Creative Nature Programs
Family-friendly walks and workshops that spark creativity through accessible art activities inspired by our local nature. These experiences foster intergenerational learning and comfort in the outdoors, and encourage wonder, curiosity, and care for the environment.
Creative Nature Club
Recommended for ages 6–10
Monthly on Saturdays September 2025–May 2026 (no February session)
9:30 AM—12:30 PM
What amazing things can we discover when we slow down and really look closely? How can art help us feel connected to the more-than-human world?
At Creative Nature Club, kids become explorers and artists—finding wonders in the forest, fields, and ponds of the Langlais Preserve, then creating art that deepens their discoveries. Each month brings a new seasonal theme and a fun hands-on project. Healthy snacks are provided.
Registration is required to reserve your child’s spot. Sign up for five or more sessions and get a Langlais Art Preserve Creative Nature Club Field Kit!
Creative Nature Club is free.
Donations are appreciated and directly support the Langlais Art Preserve’s operations and programs.
Note: Caregivers will be asked to sign a photo-release and health waiver before each session. Because space is limited, families who miss more than two sessions without notice may be unable to continue in the program.
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Nature Feels - September 27
Exploring the preserve through touch
Guest artist: Alix Martin
Have you noticed that plants can feel velvety, sharp, spiny, rough, or hairy? We'll experience the flora of the Preserve through our sense of touch then create wearable artworks showcasing textures and colors found in nature.
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Leaf Peeps - October 11
Learning trees through leaf identification
Guest artist: Willoughby Hastings
When trees prepare for winter sleep, they drop their leaves; but, do you know which trees the leaves belong to? Join us for a quintessential fall exercise in leaf identification, then we'll use a variety of creative techniques to preserve the vibrant colors and stories of these autumnal wonders.
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Seeds Asunder - November 8
Seeds and how they get where they need to go
Guest artist: Joan Sommers
Floating! Clinging! Flinging! Being eaten! Plants have their own creative ways of spreading their seeds. We'll observe and collect a variety of seeds and learn about their method of dispersal. Then we’ll create mobiles that twirl and rattle with the sounds of dancing seeds.
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Dormancy Dreams - December 13
How our more-than-human friends prepare for winter at the preserve
The days are growing shorter and our animal friends are getting ready for winter in their own unique way. After imagining their survival strategies, we’ll build mini hibernation habitats—nests, dens, or burrows—woven from natural and found materials.
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Frozen Forests - January 10
The phenology of deep winter at the preserve
Guest artist: Alix Martin
Bundle up tight, we’re going for a frosty walk on the Woodland Trail! What will we spy along the way? We'll examine ice formations then warm up in the Teaching Studio before creating our own sculptural pieces using twigs, snow, and ice.
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Disturbance Detectives - March 14
Piecing together clues from the land about the recent past
Guest artist: Joan Sommers
The Preserve is whispering a story about the past. We’ll become detectives, gathering clues from the land about the long history of human activity here. Using a variety of materials, we'll make our own maps, part factual, part fiction, fully imaginative.
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Spring Awakening - April 11
Tracking the signs of spring at the preserve
Our friends at the Preserve are waking up, sending out new shoots and preparing for Spring babies. Join us as we observe the changes in the land and practice a series of close-looking exercises and drawing prompts at our individual "sit spots."
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Perfect Union - May 9
Symbiotic relationships between plants, insects, and other animals
As the first bumble bees visit the first spring flowers, join us to learn about the special relationships between plants and animals, and how deeply tied they are to each other’s flourishing. Using a range of colorful and whimsical materials, we'll create flower and pollinator puppets and act out pollination stories on a real garden stage.
Watershed Workshops
for ages 12–adult
What creative activities can help us reconnect with the non-human members of our watershed —from red oaks to asters to ospreys? How can imagination inspire us to become better stewards of our local nature?
Join regional artists engaged with ecological themes for monthly workshops featuring artist talks, guided nature walks, hands-on art projects, and group discussions. No art experience is needed—just curiosity and a willingness to explore.
All Watershed Workshops are free.
Donations are appreciated and directly support the Langlais Art Preserve’s operations and programs.
Space is limited. Please register to help us plan accordingly.
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Amplifying the Senses: A guided walk with Karen McCoy
Saturday, September 20, 2025 | 2-5 PM
Sculptor and land artist Karen McCoy will lead us on a walk designed to heighten our awareness of sound and sharpen our observation of the environment. By slowing our pace, we’ll invite deeper sensory perception. Each participant will carry and learn to use a hand-carved wooden listening and sighting horn and a viewing lens. Engaging in this focused listening and looking becomes a way of assembling sound and sight into a “sensory map,” offering a richer understanding of the landscape.
The entirety of this workshop will involve slow-paced walking on the Langlais Woodland Trail.
