Two fun ways to learn about the environment

OK, Mom and Dad. These two family fun offerings come with a little bit of learning about the importance of our water resources and a guided tour of the universe.

But you don’t have to tell the kids that.

Here are the two events you can check out:

“World Water Day at Brightwater Center”: Kids and their families will get the chance to dig in a pond for bugs, make fish prints, investigate life in a creek and learn all about the precious importance of water at the Brightwater Center.

Folks from IslandWood, a nonprofit outdoor learning center on Bainbridge Island, will lead families through this celebration of water from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Brightwater Center, 22505 Highway 9 SE, Woodinville. The event is free.

The Brightwater Center opened to the public in 2011. It features an environmental learning center with public meeting spaces, art pieces and 70 acres of open space, 3 miles of trails and 40 acres of restored fish and wildlife habitat.

During “World Water Day,” tours of the Brightwater Clean-water Treatment Facility will also be available for those aged 9 and up. Registration is required for tours only.

For directions, more information or to register for treatment plant tours, call 206-263-6028 or go to http://tinyurl.com/7plttdm.

“The Earth Portal: A Guided Tour of the Universe”: Enter the GeoDome and your family will be surrounded in a learning experience.

The Whidbey GeoDome Project is offering a chance for kids and families to experience “The Earth Portal,” an inflatable immersive visualization environment, Thursday.

Once inside the GeoDome, you’ll see a tour of NASA’s Digital Universe Atlas, a comprehensive map of the observable cosmos. You will also embark on a journey through the universe where the extraordinary conditions and relationships that enable life to thrive on Earth will be revealed.

The GeoDome offers complex scientific concepts and information in a visual way. GeoDome presentations are dynamic and engaging and young learners are particularly drawn to this type of presentation.

For more information about the nonprofit Whidbey GeoDome Project go to www.whidbeygeodome.org.

GeoDome shows are limited to 25 people. There will be three half-hour shows. “The Earth Portal” can be visited at 7, 7:45 and 8:30 p.m. Thursday at Zech Hall at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts, 565 Camano Ave., Langley.

Tickets are $10 and $6. Call 360-221-8268 or 800-638-7631 or go to www.WICAonline.com.

Theresa Goffredo: 425-339-3424; goffredo@heraldnet.com.