As part of its growing Outdoor Adventure & Learning Hubs programming, Midcoast Conservancy is offering a number of opportunities for kids and their families to learn new skills, or put some polish on existing ones.

In partnership with the Wiscasset Community Center, Family Days events will offer a chance to do some cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing. Sundays from Jan. 15 until Feb. 12, from 9 to 11a.m., try out skiing and snowshoeing on the trails around the community center. Equipment will be provided for anyone who doesn’t have skis or snowshoes. Play in the snow, then warm-up by the fire: a great way to enjoy the outdoors!

On Feb. 3, from 12:30 to 5 p.m., Midcoast Conservancy will partner with Maine Sport Outfitters to offer a Winter Skills Day in Liberty. Spend the afternoon behind the Walker School and see what fun can be had in a winter environment. Experts in the field of Winter Camping will offer an afternoon of skills training for those interested in learning about winter camping and recreating. Participants will learn to build a winter campsite, and will be introduced to several different shelter options, from building a quinzee to sleeping under a tarp shelter to learning what a bivy sack is. The group will even set up a winter camp kitchen, along with a fire pit and snow benches from which to enjoy hot cocoa. After the warm-up, Walker School principal Glen Widmer will lead a snowshoe hike up Haystack Mountain.

All equipment will be provided for anyone needing winter gear, and all programs are free. Midcoast Conservancy’s Outdoor Adventure & Learning Program aims to increase access to outdoor sport and outdoor educational opportunities for children and families in the Midcoast region. Generous funding from Elmina B. Sewall Foundation, Quimby Family Foundation, and Renys Foundation has enabled Midcoast Conservancy to purchase the equipment needed to provide these opportunities and work to determine the needs of various communities. The goal of the program is to ensure that access to outdoor adventure and learning opportunities is within a 15-minute reach of every child and family who lives in the Midcoast.

For more information on the Outdoor Learning & Adventure Program, or to register for any of the free events, please go to www.midcoastconservancy.org or call 389-5150.