Hello friends! And a warm welcome to the dozens of new subscribers ever since we launched the Family Activity Map earlier this month!

It’s very exciting to see these resources being shared with your online networks, and a few Playful Acorns followers have even received their first referral award (see more below — you can join in the fun)! Thank you to everyone for helping to spread the word!

I am continuing to work on more guides and map layers that I hope will make life with littles a bit more manageable and less lonely. If reading books or visiting libraries and bookstores with your child(ren) resonates with you, I hope you enjoy these new Winter Storytime Guides showcasing ALL* of the related events held throughout Dane County (and in some cases, just beyond) geared toward families with kids ages 0-5. More on this below.

*To the best of my ability based on the information I could find online from various libraries and bookstores. If I am missing anything or if you have a suggestion for how to organize the events (I have them listed by location and by day of the week), please let me know as these can be updated anytime. Please note that many libraries are closed Monday, January 20th for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Save the date for Jan. 29th for our upcoming collaboration with our friend Angie of The Wonder Studio! We’ll be back in Paoli for our monthly Kindermusik class, storytime, playtime, and connection later this month. Depending on the weather, we may extend our time together and head outside for a little walk along the trails overlooking the Sugar River. Here’s a glimpse of a previous class!

• 9:30-10:45 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 29: It’s Cold Outside Musical Playdate (register in advance), Seven Acre Dairy, Paoli ($20/family)

Since we have so many new friends here, I want to reiterate a few things from our last email, as well as preview even more events happening in January and February. Thank you for continuing to be part of this community of caregivers who share 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.

Family Activity Map, Guides & Resources

I am so excited to share the release of the Family Activity Map (view Google map) and corresponding pdf guides (Winter 2025 Family Activity Guides and Winter 2025 Storytime Guides) - an email subscriber exclusive)! These resources and many more are also featured on the new webpage I’ve created:

Playful Acorns has curated these resources featuring activities mostly for kids ages 0-5 with their caregivers and sometimes older siblings/whole family in Dane County and the Madison area that focus on outdoor exploration, child-led play and art, music, movement, yoga, and storytimes. A map layer with all of the local libraries is also included, because they are a great place to read, play, and experience may of these offerings, for free!

You can toggle the layers on and off to search for events according to your schedule and interests and see what appears on the map close to your home or wherever you happen to be at the time. Letters in parentheses correspond to days of the week that programs might be happening on, but keep in mind not all featured happen weekly.

Please note that this map and corresponding guides are a work in progress, and you should always check with the event organizer on the linked websites or emails to make sure the details are accurate. I will continue to add information and photos, and new guides/layers when we change seasons (for example, I’m working on compiling kid-friendly cafe and eateries), but I can’t do it alone.

If you know of another resource, class, event, or update that we should consider featuring here, or you have feedback to share, please respond to this email or contact me at sam@playfulacorns.com. Hope you enjoy!

And did you know that the resources page also has links to several organizations that offer nature play and exploration in Dane County? My goal is to highlight one organization in each of the upcoming newsletters. Stay tuned!

Thank you for reading my Under the Drumlin Sun publication by Samantha Cora Christian Haas, a Wisconsin-based writer, photographer, and nature play advocate, that includes these three newsletters: In A Nutshell, On The Bookshelf, and Through the Viewfinder. Your support allows me to keep doing this work.

Upcoming Community Events

With the release of the Family Activity Map, Activity Guides, and Storytime Guides, these events will likely only show one-time events, weekly start dates for ongoing programs, or registration deadlines for other programs. Playful Acorns programs/those that Sam are involved in are bolded. Please confirm registration details, costs, and age ranges at the links below. Stay tuned for more events in the next email!

