As the last trimester of summer takes hold with its Dog Days, the goings-on at the Education Department of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West are sure to cool off kids and families. Before heading back to school, hit the water with these family-and-kid-friendly activities:
- On August 10 – 12, students ages 11 – 15 join the H-2-Oh! Discovery Field Trip to learn about a critical resource in the West: Water. As participants paddle the waterways of the Bighorn Canyon located 60 miles east of Cody, they learn all about aquatic ecology and water management issues. This trip of a lifetime has exploring, canoeing, and camping along the shores of Bighorn Lake. The group leaves the Center at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, August 10, returning on Wednesday, August 12, 4:30 p.m. Advance registration is required. The cost is $80/student, $70 for members, and scholarships are available.
- All ages can cool off under the night sky with Paddle Boarding and Stargazing, August 14, 8 – 10:30 p.m., at Newton Lake northwest of Cody. Learn to paddle board or kayak with an eye to the sky with Pete Idema of Cody Middle School’s science department. Advance registration is required; fees are $35/participant with boat rental or $15/participant for those who have their own boats or boards.
- There’s even more about water at the next Family Fun Day, Water of the West, Tuesday, August 18, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. in the Center’s Greever Garden. Visitors find out about water in Wyoming and the western United States through fun games, activities, and crafts. The activity is free with admission to the Center.
Generous grants from the R. Harold Burton Foundation and the Wyoming Arts Council make these programs possible. For more information, or to register, contact Emily Buckles at [email protected] or 307-578-4110.
Since 1917, the award-winning Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming, has devoted itself to sharing the story of the authentic American West. The Center is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution. For additional information, visit centerofthewest.org or the Center’s Facebook page.
