When you think about visiting the NYPL, you probably think reading books or using the computers but what about seeing and learning about live animals?

The past few weeks we've enjoyed learning about owls, ferrets, and all sorts of other animals with New Canaan Nature Center at our local NYPL branch.


One week we learned about owls! We learned about 2 different types of owls and how they would live the wild, how they'd hunt, how they fly and so much more.


The children asked lots of questions about the owls feathers, eyes and different body parts.


Then the kids had the chance to pull apart owl pellets. My son was not very excited about the idea. LOL


But after getting encouragement from the other kids, he joined them to find bones, fur and other interesting bits that owls eat.


Then a few weeks later New Canaan Nature Center came back to our local NYPL branch to teach the kids (and families) about various Creatures of the Night. These were animals that are nocturnal or mostly active at night.

A few animals we learned about...


We learned about a Gecko and how it stores fat in it's tail. Then we each took a turn touching the tail, which was surprising soft and squishy compared to it's hard and rough upper body.


Next we learned that Chinchillas can jump as high as 7 feet, due to it's hind legs and spring like tail. We also learned about how it cares for it's coat, which we were able to feel. It's super soft!


The ferret was fun to learn about. It has a long and slinky body with rough fur. It's also very friendly but it's encouraged as a pet idea.


The hedgehog was VERY shy but we still learned a lot about they protect themselves from predators, that's they're different from porcupines and they're not blue like sonic the hedge hog. Ha!


To help the hedgehog feel safe, he was put back in his box and the kids could watch to see if he'd peek out. He did a few times and we saw his face!


My son (and the other kids) really enjoyed learning about the animals during both these sessions. It wonderful that the NYPL offers free public programs like this at their various branches.

To learn more about NYPL programs, visit - www.nypl.org/events/public-programs

To see how you can support your NYPL, visit - www.nypl.org/support/donate