• Friday, Jan. 17: Dane County Forest Friends, UW Arboretum Children’s Area
• Friday, Jan. 17: Madison Area Nature Playgroup, Oregon Public Library
• Friday, Jan. 17 - April 18: Zumbini with Ms. Heather (third Fridays), Lake Ridge Bank, Cottage Grove
• Saturday, Jan. 18: Ice Age Trail Tyke Hike, Robertson trailhead on Riddle Road, Lodi
• Saturday, Jan. 18: Martin Luther King Jr. Remembrance Hike, Indian Lake County Park, Cross Plains
• Saturday, Jan. 18: Candlelight Hike, Aldo Leopold Nature Center
• Saturday, Jan. 18 and beyond: Storytime Yoga (Saturdays), Haumea, 908 Windsor St, Sun Prairie
• Saturday, Jan. 18 - Feb. 8: Wintering in the Park weekly series with Naturing in Madison starts (register in advance), Westmorland Park, Madison
• Sunday, Jan. 19: Family Nature Walk and Program: Winter Water, UW Arboretum, 2880 Longnecker Dr, Madison
• Monday, Jan. 20: School’s Out Event: MLK Jr Day Celebration & Connection with Families For Justice (register), Linden Cohousing, Madison
• Monday, Jan. 20 and beyond: Storytime Yoga (Mondays), Haumea, 908 Windsor St, Sun Prairie
• Monday, Jan. 20 - March 10: Music with Julie Mazer: Wintery Classics (weekly series continues, register in advance per class or series), Orchard Ridge UCC, 1501 Gilbert Rd, Madison
• Tuesday, Jan. 21: Nature Playgroup, Monona Public Library, 1000 Nichols Rd, Madison
• Tuesday, Jan. 21 and beyond: Busy Town (Tuesdays), Neighborhood House Community Center, 29 S. Mills St, Madison
• Tuesday, Jan. 21 - March 20: Wonder Bugs (weekly series continues, space limited for T, W, Th sessions, possible waitlist for F and 1st/3rd Sat sessions, register in advance), Aldo Leopold Nature Center, Monona
• Wednesday, Jan. 22 - March 19: Baby Bugs (weekly, drop-in rate, register in advance), Aldo Leopold Nature Center, Monona
• Thursday, Jan. 23 and beyond: True Play (Thursdays), Neighborhood House Community Center, 29 S. Mills St, Madison
• Thursday, Jan. 23 - March 20: Indoor Playground (Thursdays), MSCR East, 4620 Cottage Grove Rd, Madison
• Thursday, Jan. 23 - March 27: Lil’ Music with Junko (Thursday series starts, register in advance), Madison Children’s Museum
• Thursday, Jan. 23 - March 27: Music Sprouts with Junko (Thursday series starts, register in advance), Madison Children’s Museum
• Friday, Jan. 24 - March 21: Indoor Playground (Fridays), MSCR West, 7333 W Towne Way, Madison
• Friday, Jan. 24: Our Backyard Playgroup, 9-11 a.m. two Fridays per month (email taneilb2@gmail.com for information), 6705 Wesner Ln, Verona
• Friday, Jan. 24: Winter Luminary Snowshoe & Ski, Lussier Family Heritage Center
• Saturday, Jan. 25 - March 10: Lil’ Explorer Adventure every other week series continues (register in advance), Lussier Family Heritage Center, Madison
• Saturday, Jan. 25: Saturday Morning Community Art, Kindling Community Arts, 3565 Tulane Ave, Madison
• Saturday, Jan. 25: Quarterly Earth Day Hike, Aldo Leopold Nature Center
• Sunday, Jan. 26: Winter on the Farm, Schumacher Farm Park, Waunakee
• Tuesday, Jan. 28: Family Sing-Along: Princesses and Princes, The Wonder Studio, Verona
• Wednesday, Jan. 29: It’s Cold Outside Musical Playdate (register in advance), Seven Acre Dairy, Paoli
• Saturday, Feb. 1: Flicker Sacred Circle and Wild Wander: Imbolc, Winterfell Acres, Brooklyn
• Saturday, Feb. 1: Candlelight Night Hike & Scavenger Hunt, Governor Taylor Nature Park, Cottage Grove
• Sunday, Feb. 2: Family Nature Walk, UW Arboretum, 2880 Longnecker Dr, Madison
• Tuesday, Feb. 4-18: Nature Playgroup (Tuesdays), Monona Public Library, 1000 Nichols Rd, Madison
• Feb. 4-May 29 (closed March 24-28): Kindling Community Arts weekly classes for ages 1-5+ on Tuesdays/Thursdays, Eastmorland Community Center, Madison
• Wednesday, Feb. 5: MOMS Club Open House & Playdate, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 5701 Raymond Rd, Madison
• Friday, Feb. 7 - April 4: StoryTime with Ms. Heather (first Fridays), Lake Ridge Bank, Cottage Grove
• Friday, Feb. 7 - May 2: Birth-to-Three Playgroup with CI Therapies (first Fridays), Middleton Public Library
• Saturday, Feb. 8: Madison Area Nature Playgroup, Olbrich Gardens, Madison
• Saturday, Feb. 8: Playgroup, University Houses Preschool, 6033 Odana Rd, Madison
• Monday, Feb. 10: Toddler Yoga with little om BIG OM, Oregon and Middleton libraries
• Tuesday, Feb. 11: Nature-Themed Yoga, Story, and Play (register in advance), Badger Rock Community Center, Madison
• Saturday, Feb. 15: Saturday Morning Community Art, Kindling Community Arts, 3565 Tulane Ave, Madison
• Sunday, Feb. 16: Family Nature Walk and Program: Winter Birds, UW Arboretum, 2880 Longnecker Dr, Madison
• Tuesday, Feb. 18: Open Play, 4-C, Madison
• Friday, Feb. 21: Madison Area Nature Playgroup, Belleville Community Park
• Thursday, Feb. 27: It’s Music Day! Musical Playdate (register in advance), Seven Acre Dairy, Paoli