Nature Explorers is an outdoor program for children ages 6-12 years old, every Wednesday 1:00pm-4:30pm at the PCEI Nature Center. Registration is required (see below). Since September 2020, Nature Explorers have been exploring nature on the 26.2-acre property of the PCEI Nature Center. They have enjoyed studying nature, building shelters and obstacle courses, learning about team-work, survival skills, fire building and much more.
2021 Enrollment Now Open!
Nature Explorers has been such a hit with students and their families that we are now expanding Nature Explorers to Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons! Students can attend 1 or 2 days. If you would like to know more about this opportunity for your child, please contact Brooke Lowry, Nature Explorers Director, at explorenature@pcei.org.
Students will learn about different aspects of nature through lessons, movement, art and exploration. Each week children will be taught a nature lesson, enjoy a movement activity, participate in an art project, be offered time for free open play, and will be given a nature journal to record their thoughts.
Topics that will be taught on a monthly rotation include learning about:
- animals (tracks, scat, attributes etc.)
- fire and light (various ways to make a fire, lantern making etc.)
- survival skills (knots, shelter making, hammer and knife safety etc.)
- gardening in the spring (planning, planting and caring for plants, learning about native species etc.)
- birds (nests, birdhouses, bird calls etc.) and more!
Twice a month we will have professional guest speakers teach the students a lesson. Twice a month we will be doing some sort of service project at the PCEI Nature Center and every week students will learn emotional intelligence skills and leadership skills.
For safety: We will be COVID-compliant with required masks worn always except for times when children are stationary and at least 6 feet apart. Hand-washing will be scheduled between activities. All adults working with children–as per PCEI protocol–will have background checks completed, and have a ratio of 2 adults per 10 children.
What to bring: Since this program is conducted entirely outdoors, participating students will be required to come with gloves, a raincoat, a warm hat, extra socks, along with a hearty snack and water bottle, in their backpack every day they attend.
Registration: We are accepting registrations for Nature Explorers a month at a time. To register your child in this outdoor program, please contact Brooke Lowry, PCEI’s Nature Explorers Director, at (208) 596-8147 or email explorenature@pcei.org. We currently have capacity to facilitate up to 10 students so space will fill up quickly!
If your registration for Nature Explorers has been accepted, you may pay your fee online using the PayPal button below (you do not need to have a PayPal account).
