Biscayne’s Fantastic Beasts: Family Fun Fest Explores Biscayne National Park’s Animal Life

News Release Date: November 14, 2016

Contact: Matt Johnson, 786-335-3679

HOMESTEAD, Fla. --- Beasts come in all sizes and shapes. The 17^th season of Biscayne National Park’s multi-award winning Family Fun Fest will explore Biscayne’s fantastic beasts, from tiny plankton to manatees and crocodiles. The series kicks off on Sunday, December 11, 2016 at the park's Dante Fascell Visitor Center. The events are free and take place from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. on the second Sunday of every month from December through April. Family Fun Fest Junior includes specially-designed activities for toddlers (ages 5 and under) to ensure that the entire family gets to participate, and free transportation from downtown Homestead (and by extension, anywhere served by public transportation) is available aboard the Homestead National Parks Trolley, courtesy of the City of Homestead.
 
Inspired by the motion picture Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, this year’s event series will highlight a different group of park animals each month with activities that include games, science experiments, live animal presentations and craft projects. Participants receive a passport which they get punched as they complete each of five activities. After collecting all five punches, kids earn a specially designed button to help them remember the lessons learned.
 
The 2016-2017 themes are:
 

• Feathered Friends - December 11, 2016, 1-4 p.m., From tiny warblers to great big owls, birds are totally fly!
• In Cold Blood - January 8, 2017, 1-4 p.m., Lizards & turtles & snakes...oh my! Reptiles are really cool!
• Mighty Mammals - February 12, 2017, 1-4 p.m., Warm & fuzzy with a sip of milk, please!
• Who You Calling Spineless? - March 12, 2017, 1-4 p.m., Just because an animal has no backbone doesn’t mean it’s wimpy!
• Something’s Fishy - April 9, 2017,1-4 p.m., Shiny scales & flapping tails...fish are fintastic!

 
Participants who earn all five buttons in a season are declared "Family Fun Fest Fanatics" and earn a special award in April.
 
In addition to five activity stations at each event, there will also be one activity station focusing on theme-related creative play for parents with toddlers. "The little guys will earn a button just like their older brothers and sisters, but with activities geared to their skill level," said the program's creator Yelitza Sepulveda. "Family Fun Fest Junior fills an important niche for parents looking for innovative educational opportunities for their children."
 
Family Fun Fest is made possible through visitor donations and the Bobby Duryea Fund at the South Florida National Parks Trust, with additional support from the Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserves, a variety of other local agencies and businesses, and a host of dedicated volunteers.
 
The Dante Fascell Visitor Center is located at 9700 SW 328 Street, nine miles east of Homestead, Florida. Call 305-230-7275 or visit nps.gov/bisc or follow the park on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram at “biscaynenps.”
 
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About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 413 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov.