1, and September 19, from 1 to 3 pm each month. Students will need to bring a good pair of scissors; all other materials will be supplied. All ages are welcome.

Fee is $15 for all three sessions, and registration is due by July 16.

Saturday Morning Bird Walks

Join volunteer Maria Stockmal for a relaxing walk in search of local birds. On Saturdays, July 25, August 29, and September 19, beginning at 8 am, Ms Stockmal will share the joy of observing birds in the wild and help sharpen bird identification skills while leading a morning hike through the grounds of Kellogg Environmental Center and Osbornedale State Park.

Participants should meet in the parking lot of Kellogg Environmental Center at 8 am. Walks may last up to two 2 hours, depending on conditions. All levels of birders are encouraged to participate. There is no fee.

Wildflower Field Walks

The public is invited to meet at Kellogg Environmental Center for a brief introduction to plant anatomy and adaptations, and then explore the fields of Osbornedale State Park to find and identify wildflowers while learning stories attached to a variety of the wildflowers in bloom.

Programs will be offered Saturday and Sunday, June 24 and 25, each from 10 to 11:30 am. After the walk participants will be invited to return to the Kellogg Center to make pressed wildflower cards.

All ages are welcome, but children must be accompanied by adults. Admission is free; donations accepted.

Leaf Man And Friends

On Friday, August 7, from 1 to 3 pm, children ages 4–8 (accompanied by a parent) will hear the book Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert, play some games and then make tree creatures using the leaves of many local trees.

Children will also learn how to identify trees by their leaves and learn some facts about trees.

There is no charge for the program but registration is required and donations will be accepted.

Museum Tours

On Thursdays and Fridays between 10 am and 3 pm, Saturdays from 10 am to 4 pm, and Sundays from noon to 4 pm, visitors can learn about the history of the Osborne family and explore what life was like in the early 20th Century.

The museum’s grounds are landscaped with formal flower gardens, ornamental shrubs, and flowering trees, providing an endless pageant of color from spring through autumn. Tours will be offered through summer and fall, concluding on Saturday, October 31.