Nature Programs Offered for All Ages

The William O. Douglas Outdoor Classroom, an environmental education organization in the Santa Monica Mountains, offers interpretive nature programs for all ages at the Sooky Goldman Nature Center, at the north end of Franklin Canyon Lake. Animal habitats, plants and geology are among the topics.

More than 1,000 children visit the organization each month.

Coming programs include “Plant Adventures,” about the coastal scrub and riparian habitats, on Saturday at 9 a.m., and “Babes in the Woods,” an environmental walk for children 3 months to 3 years and their parents or grandparents, on Saturday at 10 a.m. For reservations or a schedule of programs, call (310) 858-3834.

ASTRONOMY

Telescopes at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History will be trained on the icy rings of Saturn in a special viewing Friday at 8 p.m. Call (805) 682-3224.

HEALTH/MEDICINE

The Patient Self-Determination Act, a federal law designed to protect patients’ rights to make decisions about their medical treatment, will be discussed by a panel of legal and medical experts at a community forum at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Harvey Morse Auditorium. Call (310) 855-5189.

MARINE SCIENCE

Ralph White, a member of a recent Russian-Canadian-American expedition will discuss and show footage of the underwater exploration of the Titanic on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Cabrillo Marine Museum in San Pedro. Reservations are required. Call (310) 548-7563.

SCIENCE FOR KIDS

Children 4 to 7 can take part in an exploration of nature in the Wilderness Institute program “All Things Wild and Wonderful” on Sunday at Leo Carrillo State Beach. Reservations are required. Call (818) 991-7327.

Futurekids, an educational organization that promotes computer literacy, will lead a hands-on introduction to the use of computers in science for children 5 and older on Thursday at 2 and 3:15 p.m. at Kidspace Museum in Pasadena. Call (818) 449-9144.