It's A Winter Wonderland At Alley Pond Park

Alley Pond Environmental Center will kick off the New Year with two winter activity classes and another in which youngsters will be able conduct scientific experiments.

The center, located at 228-06 Northern Blvd. in Douglaston, is now registering local schoolchildren for its January classes, which include Mad Scientists, The Winter Night Sky: An Evening with the Stars and Footprints in the Snow.

"Things are happening in winter's nature," said Aline Euler, who is education director for the center. "When children go outside, the park is very different. It's interesting for them to see."

On Jan. 8, the center will host Mad Scientists, an event that will focus on global warming. Children, ages eight to 12, will be able to ask questions about environmental issues and take part in easy experiments, studies and tests.

Snacks will be served at the event, for which pre-registration is required. The class, which runs from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., is limited to eight participants.

The registration cost for Mad Scientists is $19.

Footprints in the Snow will be held from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Jan. 8.

The class, which is aimed at children who are three or four years old, will teach children about the animal footprints that can be found in the snow at Alley Pond during the winter. The class will focus on how the pond's inhabitants survive the cold months.

During the event, children will hear a story, make a craft, take a nature walk, play a detective game, work with live animals and have a snack.

"There are whole different strategies for survival," Euler said of the Footprints program. "Winter is very difficult because there is different food around. Some animals migrate, some hibernate and some stay around, but go into a state of torpor."

Pre-registration is required for this class. The entrance fee for each child is $20.

The center will hold Winter Night Sky, which is an astronomy program led by instructor Mark Freilich, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Jan. 15.

During that program, children ages seven and older will learn about the winter's night sky at Alley Pond.

The class's attendees will learn about the winter constellations Orion Nebular, the Pleiades Star Cluster and the Deep Space Phenomenon.

The program will also include a lecture on basic astronomy as well as an outdoor viewing through a professional telescope. Children are encouraged to bring their own telescopes.

The event will cost $12 per adult and $7 for children between the ages of seven and 12.

To register for Alley Pond's classes, call 718-229-4000.