About Karen: www.karen-mccoy.com
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Tree Withness with Gina Siepel
Sunday, October 12, 2025 | 2-5 PM
“Witness trees” are trees recognized for their presence at significant human events. While they connect us to history on an arboreal clock, this concept remains human-centered. What if we shifted focus to the trees them-selves—witnessing their long, quietly dramatic lives? Led by interdisciplinary artist and woodworker Gina Siepel, this workshop begins with a presentation on witness trees, followed by playful activities that turn our attention tree-ward. We'll meet the Langlais Preserve’s charismatic trees, exploring who they are, how they live, and imagining their past, present, and future through walking, writing, and discussion.
This workshop will include 60 minutes of slow-paced walking on the Langlais Woodland Trail.
About Gina: www.ginasiepel.com/
Watershed Workshops are made possible with support from the Morris David Dorenfeld Foundation and The Lunder Foundation
Wonder Walks
for ages 0–5 +caregiver
Fridays, 9:15–10:15 AM | September 5–December 5, 2025
Wonder Walks are a child-centered meander through the Langlais Art Preserve. Rain or shine, each walk will offer new discoveries as the landscape shifts and evolves over the season. Our staff will gently facilitate each walk, creating a safe environment for children and their caregivers to engage with trailside wonders. Will your child be drawn to the way mica catches the sun, the shape of a flower, a beetle scurrying? Together, we will share in the joy and discovery of being within the natural world we belong to.
Children may choose to borrow a backpack containing simple tools to help them explore! And as the goal of Wonder Walks is not the destination but the journey, the group dynamic will dictate the distance traveled.
All Wonder Walks are free.
Donations are appreciated and directly support the Langlais Art Preserve’s operations and programs.
Space is limited. Please register to help us plan accordingly.
Events
Tom Wessels: Reading the Forested Landscape
in conversation with artist Gina Siepel
Sunday, October 26, 2025 2 PM
Join us for an engaging program with noted terrestrial ecologist Tom Wessels. Participants are invited to submit their own woodland photos—such as unusual tree shapes, bark patterns, stumps, stone walls, or shifting forest compositions—for Wessels to interpret for the audience. Interdisciplinary artist and woodworker Gina Siepel, whose Forest Geometries installation is currently on view on the Langlais Woodland Trail, will reflect on the influence of Wessel’s writings on their work as the two discuss the ecology of the Langlais forest.
This program is free and open to the public, but space is limited and registration is required.
Watershed Workshop: Amplifying the Senses: A guided walk with Karen McCoy
Sculptor and land artist Karen McCoy will lead us on a walk designed to heighten our awareness of sound and sharpen our observation of the environment. By slowing our pace, we’ll invite deeper sensory perception. Each participant will carry and learn to use a hand-carved wooden listening and sighting horn and a viewing lens. Engaging in this focused listening and looking becomes a way of assembling sound and sight into a “sensory map,” offering a richer understanding of the landscape.
The entirety of this workshop will involve slow-paced walking on the Langlais Woodland Trail.
About Karen: https://www.karen-mccoy.com/
Watershed Workshop: Tree Withness with Gina Siepel
“Witness trees” are trees recognized for their presence at significant human events. While they connect us to history on an arboreal clock, this concept remains human-centered. What if we shifted focus to the trees themselves —witnessing their long, quietly dramatic lives? Led by interdisciplinary artist and woodworker Gina Siepel, this workshop begins with a presentation on witness trees, followed by playful activities that turn our attention tree-ward. We'll meet the Langlais Preserve’s charismatic trees, exploring who they are, how they live, and imagining their past, present, and future through walking, writing, and discussion.
This workshop will include about 60 minutes of slow-paced walking on the Langlais Woodland Trail.
About Gina: www.ginasiepel.com
Wonder Walk @ Riverview Hayfields Preserve
Georges River Land Trust’s Riverview Hayfields Preserve is located on Route 131 in South Thomaston, 0.6 miles south from Route 1. Cross the railroad tracks and watch for the parking lot on the right.
Wonder Walks are a child-centered meander through the Langlais Art Preserve, as well as some of GRLT’s other spacious trail systems. Rain or shine, each walk will offer new discoveries as the landscape shifts and evolves over the season. Our staff will gently facilitate each walk, creating a safe environment for children and their caregivers to engage with trailside wonders. Will your child be drawn to the way mica catches the sun, the shape of a flower, a beetle scurrying? Together, we will share in the joy and discovery of being within the natural world we belong to.
Children may choose to borrow a backpack containing simple tools to help them explore! And as the goal of Wonder Walks is not the destination but the journey, the group dynamic will dictate the distance traveled.
All Wonder Walks are free.
