Here’s a little hint about how to survive the summer with your sanity and with your wallet intact: take your local library for all its worth!  I am a member of two local libraries, since my actual library underwhelms me and I pay to be a member of a much better one, so I have access to about a dozen free passes to great family-friendly venues in the neighborhood and all the way up to Burlington.  This week my mother-in-law and I took advantage of a free pass to VINS (Vermont Institute of Natural Sciences), whose mission statement is “motivating individuals and communities to care for the environment through education, research, and avian wildlife rehabilitation.”  We brought my kids to enjoy a gorgeous summer’s day and learn a thing or two.

I had never been to VINS before, and all I knew about it was that they rehabilitated birds and housed raptors on site.  I had no idea when we arrived how absolutely lovely the grounds would be and I want to become a member just to be able to use the walking trails and become one with nature.  It has picnic lunch written all over it, and the way the first trail (complete with birdie footprints showing us the way) winds down the hill to what feels like a secluded valley, made us want to take a seat on a log bench and stay a while.

VINS offers an array of ways to get involved with their programs as well as dozens of educational opportunities for children of all ages.  One would assume that my children are too young for exhibits like this, and yet, there was so much to experience and absorb.  Just being there, one can’t help but learn something.

Our favorite part were the raptors: eagles, hawks, owls, falcons, all rehabilitated from car accidents, gunshot wounds, run-ins with other animals, and some are just too permanently injured to return to the wild.  Unfortunate for them, but lucky for us.  How else am I ever going to be within feet of a bald eagle?

Or a snowy owl that looks, so appropriately for this weekend, like Harry Potter’s very own Hedwig?

Or, two of the teeniest owls I’ve ever seen!  They were so cute!  Can you see them both?  Em thought they were a little freaky.  Unsure, to say the least.

But my favorite part of all was how Jax insisted on bringing our homemade binoculars and how the kids really attempted to use them to get better views of the birds!  Hysterical!

Another bonus of our morning were these little classrooms where you could learn about more than just birds; frogs, snakes, bugs, spiders, and turtles all have a home at VINS, and I think for my littler kids, it was great to see something a bit more familiar (and maybe a little more friendly.  No talons).

Then Mommy and Nana took a chance and fed the kids lunch while we listened and watched one of the many live performances/shows/information session about VINS and the animals that live there.  I would say if your kid can sit and listen to an adult for more than five minutes, it’s a home run.  My kids were good for about 30 seconds, and that was because I came bearing cereal bars.

I must say I was a bit freaked out when these powerful birds of prey came out and our leader felt the need to stress that we must stay in our seats and not wave our arms or draw attention to ourselves.  Em took that as her cue to morph into a screaming wet noodle and attempt to wiggle limply from my arms.  I was terrified we were about to be attacked and was attempting to discern the best way to shield her with my body and then imagined how much it would suck to get up close and personal with anything in the raptor family.  Happily latecomers strolled into the pavillion, talking and running, and I figured that we could skulk away unscathed, so Em and I made a hasty exit between birds while Jax insisted on remaining behind with Nana.  He really enjoyed it.

Finally, we went to peek into the rehabilitation hospital, where we are allowed a glimpse into its inner workings through a window, and stopped for a classic photo op along the way.

A wonderful morning from beginning to end.  And it was all free, thanks to my library!  Have you taken a moment to discover the treasure trove of community resources available for free at your local library?  Put it on your summer to-do list.

And the last question is, a version of this post is going to appear in my local newspaper with one photo.  Which one do you think it should be?  I like the big owl one of Em the best, but I’m not sure.  I would love one of the two of them, but none of them are that great.  And the binoculars are a “hoot,” too.  Which would you choose?