Check out these family-friendly programs at Three Rivers parks:

In the south metro:

+ “Stories in the Teepee” takes place from 3 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 3 at Richardson Nature Center in Hyland Park Reserve, Bloomington. Bring your favorite book and join a naturalist in our teepee. Learn about the teepee, listen to a Native American story and share your book inside the shade of our teepee. This ongoing program is free and for all ages.

+ “Nature Play: Prairie” is offered from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 9 at Richardson Nature Center. Bring a child or two to play and explore with a naturalist. Build forts, pretend, create, learn and play; play time in a natural setting is good for kids! Children that play outdoors tend to have lower rates of obesity, are more focused in school and are happier and less stressed in their lives. Start a tradition of regular outdoor play with your child. The cost is $5 and the activity is for ages 3 and older.

In the west metro:

+ “A Walk in the Park: Tamarack Bog” runs from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 3 at Lowry Nature Center in Carver Park Reserve, Victoria. Explore a unique bog along a boardwalk and learn about the plants and animals that live in this wetland. Trail is 1.4 miles. Free, for all ages.

+ “Insectigations” takes place from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9 at Lowry Nature Center. Grasshoppers, honeybees and dragonflies, oh my! Use a "bionic" ear to listen to insects buzzing, chirping and humming. Scoop for bugs in a pond, search for bugs in the forest with a net. The cost is $5 and this program is for ages 5 and up.

In the north metro:

+ “Free Family Fundays: Dragonflies!” is an ongoing program from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 3 at Kroening Interpretive Center in North Mississippi Regional Park, Minneapolis. Forwards, backwards, hovering over your head, flying over 60 mph – it's dragonflies! Use nets and jars to capture, study and then release these fascinating flying creatures. Appropriate for ages 4 and older.

+ “Monarch Tagging” takes place from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 3 at Eastman Nature Center in Elm Creek Park Reserve, Dayton. Learn about monarch butterflies, their unusual lifestyle and migration to Mexico. Catch and tag them as part of a national research project and search for caterpillars. The cost is $5 per person (20 percent discount for families of four or more). This activity is for ages 6 and older.

+ “Where Was I and Where am I Going?” is offered from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9 at Kroening Interpretive Center. Find your way in the woods: Learn how to use bearings on a compass to uncover a secret "treasure" to take home. Create your own trail by making "clues" using sticks and stones and see if others can follow it. The cost is $5 and all ages are welcome.

+ “Slithery Snakes” runs from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9 at Eastman Nature Center. Meet some live native Minnesota snakes, watch them eat mice, slither like a snake, shed your "skin" and make a snake-skin bookmark. The cost is $5 and the activity is appropriate for ages 4 and up.