Wonder Walk @ Langlais Preserve
Wonder Walks are a child-centered meander through the Langlais Art Preserve, as well as some of GRLT’s other spacious trail systems. Rain or shine, each walk will offer new discoveries as the landscape shifts and evolves over the season. Our staff will gently facilitate each walk, creating a safe environment for children and their caregivers to engage with trailside wonders. Will your child be drawn to the way mica catches the sun, the shape of a flower, a beetle scurrying? Together, we will share in the joy and discovery of being within the natural world we belong to.
Children may choose to borrow a backpack containing simple tools to help them explore! And as the goal of Wonder Walks is not the destination but the journey, the group dynamic will dictate the distance traveled.
All Wonder Walks are free.
Wonder Walk @ Riverview Hayfields Preserve
Georges River Land Trust’s Riverview Hayfields Preserve is located on Route 131 in South Thomaston, 0.6 miles south from Route 1. Cross the railroad tracks and watch for the parking lot on the right.
Wonder Walks are a child-centered meander through the Langlais Art Preserve, as well as some of GRLT’s other spacious trail systems. Rain or shine, each walk will offer new discoveries as the landscape shifts and evolves over the season. Our staff will gently facilitate each walk, creating a safe environment for children and their caregivers to engage with trailside wonders. Will your child be drawn to the way mica catches the sun, the shape of a flower, a beetle scurrying? Together, we will share in the joy and discovery of being within the natural world we belong to.
Children may choose to borrow a backpack containing simple tools to help them explore! And as the goal of Wonder Walks is not the destination but the journey, the group dynamic will dictate the distance traveled.
All Wonder Walks are free.
Wonder Walk @ Langlais Preserve
Wonder Walks are a child-centered meander through the Langlais Art Preserve, as well as some of GRLT’s other spacious trail systems. Rain or shine, each walk will offer new discoveries as the landscape shifts and evolves over the season. Our staff will gently facilitate each walk, creating a safe environment for children and their caregivers to engage with trailside wonders. Will your child be drawn to the way mica catches the sun, the shape of a flower, a beetle scurrying? Together, we will share in the joy and discovery of being within the natural world we belong to.
Children may choose to borrow a backpack containing simple tools to help them explore! And as the goal of Wonder Walks is not the destination but the journey, the group dynamic will dictate the distance traveled.
All Wonder Walks are free.
Sown Sculptures with Rachel Alexandrou
Interdisciplinary artist and forager Rachel Alexandrou will guide a walk around the Langlais Preserve to explore local plant ecology and its connection to landscape change. We'll then shift to a creative session using Presumpscot Formation Clay—the geological foundation of Maine’s landscape—and native seeds. Using simple techniques like molding, modeling, and texturing, participants will create sculptures that can be displayed indoors or planted outdoors to become part of the landscape itself.
About Rachel: https://rachelalexandrou.com/
Wonder Walk @ Gibson Preserve
Georges River Land Trust’s Gibson Preserve is located at 621 Woodmans Mill Road, Searsmont, ME 04973.
Wonder Walks are a child-centered meander through the Langlais Art Preserve, as well as some of GRLT’s other spacious trail systems. Rain or shine, each walk will offer new discoveries as the landscape shifts and evolves over the season. Our staff will gently facilitate each walk, creating a safe environment for children and their caregivers to engage with trailside wonders. Will your child be drawn to the way mica catches the sun, the shape of a flower, a beetle scurrying? Together, we will share in the joy and discovery of being within the natural world we belong to.
Children may choose to borrow a backpack containing simple tools to help them explore! And as the goal of Wonder Walks is not the destination but the journey, the group dynamic will dictate the distance traveled.
All Wonder Walks are free.
Wonder Walk @ Langlais Preserve
Wonder Walks are a child-centered meander through the Langlais Art Preserve, as well as some of GRLT’s other spacious trail systems. Rain or shine, each walk will offer new discoveries as the landscape shifts and evolves over the season. Our staff will gently facilitate each walk, creating a safe environment for children and their caregivers to engage with trailside wonders. Will your child be drawn to the way mica catches the sun, the shape of a flower, a beetle scurrying? Together, we will share in the joy and discovery of being within the natural world we belong to.
Children may choose to borrow a backpack containing simple tools to help them explore! And as the goal of Wonder Walks is not the destination but the journey, the group dynamic will dictate the distance traveled.
All Wonder Walks are free.
Wonder Walk @ Jack Baker Woods
Georges River Land Trust’s Jack Baker Woods Trail is located at 236 Beechwood Street, Thomaston, ME 04861.
Wonder Walks are a child-centered meander through the Langlais Art Preserve, as well as some of GRLT’s other spacious trail systems. Rain or shine, each walk will offer new discoveries as the landscape shifts and evolves over the season. Our staff will gently facilitate each walk, creating a safe environment for children and their caregivers to engage with trailside wonders. Will your child be drawn to the way mica catches the sun, the shape of a flower, a beetle scurrying? Together, we will share in the joy and discovery of being within the natural world we belong to.
