Adirondack Family Time™

© Diane Chase is the author of the Adirondack Family Activities™ guidebook series, Adirondack Family Time™, which is available online or bookstores/museums/sporting good stores. Diane is currently working on the third guidebook in the four-book series of Adirondack Family Activities™.

The Whiteface Mountain Summit Weather Observatory, part of the State of New York Atmospheric Sciences Research Center University at Albany has the current summit weather.  Today: 1/24/13 it is a chilly -20F with a wind speed of 36 MPH! © Diane Chase is the author of the Adirondack Family Activities™ guidebook series, Adirondack Family Time™, which is available online or bookstores/museums/sporting good stores. Diane is currently working on the third guidebook in the four-book series of Adirondack Family Activities™.

Eastern Hemlock Scientific Name:  Tsuga canadensis Family Name  (Scientific and Common): Pinaceae Continent of Origin:  North America Did you know?  The Eastern hemlock is Pennsylvania's state tree! The needles and bark have been used for medicinal purposes in folk and Native American medicines. The needles have low doses of Vitamin C and the tannins in the bark*  *please do not self diagnose. Please go to a medical professional for advice in treating any of the conditions listed below.  Medicinal Purposes* Needles used as a tea or tincture: Kidney ailments, rheumatism, colds, and coughs, Bark has been used in a tea to treat colds, fevers, diarrhea, coughs, and even scurvy. It has astringent properties for skin conditions and a poultice has been used to treat wounds in wilderness first aid. • T he Eastern Hemlock is a woody tree that can live for over 800 years and be over 75' tall and 25' spread at maturity • The bark contains tannins tha

Get your school or non-profit involved.  Earn money and help eliminate waste! TerraCycle is on a mission to eliminate the idea of waste. Each waste collection programs (each one is called a “Brigade”) for previously non-recyclable, or difficult-to-recycle, waste. The collected waste is then converted into new products, ranging from recycled park benches to upcycled backpacks. Select Your Waste To get started, simply sign up and join a Brigade program for which you want to collect. There are currently more than  40 Brigade programs  that range from food packaging (like drink pouches and candy wrappers) to office supplies (like pens and tape dispensers) to personal products (like cosmetic, beauty and diaper packaging). You can join as many Brigade programs as you like. Collect and Send

The Red Dot Trail in Paul Smiths, NY is an easy multi-trail system that connects to the Jackrabbit Trail, near the Paul Smith's College VIC. Either cross-country (XC-ski) or snowshoe during the winter. Be careful, nearby Osgood Pond does not always freeze.  Follow the clearly marked trail. Either cross the bridge over the canal or continue to Little Osgood Pond. There are two lean-to along the trail with a variety of conditions. There are some hills as the trail follows an esker that overlooks Osgood Pond.

Trumpet honeysuckle ( L. sempervirens )   is a native plant DID YOU KNOW? Native Adirondack honeysuckle to look for are: American fly-honeysuckle  ( Lonicera canadensis ) and  Limber honeysuckle  ( Lonicera dioica) and   Northern bush-honeysuckle ( Diervilla lonicera ), Wetland area honeysuckles : Mountain fly-honeysuckl e ( L. villosa ) and Swamp fly-honeysuckl e ( L. oblongifolia ) Native vines:  Trumpet honeysuckle ( L. sempervirens ) and Hairy honeysuckle ( L. hirsuta ) How to tell the difference? Invasive honeysuckle have hollow stems while the Adirondack natives have solid stems . Non-native are larger and more vigorous than the Adirondack honeysuckles.

The  Saratoga Arts Center in Saratoga Springs  has released in 2013  Fine Art Classes for Everybod y program.  There are Open Studio to Basic Drawing classes available. Don't forget to enroll children in the School Break Camps .  School Break Camps are full week programs in theatre and visual arts for children ages 5-14. There are two sessions, February 18-22 and April 1-5.