Weekend: Birding at Huntley Meadows, Campfire at Royal Lake, Pottery Sale

What’s happening at Fairfax County parks this weekend? Here’s a look, information courtesy of Fairfax County (be sure to bundle up, temperatures aren’t supposed to get above the high 40s!).

Saturday, Nov. 1

Inviting Native Pollinators

Millions of years ago plants enlisted insects to help in the vital enterprise of pollination. Explore the intimate relationships pollinators have with plants from 2 to 3 p.m. at Green Spring Gardens. University of Maryland entomologist Mike Raupp explains what threatens native pollinators and teaches you how to invite pollinators into your landscape. The cost is $15 per person. Register online. For information, call 703-642-5173.

Dairy Farming at Walney: Butter & Cheese
Walney and E.C. Lawrence Park have a long dairy farming history. From 1 to 2 p.m., taste hand-churned butter and sample cheeses while learning about the importance of this industry at Walney. Tour the historic dairy and try your hand at milking a pretend cow. Current restoration projects will be highlighted. Children must be accompanied by a registered adult. The cost is $6 per person. Register online. For information, call 703-631-0013.

Huntley Harvest Festival
Join us for a day at Huntley Meadows and Historic Huntley to experience how everything from foxes to farmers prepares for winter. Come for storytelling, crafts, fun and games for the whole family from 1 to 4 p.m. Canceled if rain; dress appropriately for the weather. The cost is $10 per person. For information, call 703-768-2525.

Colonial Day
See Revolutionary War soldiers in camp and on the battlefield at Sully Historic Site from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Learn about daily life in rural Virginia. Make a craft to take home, step a country dance and have a hearty snack in our Colonial tavern. A house tour is included in the fee of $8 per adult; $6 per child. Children save $1 with a school coupon. For information, call 703-437-1794.

Hands-on Nature
Drop-off your child (ages 5-11) at 2 p.m. for an hour of natural adventure at E.C. Lawrence Park. Nature brings variety to each month’s program. Children feed exhibit animals, search for wildlife, explore fur pelts, bones and other natural artifacts, and take home a craft. The cost is $5 per child. Register online. For more information, call 703-631-0013.

Kiln Club Pottery Show and Sale
Looking for great locally hand-crafted holiday gifts at reasonable prices? Members of the Ceramic Guild and the Kiln Club of Washington, D.C. will display and sell a variety of pottery styles in the barn at Colvin Run Mill Historic Site from11 a.m. to 4 p.m. A portion of the sales benefits Colvin Run Mill. For more information, call 703-759-2771.

Campfire Saturdays at Royal Lake

Explore the woodlands and lakefront spots where wildlife hides and resides with a naturalist at Royal Lake from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Programs end with a cozy campfire and s’mores are provided. The cost is $7 per person. Register online. For information, call Hidden Pond at 703-451-9588.

Sunday, November 2

Kiln Club Pottery Show and Sale

Looking for great locally hand-crafted holiday gifts at reasonable prices? Members of the Ceramic Guild and the Kiln Club of Washington, D.C. will display and sell a variety of pottery styles in the barn at Colvin Run Mill Historic Site from11 a.m. to 4 p.m. A portion of the sales benefits Colvin Run Mill. For more information, call 703-759-2771.

Blacksmithing Demonstration
Watch as the blacksmith fires up his forge and works with hammer and tongs to make iron tools and utensils at Colvin Run Mill Historic Site from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free. For information, call 703-759-2771.

Birding for Beginners
Interested in birding? We can get you started! From 8 to 11 a.m., learn about the birds in Huntley Meadows Park and some basic identification skills. The program begins with an indoor discussion. Children ages 12 to 16 must be accompanied by a registered adult. The cost is $6 per person. Register online. For information, call 703-768-2525.

Hands-on History
Drop off your children (ages four to nine) and let explore the lives of 19th century children with a costumed interpreter at E.C. Lawrence Park from 1 to 3 p.m. Various activities include games, penmanship, washing clothes and making a food item such as butter, ice cream, cheese or applesauce. The cost is $12 per child. Register online. For information, call 703-631-0013.

Sunday, Nov. 2

Workshop: Hypertufa Garden Container
Create a stone trough of hypertufa for a natural-looking container that’s ideal for succulents, conifers and rock garden plants. Green Spring staff member Susan Eggerton explains the process and leads you through construction from 10 a.m. to noon. The program cost is $45 per person, and there is a $20 supply fee. Register online. For information, call 703-642-5173.

Homeowner Rain Garden Workshop
From 1 to 4 p.m. at Green Spring Gardens, learn how to properly locate, design, construct and maintain a small-scale rain garden that captures rain water and allows it to soak into the ground. This action allows polluted runoff from roads and buildings to infiltrate the ground, slowing its flow and preventing pollutants from reaching local streams, the Potomac River, and ultimately the Chesapeake Bay. The program cost is $12 per person. Register online. For information, call 703-642-5173.

Hands-on Harvest and Biscuits, Too
At the slave quarter, learn about the lives and chores of slaves who lived at Sully. Bake biscuits in the open hearth kitchen, dip a candle and fashion a corn husk doll. This one-hour program is offered at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. The cost is $10 per person. Register online. For information, call 703-437-1794.

Wild Side Wagon Ride
From 2 to 3:30 p.m., take a 90-minute tractor ride with a Huntley Meadows Park naturalist to parts of the wetland that are difficult to reach on foot. Look for and learn about songbirds, wildflowers, butterflies and waterfowl, then stop for a snack at the observation platform. Meet at the South King’s Highway park entrance. The cost is $6. Register online. For information, call 703-768-2525.

Scout Astronomy Festival
View outer space through a telescope, listen to ancient stories about the constellations ‘round the campfire, take a guided tour of the night sky and participate in hands-on activities at Riverbend Park from 6 to 8 p.m. Scouts work on night-sky- related patches, badges, pin and loops, and journeys. Hot chocolate and snacks are available for purchase. The cost is $7.50 per scout and siblings; $4 per adult. For information, call 703-759-9018.

Kids Korner: Fall
Children ages three to six explore nature or history, accompanied by an adult, at E.C. Lawrence Park. An outdoor activity and craft are included in the cost of $5 per child. Call for topic. This one-hour program is offered at 10 a.m. on 11/8 and 1 p.m. on 11/20. Register online. For information, call 703-631-0013.