Children may choose to borrow a backpack containing simple tools to help them explore! And as the goal of Wonder Walks is not the destination but the journey, the group dynamic will dictate the distance traveled.
All Wonder Walks are free.
Wonder Walk @ Langlais Preserve
Wonder Walks are a child-centered meander through the Langlais Art Preserve, as well as some of GRLT’s other spacious trail systems. Rain or shine, each walk will offer new discoveries as the landscape shifts and evolves over the season. Our staff will gently facilitate each walk, creating a safe environment for children and their caregivers to engage with trailside wonders. Will your child be drawn to the way mica catches the sun, the shape of a flower, a beetle scurrying? Together, we will share in the joy and discovery of being within the natural world we belong to.
Children may choose to borrow a backpack containing simple tools to help them explore! And as the goal of Wonder Walks is not the destination but the journey, the group dynamic will dictate the distance traveled.
All Wonder Walks are free.
Wonder Walk @ Appleton Preserve
Georges River Land Trust’s Appleton Preserve is located at 265 Camden Road, Appleton, ME 04862.
Wonder Walks are a child-centered meander through the Langlais Art Preserve, as well as some of GRLT’s other spacious trail systems. Rain or shine, each walk will offer new discoveries as the landscape shifts and evolves over the season. Our staff will gently facilitate each walk, creating a safe environment for children and their caregivers to engage with trailside wonders. Will your child be drawn to the way mica catches the sun, the shape of a flower, a beetle scurrying? Together, we will share in the joy and discovery of being within the natural world we belong to.
Children may choose to borrow a backpack containing simple tools to help them explore! And as the goal of Wonder Walks is not the destination but the journey, the group dynamic will dictate the distance traveled.
All Wonder Walks are free.
Wonder Walk @ Langlais Preserve
Wonder Walks are a child-centered meander through the Langlais Art Preserve, as well as some of GRLT’s other spacious trail systems. Rain or shine, each walk will offer new discoveries as the landscape shifts and evolves over the season. Our staff will gently facilitate each walk, creating a safe environment for children and their caregivers to engage with trailside wonders. Will your child be drawn to the way mica catches the sun, the shape of a flower, a beetle scurrying? Together, we will share in the joy and discovery of being within the natural world we belong to.
Children may choose to borrow a backpack containing simple tools to help them explore! And as the goal of Wonder Walks is not the destination but the journey, the group dynamic will dictate the distance traveled.
All Wonder Walks are free.
Wonder Walk @ Riverview Hayfields Preserve
Georges River Land Trust’s Riverview Hayfields Preserve is located on Route 131 in South Thomaston, 0.6 miles south from Route 1. Cross the railroad tracks and watch for the parking lot on the right.
Wonder Walks are a child-centered meander through the Langlais Art Preserve, as well as some of GRLT’s other spacious trail systems. Rain or shine, each walk will offer new discoveries as the landscape shifts and evolves over the season. Our staff will gently facilitate each walk, creating a safe environment for children and their caregivers to engage with trailside wonders. Will your child be drawn to the way mica catches the sun, the shape of a flower, a beetle scurrying? Together, we will share in the joy and discovery of being within the natural world we belong to.
Children may choose to borrow a backpack containing simple tools to help them explore! And as the goal of Wonder Walks is not the destination but the journey, the group dynamic will dictate the distance traveled.
All Wonder Walks are free.
Wonder Walk @ Langlais Preserve
Wonder Walks are a child-centered meander through the Langlais Art Preserve, as well as some of GRLT’s other spacious trail systems. Rain or shine, each walk will offer new discoveries as the landscape shifts and evolves over the season. Our staff will gently facilitate each walk, creating a safe environment for children and their caregivers to engage with trailside wonders. Will your child be drawn to the way mica catches the sun, the shape of a flower, a beetle scurrying? Together, we will share in the joy and discovery of being within the natural world we belong to.
Children may choose to borrow a backpack containing simple tools to help them explore! And as the goal of Wonder Walks is not the destination but the journey, the group dynamic will dictate the distance traveled.
All Wonder Walks are free.
Watershed Workshop: Practices for Seeing with Allison Cekala
WAIT LIST ONLY
Explore the natural world from a new lens. Inter- disciplinary artist and educator Allison Cekala will begin with a talk about her creative practice. Participants will then head outdoors and be guided through meditative, observational, and artistic prompts, culminating in a series of painted studies inspired by the Langlais Preserve landscape. This workshop invites you to slow down, look closely, and discover new ways of seeing and engaging with the environment.
About Allison: www.allisoncekala.com